Preds Top 20, No. 6: Nashville's Busy Trade Deadline

The Nashville Predators 2022-23 season has officially come to an end, and what a season it has been. From momentous firsts to bittersweet farewells, this year was full of memorable moments both on and off the ice.

We've already taken a look back at the Top 10 goals scored by the Predators this season. Now, we're counting down the Top 20 moments and milestones that highlighted a special season of hockey in SMASHVILLE.

We'll take our trip down memory lane in chronological order, so let's head back to the beginning of March to continue our countdown at No. 6.

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The week leading up to the NHL trade deadline on March 3 - David Poile's last as the Predators General Manager/President of Hockey Operations - was one of the busiest for Nashville in recent memory.

The week saw the debuts of rising stars, the accumulation of more than two dozen draft picks and the arrival of some promising new faces in Nashville's locker room. It all came at a price, however, as the Preds had to say some tough goodbyes to some fan favorites.

"It's never easy," Poile said. "That's why as I step away from my job here, that will be the thing I miss the least. You do form relationships with your players and sometimes their families… and then you turn their world upside down. I never take that lightly when I do that. And it kind of goes right through your team in terms of how you're building your team. I like stability. I like stability in my life, and I love that on the teams. I know you have to make changes, but I'd like to make two or three changes a year and just be rolling along in a winning culture. Sometimes it has to be done like this, but it's never easy. It's never fun, and it takes a little bit of time for everybody to get over that."

Perhaps the most poignant example of the emotional toll the trade deadline took on this Predators team was the somber atmosphere in the visitors locker room at Mullett Arena on Feb. 26. The palpable gloom, which would be typical following a loss, felt incongruous with a Predators team that had just cruised to a 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. But for the Preds, the win was the furthest thing from their minds.

The team had already planned to skate 11 forwards and seven defensemen against Arizona, after Juuso Parssinen had left the previous game in San Jose with an injury. But the Predators learned they would be down yet another forward after receiving word before puck drop that Tanner Jeannot - who had taken the ice with the team for warmups - would be held out of the game for trade-related reasons; his trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning would be finalized later that evening.

Nino Niederreiter had been dealt to the Winnipeg Jets the day before. Rumors were swirling around Mattias Ekholm, Mikael Granlund and others. Poile had announced that afternoon that he would be retiring at the end of June and that Barry Trotz would be taking over as GM effective July 1.

As a cloud of uncertainty hovered over the room in Arizona, a visibly shaken Roman Josi struggled to articulate what he was feeling.

"It's definitely not an easy situation," he said. "I've never been through anything like that in my time here, and it's very emotional. It's very hard on every player. There's a lot going on. I feel like my mind was in a million places in this game. We are hockey players, and we've got to go about our business and play hockey. But we're people first, right? So it's okay to feel those emotions. It's okay to be sad or a little anxious about what's happening."

The following weeks would bring even more bittersweet change, from farewells to firsts. Ekholm was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. Granlund was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Cal Foote, Tyson Barrie and Rasmus Asplund joined the Predators roster. Dante Fabbro, Kevin Lankinen and Mark Jankowski were inked to one-year deals through 2023-24. John Leonard and Michael McCarron were re-called from Milwaukee (AHL). Luke Evangelista and Egor Afanasyev made their NHL debuts with the Preds.

As if that wasn't enough, it all happened as the team embarked on a 13-day, cross-continent road trip that spanned more than 11,000 miles and included stops in every time zone, not to mention springing forward for daylight saving time. Factor in injuries to top-six stalwarts Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen, as well as defenseman Alexandre Carrier, and the circumstances were unfavorable to say the least.

Even with the odds stacked against them, the Preds finished the road trip with a 5-1-1 record and followed it up with a 2-1 win over Detroit at home. A team that had been all but written off after the trade deadline suddenly found itself in the thick of the playoff race - and there they would stay for nearly the entire second half of the season.

The trade deadline wasn't easy for the Predators, but it gave way to an era of excitement and optimism about the team's future as they look to be competitive and make a push for the Stanley Cup. When asked about a timeline for the reset, Poile's answer was simple:

"Now. It's already started."

Worth a click:

Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline
Video: Recapping Nashville's Moves Before the Trade Deadline