Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are paying the Colorado Avalanche to take Ryan Johansen off their hands.

New Predators general manager Barry Trotz announced Saturday that the team is acquiring Alex Galchenyuk from the Avs in exchange for Johansen.

As part of the deal, Nashville is paying 50 percent of Johansen's contract, which has two years and $16 million left on it.

The goal for Nashville in this deal seems to be just getting out of paying the entirety of Johansen's contract.

Galchenyuk, who only appeared in 11 games for Colorado last season, is set to become a free agent on July 1. He spent most of the year with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche's AHL affiliate.

Nashville missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2013-14. Trotz, who was the team's head coach for its first 15 seasons, will officially take over as general manager on July 1 to replace the retiring David Poile,

Andrew Brunette was named the Predators' new head coach on May 31 after John Hynes was fired.

Harman Dayal and Sean Gentille of The Athletic noted the Predators have been making moves dating back to the trade deadline to move some of their veteran players on expensive contracts to clear cap space for the summer.

Johansen's $8 million cap hit in 2023-24 was tied with Matt Duchene for the third-highest on Nashville's roster before the deal.

The Predators signed Johansen to an eight-year, $64 million extension in July 2017 after he helped lead the team to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in the 2016-17 season.

Since setting a career-high with 64 points in 2018-19, Johansen's performance has dropped off. He did have another season with more than 60 points in 2021-22, but he's only had 86 combined points in the three seasons around that one.

Colorado will take a chance on Johansen returning to his old form by getting him in a new environment. He will likely slot in as the second-line center with Lars Eller set to become a free agent.

The Nashville Predators have found their replacement for former head coach John Hynes, and it is a familiar face.

The Predators announced Wednesday they tabbed Andrew Brunette as their next head coach. During his playing career, Brunette spent the 1998-99 season with Nashville. NHL analyst Kevin Weekes first reported the hire Tuesday.

Brunette also holds the unique distinction of being the player who scored the first-ever goal in Predators franchise history. He played in the NHL for 16 seasons and suit up for six different teams before his career came to an end in 2012. In addition to Nashville, Brunette also played for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild, Atlanta Thrashers, Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks.

The 49-year-old had previously served as interim head coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season after Joel Quenneville resigned from the position. Florida finished first in the Atlantic Division but was disappointingly swept out of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Brunette had the opportunity to remain with the Panthers organization after Paul Maurice was hired as head coach, but he accepted an assistant position with the New Jersey Devils for this season.

Hynes, who had coached the Predators since he was hired midway through the 2019-20 season, was fired on Tuesday following the team's lackluster showing this year. Nashville finished fifth in the Central Division with a record of 42-32-8 and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign. During Hynes' tenure, the Preds finished no higher than fourth in the Central Division.

Brunette will surely try to change that trend and get Nashville back to the playoffs next season.

Nashville Predators center Matt Duchene hasn't played since suffering a hand injury on March 26 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now the gruesome nature of his injury has been revealed.

TNT analyst Darren Pang reported earlier this week that when Duchene was hit on his hand by a slapshot from teammate Dante Fabbro, it severed the tip of his finger:

The Predators have listed Duchene as week-to-week with no further update on his status. It's yet another key player to be out amid an injury-riddled season for Nashville, which ranks fifth in the Central Division with a 39-30-8 record.

Duchene ranks second on the Predators with 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists), so his presence will continue to be missed. Nashville will be back in action on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes (50-18-9).

The Nashville Predators are trading defenseman Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

In exchange, Nashville will receive Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick.

The Predators are also retaining four percent of Ekholm's remaining salary, per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

The Oilers had been in the trade market for a defenseman for quite some time, and TSN's Darren Dreger reported Tuesday that, in addition to Ekholm, Edmonton had shown interest in the Arizona Coyotes' Jakob Chychrun and Columbus Blue Jackets' Vladislav Gavrikov.

LeBrun added that the Predators told teams last week that the price for Ekholm "started with two first-round picks."

Ekholm is in the first season of a four-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Predators in October 2021. He has an annual cap hit worth $6.25 million through the 2025-26 season, according to CapFriendly.

The 32-year-old Swede had spent his entire 12-year career in Nashville, which selected him in the fourth round of the 2009 draft. Through 57 games this season, he has notched five goals and 13 assists for 18 points.

In 719 games with the Predators, Ekholm has tallied 62 goals and 206 assists for 268 points. He also boasts a career plus/minus of plus-104 and has averaged 21:48 of time on ice over 12 seasons.

Adding Ekholm helps solidify the Oilers as one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

Edmonton already boasts the NHL's best offense, averaging 3.80 goals per game thanks to the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. However, it desperately needed some help on the blue line as it was also allowing 3.28 goals per game.

For comparison, the Boston Bruins, which lead the league with 97 points, have scored 3.73 goals per game and are allowing just 2.08 goals per game, proving they have the perfect combination of scoring and defense needed to win a title.

Ekholm will now anchor a defensive unit that also includes Darnell Nurse, Cody Ceci, Brett Kulak, Philip Broberg and Evan Bouchard.

It's unclear if the Oilers, which sit third in the Pacific Division with a 32-21-8 record and 72 points, will make any more moves ahead of the NHL's Friday trade deadline.

Nashville, meanwhile, is in selling mode as it sits fifth in the Central Division with a 29-22-6 record and 64 points.

Tanner Jeannot was once believed to be a part of the future for the Nashville Predators after his strong campaign last season, but that is no longer the case.

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they are acquiring the 25-year-old left winger in exchange for defenseman Cal Foote and five future draft picks.

Jeannot, who accounted for 24 goals, 17 assists and 130 penalty minutes in 81 games last season, has suffered a significant regression this year. He's recorded just five goals and nine assists in his 56 appearances.

The substantial haul that Nashville received is impressive considering it shipped away a player who is struggling, but the deal came as a shock to many around the league. Hockey insider Frank Seravalli reported after the trade was announced that "multiple NHL GMs are stunned by the return. Like jaws on the floor."

Jeannot is set to become a restricted free agent after this season, so it's important that he puts forth a strong showing for Tampa Bay. At 37-18-4, the Lightning sit in third place in the Atlantic Division. Jeannot will have the chance to contribute to a team that has aspirations of making a deep postseason run after losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Colorado Avalanche last season.

Jeannot will have some time to get used to his new surroundings before the Lightning return to the ice Tuesday at home for a matchup against the Florida Panthers (29-26-6).

There will be a changing of the guard for the Nashville Predators, with a familiar face taking over as general manager.

David Poile is retiring from his position as Nashville's president of hockey operations and general manager, effective June 30. Former Predators, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz will take over as GM.

Trotz will serve as an advisor to Poile and his management team for the next four months.

Poile said in a statement that he felt this was the decision was "best" for both himself and the team:

"This is a decision that is best for me personally and best for the Nashville Predators. For the Predators, I believe it is time for a new voice and a new direction. I am proud of the foundation we have put in place in our hockey operations, investing in and improving every area of the department. This is the right time for someone else to move our franchise forward."

NHL reporter Elliotte Friedman first reported the news.

It is difficult to envision the Predators without Poile, although he will remain in a consulting role.

He was the general manager of the Capitals starting in 1982-83 but came to the Predators when they were an expansion franchise ahead of their initial season in 1998-99. Perhaps the crowning moment of his tenure came when he was named the General Manager of the Year in 2017 when Nashville reached its first Stanley Cup Final.

Even at that time, Poile was already the longest-serving general manager in NHL history dating back to his time with the Capitals.

Those are major shoes to fill, but Trotz is certainly familiar with the organization.

After all, he was the Predators' head coach for their first 15 seasons of existence. He worked directly with Poile during that time and helped guide the team to an overall record of 557 wins, 479 losses, 60 ties and 100 overtime losses during his tenure.

Nashville also went to the playoffs seven times under Trotz's leadership.

While the 60-year-old may be best known for leading the Capitals to the 2018 Stanley Cup title and reaching the playoffs in seven of his eight seasons with Washington and New York, his longest time with any single team came with the same Predators he's returning to with this move.

The Predators may need to make some moves this offseason outside of the leadership change, as they are 28-22-6 on the season and eight points behind the Seattle Kraken for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

The Czech Republic has informed the NHL that Russian players will not be granted entry into the country for scheduled games between the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks at Prague's O2 Arena.

Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolek released a statement Thursday saying the country made the decision based on Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine.

"We can confirm that the Czech Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to the NHL to point out that, at this moment, the Czech Republic or any other state in the (visa free) Schengen zone should not issue visas to the Russian players to enter our territory," Smolek said.

The Predators and Sharks are slated for games Oct. 7 and 8 in Prague. It's unclear if the NHL will move forward with the games, and Smolek would not disclose any reaction from the league.

Nashville forward Yakov Trenin and San Jose forward Evgeny Svechnikov would be barred from the games if they are held as scheduled.

Finland, which is also slated to host NHL games this season, is also in the process of banning all Russian citizens from entering the country. It is yet to be made clear whether that will apply to NHL players.

The Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets are set for two games in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 4-5.

Foreign governments and sports associations have been increasingly hostile toward Russian immigrants as the country continues to wage war in Ukraine. Russian players were barred from playing in Wimbledon this summer, and several international sports organizations have banned Russians from competition.

There have been more than 14,000 confirmed civilian casualties since February, but the number is believed to be higher.