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Emily KaplanESPN
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Nashville Predators All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban has been traded to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Steven Santini, prospect Jeremy Davies and two second-round picks — one in 2019 and one in 2020, the team announced.
Subban, 30, spent the past three seasons with the Predators. This is the second time in three years Subban has been traded. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Montreal Canadiens before he was shipped to Nashville in a blockbuster deal for Shea Weber in 2016.
It has been a big draft weekend for New Jersey, which selected American-born center Jack Hughes with the No. 1 pick on Friday night.
Subban, the 2013 Norris Trophy winner, was limited to 63 games last season, and saw his ice time reduced to 22:40 a night (he averaged more than 26 minutes a night between 2014 and 2016). Subban’s offensive numbers dipped last season as well, posting only nine goals and 22 assists.
Subban carries a $9 million cap hit on his contract, which runs through 2021-22. It is the third-highest cap hit for a defenseman in the NHL, trailing only San Jose’s Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million) and Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty ($11 million). Nashville will not retain any of Subban’s salary, which means it is a huge cost-clearing move for the team. The Predators are now expected to be active in free agency, and should be among the leading contenders for center Matt Duchene, among other high-profile available players.
Subban had a no-movement clause while he was with Montreal, although Nashville did not honor that clause when he moved. Predators GM David Poile, always active on the trade market, is extremely stingy with handing out no-movement clauses. The only player on the Predators current roster who has one is goalie Pekka Rinne.
Nashville was expected to make seismic changes to their roster this offseason, considering their crunch against the salary cap and the fact that they flamed out in the playoffs for the second-straight year, despite hefty expectations after making the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.
Santini, 24, has played in 114 games for the Devils over the past four seasons including 39 games last season. He had one goal and three assists while averaging just 16:39 a night.
Davies, 22, was a seventh round pick of the Devils in 2016 but has since raised his profile as a strong offensive defenseman prospect. Davies played for Northeastern University for three seasons.
The Devils missed the playoffs this past season but have been expected to make a splash next season. Their biggest priority now is re-signing 2018 MVP Taylor Hall, who becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.