Predators plan to carry 8 defensemen to begin season
The acquisition of Alexei Emelin was not a harbinger of trades for the Nashville Predators.
At the NHL draft back in June, general manager David Poile made it clear he didn't plan on using his defense corps to get active in the summer trade market. Despite adding Emelin by way of the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a third-round pick a few days later, he has not changed his tune.
"I just felt it was an opportunity that I didn't want to pass up on at this time," Poile said Monday, per Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. "Oftentimes you get to the trade deadline and you pay a king's ransom to get Alexei Emelin. You may have to pay a first-round pick to get a rental like that. Part of our job here is to provide depth to create competition."
As such, the plan is to carry all eight defensemen currently under contract into training camp and to begin next season. It's a luxury Nashville can afford, considering many of them carry team-friendly deals.
| Player | 2017-18 Cap hit |
|---|---|
| P.K. Subban | $9M |
| Roman Josi | $4M |
| Mattian Ekholm | $3.75M |
| Alexei Emelin | $3M |
| Ryan Ellis | $2.25M |
| Yannick Weber | $650000 |
| Matt Irwin | $650000 |
| Anthony Bitetto | $612500 |
Poile didn't rule out making minor moves, but there doesn't appear to be merit to the idea that the team will ship out a core defenseman to bring in a high-profile forward.
"Could there be something in terms of a little more depth here and there? Maybe," Poile conceded. "But right now it feels like we're pretty close to our roster."
Emelin averaged 21:19 a night for the Montreal Canadiens last season, and registered two goals, eight assists and a Corsi rating of 50 at even strength, per Hockey Reference.