A report from Wednesday afternoon suggested that the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets were closing in on a "blockbuster" trade, and while the resulting deal wasn't necessarily a blockbuster per se, it certainly seemed to alter the landscape significantly for both teams.
The Predators, desperate to add some scoring up front for a Cup run, acquired center Ryan Johansen from the Blue Jackets in exchange for top defensive prospect Seth Jones.
"Ryan is a big, young center that can score, set up goals, win faceoffs," Nashville GM David Poile said in a statement announcing the move. "He's a No. 1 center who is still growing his game and has the size and skill that we have been looking for to match up with the best in the league."
The fourth-overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, Johansen has blossomed into an elite top-line center. His tenure in Columbus however, was marked as much by questions of his work ethic and preparation as it was by highlight reel goals and leadership.
Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen admitted that it was not an easy decision to deal a player of Johansen's caliber.
Trading Ryan Johansen was not easy but improving our blueline has been a priority for us and to acquire a player of Seth's caliber, you have to give up a player of value," said Kekalainen, per the team's website. "We have been through a lot with Joey over the years and he has been a very good player for us. On behalf of our organization, I want to thank him for all he has done on and off the ice for our team and in our community."
Jones, 21, was ironically also the fourth-overall pick, but in the 2013 NHL Draft. Now in his third NHL season, the big blueliner is still finding his game. But Jones has the kind of tools that, should he develop as expected, can turn him into a top-tier shutdown defender.
