Sometimes it's better to sit tight.
That's a lesson learned by Nashville Predators general manager David Poile, who admitted that defenseman Cody Franson may have not been a great fit for his club.
Franson, along with forward Mike Santorelli, was acquired in advance of the trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for, most notably, the team's first-round pick in 2015.
In retrospect, it may not have been the most prudent move, Poile opined.
"Our defense was very good this year, and I think in the playoffs he played better than he did maybe sometimes in the regular season," he explained. "It wasn't a perfect fit to be very honest and - bottom line - it wasn't like we didn't know that before we made the trade, but we were hoping it would work probably a little bit better."
For his part, Franson - who saw his ice time dip considerably in Nashville - added it was definitely a big adjustment that late in the season.
"You go from playing over 20 minutes a night on any given night in a bunch of different situations, special teams and things like that, to more of a depth guy and trying to play more of a shutdown role and just not really allow much," he said. "I tried to adjust to it as best I could and contribute as much as I could."
Franson, 27, recorded only one goal and three assists in 23 games with the Predators, but hit 32 points in 55 games with the Maple Leafs prior to the trade.
Set to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, a return to Nashville appears unlikely.
