In the first real trade of the offseason, the Predators began their quest for a do-over, while the Devils are also in need of a bit of a shake-up. Erik Haula fills a bit of a need for the Predators at centre, and all it cost was a bottom-tier prospect (Jeremy Hanzel) and a 4^th round pick.

What the Predators Get:

On the surface, Haula is a soon-to-be 35-year-old third-line forward who paced for 25 points last season, and was a minus player on a playoff team. The good news for Nashville is that Haula is a defensive centre, playing the tough minutes, and winning 53% of his faceoffs.

He can push a few more offensive minutes onto Ryan O'Reilly, and maybe Colton Sissons too. Not the top-tier of offensive centres mind you.

What the Devils Get:

Not a lot really. They shed an extra roster player, but they don't have a ton of internal competition. The biggest thing is likely shedding the extra cap. They now have $14 million in space to give Mitch Marner a run, or sort out how to trade for Quinn Hughes aa couple of years before he hits free agency and likely meanders over to the Devils anyways.

This might knock Nico Hischier down a little bit with having to take some extra load in the defensive zone.

Players this helps (ordered most to least):

Ryan O'Reilly

Juuse Saros

Players this hurts:

Nico Hischier