Nashville nabs Beniers
Jul 10, 2022 18:42:44 GMT -5
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Post by Nashville Predators on Jul 10, 2022 18:42:44 GMT -5
On a day of team altering deals, the Nashville Predators finalized a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks that will drastically alter the direction of the franchise.
The details of the deal are as follows:
To Nashville:
Matty Beniers
#3 overall pick
#33 overall pick
To Chicago:
Dylan Guenther
Sebastian Cossa
#20 overall pick
BUF 2023 2nd
With the Predators in the middle of a full-scale rebuild, it usually would not make sense to trade their top two picks from the previous years’ draft to a division rival. Both Dylan Guenther and Sebastian Cossa are coming off a strong season and a WHL Championship with the Edmonton Oil Kings. However, the opportunity to add a prospective top-line center in Matty Beniers along with the 3rd overall pick proved to tempting to pass on.
The question now is what does Nashville do in the 2022 VHL Draft. The Predators own the second and third overall picks, and there is no consensus about which prospect will go where at the top of the board. There are several directions GM Nikolas Bon could go based on who the LA Kings take first overall. The addition of Beniers and the emergence of Tage Thompson has solidified Nashville’s center position, but they could add to that by drafting Shane Wright and / or Logan Cooley. Alternatively, Slovakian star Juraj Slafkovsky would immediately mitigate the loss of Guenther. There is an outside shot of Nashville selecting one Simon Nemec or David Jiricek as the Predators lack an elite defensive prospect in their system. GM Bon is also known for trading down in the draft, so there is a real possibility of the 3rd overall pick moving on draft day.
Predators fans had a rough season, watching their team finish near the bottom of the league standings. There is likely another year or two of frustration on the horizon. However, this trade along with other strong moves during the season should give Predators fans hope for the future
The details of the deal are as follows:
To Nashville:
Matty Beniers
#3 overall pick
#33 overall pick
To Chicago:
Dylan Guenther
Sebastian Cossa
#20 overall pick
BUF 2023 2nd
With the Predators in the middle of a full-scale rebuild, it usually would not make sense to trade their top two picks from the previous years’ draft to a division rival. Both Dylan Guenther and Sebastian Cossa are coming off a strong season and a WHL Championship with the Edmonton Oil Kings. However, the opportunity to add a prospective top-line center in Matty Beniers along with the 3rd overall pick proved to tempting to pass on.
The question now is what does Nashville do in the 2022 VHL Draft. The Predators own the second and third overall picks, and there is no consensus about which prospect will go where at the top of the board. There are several directions GM Nikolas Bon could go based on who the LA Kings take first overall. The addition of Beniers and the emergence of Tage Thompson has solidified Nashville’s center position, but they could add to that by drafting Shane Wright and / or Logan Cooley. Alternatively, Slovakian star Juraj Slafkovsky would immediately mitigate the loss of Guenther. There is an outside shot of Nashville selecting one Simon Nemec or David Jiricek as the Predators lack an elite defensive prospect in their system. GM Bon is also known for trading down in the draft, so there is a real possibility of the 3rd overall pick moving on draft day.
Predators fans had a rough season, watching their team finish near the bottom of the league standings. There is likely another year or two of frustration on the horizon. However, this trade along with other strong moves during the season should give Predators fans hope for the future
