Trade deadline day could be a snoozefest at this rate.
The trade: Predators acquire Mark Letestu from the Edmonton Oilers for Pontus Aberg. Predators then trade Letestu to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Why the Predators are making this trade: Picks are nice. Teams like draft picks. Aberg also hadn’t played in 10 days and his future in the Music City was in doubt. Perhaps the deal is part of a bigger plan for general manager David Poile, who apparently are in the running for Erik Karlsson. (Wouldn’t that be something.)
Or maybe another conspiracy?
Wonder if NSH shipped Aberg to EDM and took the fourth-rounder from CBJ to keep Letestu from WPG.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) February 25, 2018
Why the Oilers are making this trade: Two words: Fire. Sale. The Oilers need to dump pending unrestricted free agents and get something in return. Aberg is the return. He wasn’t a fit on a very strong Predators team but perhaps could offer something to the Oilers going forward. He has one year left on a two-year, $1.3 million deal.
Or maybe not:
Why the Blue Jackets are making this trade: The Blue Jackets needed help in their bottom six and get some with veteran center Letestu, who will likely be hungry to perform as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Letestu knows the area well, having played parts of four season with the Blue Jackets. He has eight goals and 19 points in 60 games this season.
Perhaps some further context as well:
Aberg to Edmonton for Letestu.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) February 25, 2018
Letestu to Columbus for a 4th.
So that means Nashville effectively traded Aberg for a 4th.
By the way, Letestu is building his off season home in Columbus.
Who won this trade: Another one of these even deals, for the most part. Blue Jackets get depth, Predators grab a pick. But what do the Oilers gain in Aberg? He’s a cheap player going forward, but his metrics aren’t great. Maybe a change of scenery will help. Edmonton got something for a pending UFA, so that’s something.
[polldaddy poll=9946400]
MORE: Pro Hockey Talk 2018 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck
