Breaking news this morning as it relates to the Nashville Predators and their roster for the future. Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that the Nashville Predators have traded long time center Ryan Johansen to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for the rights to forward Alex Galchenyuk.
UPDATE: the Nashville Predators confirmed the report with a press release. Ryan Johansen has indeed been traded to the Colorado Avalanche.
According to the trade details, 50% of Johansen’s salary has been retained by Nashville (which is the maximum allowable salary retention possible per the CBA). This means both Colorado and Nashville will be paying $4 million to Johansen for the 2023-24 and 204-25 seasons.
Alex Galchenyuk is a pending UFA for Colorado. He played in only 11 games for the Avalanche last season, which was coming off a 21-point season in Arizona the previous year. It doesn’t seem likely Galchenyuk will cost much, should the Predators choose to sign him: his cap hit was only $750,000 last year for the Avs.
The move gives Nashville an extra $4 million in cap space on top of the $15 million they already have.
This is huge news for the makeup of the Nashville Predators. It indicates a clear plan to move on from an aging core and shows signs that Barry Trotz is looking to significantly change the roster ahead of next week’s NHL Draft.
Stay tuned for more big moves incoming!
