Preds gain draft picks, who will backup Rinne in 2012?
It was going to be a fairly quiet first few rounds in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft for the Nashville Predators this weekend in Pittsburgh, that was until David Poile got to work on Friday. The Predators and Poile knew their summer would be busy with 15 free agents’ futures to decide. Poile has traded his potential free agents in the past if he didn’t think his team was going to resign them. Poile did it again.
Poile and the Nashville Predators announced Friday via press release that they traded goalie Anders Lindback, forward Kyle Wilson, and their 2012 seventh-round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goaltender Sebastien Caron and three draft picks.
The Nashville Predators will now draft 37th and 50th overall in the second round. According to MyNHLdraft.com’s recent mock draft, they think the Predators will be taking Tanner Pearson at No. 37 and Jarrod Maidens No. 50 overall.
When Pekka Rinne signed his lucrative contract, you had to know Lindback would want his chance at being a No. 1 somewhere else. He finally will get his chance with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were desperately looking for a youthful goalie with a high ceiling.
The Predators wasted no time looking for a Lindback replacement when they signed their 2011 2nd round draft pick, Magnus Hellberg, to an entry level contractearlier on Monday.
In my opinion, the Predators aren’t done trading before the draft concludes on Saturday night. Poile is not afraid of trading his free agents rights before July 1 and time is ticking on some big names, including Ryan Suter’s future.
You can follow me for all the latest Nashville Predators news on Twitter @dhbrownTHW.
David Brown
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