Nashville, TN - After nearly a month of no action on transaction wire, the Predators were back at it again this weekend. General manager Chad Blouin held a press conference following Saturday's 2-0 loss against Pittsburgh to announce the trades of Steve Sullivan and Jason York.
The York deal, completed Friday afternoon, saw the veteran defenseman sent to Philadelphia in exchange for a disgruntled Martin Lapointe and his hefty $5 million contract.
York, 35, made the Predators opening day roster and hung around for a total of six games, before being sent down to Milwaukee of the OTMHL. The Nepean, Ontario native is in the second year of a 4-year, $8 million contract and had reportedly expressed a desire to be traded after his demotion. Blouin avoided comment on that report, saying only, "Jason had fallen towards the bottom of the depth chart, and we felt a move to Philadephia would give him a better opportunity at OTHL icetime this season."
Lapointe, 32, was the victim of depth and the salary cap in Philadelphia. The physical winger spent the first eight games of the year on the Flyers' fourth line, and his $5 million salary had him on the verge of demotion to the club's OTMHL affiliate. Lapointe is eligible to become an unrestricted free-agent at season's end, and that may be what Blouin found most attractive about the prospect of acquiring him. "We're in a position where he can really help us with his experience and leadership, as well as getting it done on the ice," Blouin said of Lapointe.
"But if for some reason things don't work out, he's off the books for next year, whereas Jason's contract had us tied down for two more."
Steve Sullivan was next on the move, in a deal completed Saturday afternoon that saw the Timmins, Ontario native join the division rival Red Wings in exchange for Ruslan Fedotenko and a first round draft choice.
Sullivan was off to a disappointing start this season, with only three points in 10 games and a -4 rating. The Predators were hoping for a little more offense out of him and their first line, but before head coach Barry Trotz had a chance to mix things up, Blouin did a little mixing of his own. "We understand players go through slumps, but the deal wasn't entirely based on his play," Blouin said.
"We floated his name around, and Detroit hit us with a solid offer right off the bat. Of all the talks we had with teams regarding Sullivan in the preseason, none of them would've seen us land a young player who can step in right away, and a valuable asset like the first round choice. We had to move on it."
Fedotenko, 26, was instrumental in the Tampa Bay Lightning's playoff run of last year, scoring 12 goals to help his team win the final Stanley Cup awarded in the now-defunct NHL. The Ukranian winger was off to a slow start in Detroit, registering three points between the Red Wings slumping offense. It's expected he'll take Sullivan's spot on the first line, though Trotz has hinted at sliding Adam Hall up a spot to inject life into the struggling top unit.
Rumblings:
In his short tenure as GM, Blouin has made a habit of completing multiple deals in a span of just days, and according to one team official, he may have a few more trades on the horizon.
Blouin has reportedly had discussions with a western conference team about the services of Brett Hedican, and has granted the club permission to negotiate a new contract with the defenseman. While it's uncertain what the return would be, the source suggested it's unlikely the Predators would receive anything more than draft choices.
Meanwhile, the Nashville Sound is reporting that the Predators are awaiting word from the St. Louis Blues about a deal involving right-winger Shean Donovan. The proposed trade would see two prospects swapped for the speedy Donovan and a draft choice. Blues GM Fred Younan has reportedly requested more time before signing off on the deal.