Each day through May 26, TheGameNashville.com will post the Top 10 moments of the Nashville Predators’ 2015-16 season. We encourage your feedback. Feel free to tweet us your reaction to @1025thegame.
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It was the trade that needed to happen for the Nashville Predators. For their entire 18-year existence, they had been looking for a number one center to build their forward corps around. Also for their entire 18-year existence, they had been known for stockpiling top notch defensemen. Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Ryan Suter, Dan Hamhuis, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis and Kevin Klein had all been drafted and developed by the Preds. As a result, if Nashville was going to acquire a first line center, it was going to take a defensive prospect to do it.
And, on January 6, that exact scenario happened.
Seth Jones was sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Ryan Johansen. A trade both teams needed to make happen. It gave Columbus a future franchise defenseman to build around and it gave Nashville what they’d always coveted, that true number one center.
Below is Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s press conference explaining the trade from the Columbus point of view. Start the clip at the 7:24 mark.
Below is Predators GM David Poile’s take, courtesy of Penalty Box Radio.
The acquisition of Ryan Johansen and all it did for the Predators going forward checks in at #6 on our Top 10 Moments of the 2015-16 Season.
Miss any of the previous moments?
CLICK HERE :: #10
CLICK HERE :: #9
CLICK HERE :: #8
CLICK HERE :: #7