On February 25th, hours before the NHL trade deadline, the predators traded Kevin Fiala for
Mikael Granlund. Grandlund has tallied 49 points which is more than both Filip Foresberg and Viktor Arviddson. Grandlund is likely to fit in on the second line, replacing Kevin Fiala. Grandland is as versatile forward who can play any offensive position, he is a great scorer and he may be just what the Preds need on the offensive end.
The second trade of the day came just minutes before the deadline at 2:00 PM ct. The predators traded a conditional 4th round pick which will turn into a 3rd round pick if the Predators make it through the first round of the playoffs. The predators also traded Ryan Hartman. Ryan Hartman was traded to the Predators on this day last year in exchange for the Predators 2019 1st round pick. Hartman was a tough forward and a very good player. Although he was not a scorer, he played an important role and got on the nerves of many other players. Simmonds is 6'2 and plays very aggressively. Unlike Granlund, Simmonds is not much of a scorer, he has 16 goals and 11 assists on the season. He will be very helpful wherever he fits in, he his a big body and a very good player.
Although Fiala and Hartman were two of my favorite Predators players, if you take both trades into account, the Predators became a better team. The Fiala trade did not come as a huge surprise, although I think Fiala has an extremely high potential, many people speculated that Fiala could possibly be on the move around deadline time. The Hartman trade came as as big surprise. Hartman was one of my personal favorite players and he played unlike anyone else on the ice. I was really hoping the Predators would make a move for Simmonds but when I heard the trade was for Hartman it made me think twice about the quality of the trade. As a whole, the deadline was a good day for the Predators. The Preds biggest Western Confrence competition, the Winnipeg Jets, made only one trade which is very good for the Predators. One thing the Predators have always lacked against the Jets is size, and the trades the predators have made (McCleod, Boyle, Simmonds, Granlund) have increased the overall size of the predators. If you would like to read my article on the trade of McCleod and Boyle, you can do so here. Will these trades make the difference in the playoffs?
