For the Nashville Predators, draft day has resulted in a lot of nothing, but it has also brought about a few wins and even moves.
I can state with confidence, surprisingly, that the Predators haven’t dropped a draft day trade. In the first four rounds of this draft, Nashville owns eight draft picks and a large sum of money.
This is a recipe for success as the team works to improve and makes a move in the last major event before free agency opens. Let’s examine the top three transactions the Predators made on draft day before that occurs.
Scott Morrow and Ville Koivunen are the 2021 second-round selections. When the Predators traded up into the first round in 2021 and selected Zachary L’Heureux 27th overall, they knew exactly who they wanted.
In addition to dropping to 40th place, the Carolina Hurricanes also received the 51st overall selection.
After a fantastic regular season, L’Heureux was an absolute beast for the Milwaukee Admirals in the playoffs, putting up 10 goals and 15 points in 15 games. He has presented a strong case to be added to the Predators squad for the upcoming campaign.
Both Ville Koivunen and Scott Morrow are decent players, but Koivunen plays in the Finnish hockey league Liiga, while Morrow is doing well in the NCAA.
L’Heureux, as the Predators now have him, is a gifted player who will undoubtedly have an influence on the NHL sooner rather than later. Regarding the two guys the Hurricanes drafted, the jury is still out.
The seventh-round pick was a complete bust, but the Predators acquired top-6 NHL forward Viktor Arvidsson with their 2014 fourth-round selection.
He played the previous three seasons in Los Angeles with the Kings after having three fantastic seasons with the Predators in his early to mid-20s.
