Montreal sold Jayden Struble at the right time, for the right price
A 2027 second-rounder for an eighth defenseman whose minutes were falling, while Nashville gets a cheap left shot and his RFA rights.
Montreal got the right price for Jayden Struble, and it sold at the right time. A second-round pick for a 25-year-old third-pair defenseman whose minutes were already shrinking is a fair return, and Nashville is buying a cheap, physical left shot with control of his next contract.
The number: 9.1. That's how many minutes Struble played in his most recent game for Montreal, against Carolina on Tuesday, per NHL data. He opened the regular season at 11.0 minutes and rose to 16.2 in Pittsburgh before the drop.
Across three games he averaged about 12 minutes with no points and no shots on goal, by our count. Small sample, but the direction was clear.
The deal is simple. Struble goes to the Predators, and the Canadiens get a 2027 second-round pick that originally belonged to Vegas. He's in the final season of a two-year deal at a $1,412,500 cap hit, which makes him a restricted free agent next summer. Nashville gets his rights for that negotiation, which is the real asset here.
The roster math explains Montreal's side. The Canadiens still carry Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier, Arber Xhekaj and Adam Engström on the blue line, with Kaiden Guhle on injured reserve. When Guhle is healthy, Struble is the eighth defenseman. An eighth defenseman at $1.4 million is a luxury a team near the ceiling doesn't need.
The return also squares a circle. Montreal drafted Struble in the second round, 46th overall, in 2019. Seven years later it gets another second back.
That's a full lap for a player who gave the team 174 regular-season games, 35 points and a career-high 59 games last season, plus 12 playoff games in the run to the Eastern Conference Final.
Nashville's case is about style and price. Predators general manager Chris MacFarland called Struble a physical defender who adds mobility. "We are excited to watch his growth and look forward to him being a player who can grow with us," he said. At $1.41 million for one season, that's a low-risk way to find out.
Cap sheet (as of Saturday)
- Nashville: $8.83 million in space, no LTIR, no retained-salary slots used, 46 of 50 contracts, 23 players on the active roster with Struble.
- Montreal: $2.47 million in space after the trade, up from about $1.06 million before it, no LTIR, one of three retained-salary slots used, 44 of 50 contracts, 22 on the active roster.
Prospect watch (Tommy Kessler): Vegas has been a playoff team in most of its seasons, so this pick probably lands late in the second round. That's a lottery ticket, and Struble was one too at 46th overall. Montreal's bet is that a fresh ticket in a class it can scout all winter beats an eighth defenseman it wasn't dressing.
What I'd watch: Montreal's next defensive call-up. The Canadiens are 1-2-1 with a minus-5 goal differential, per NHL data, and the extra $1.4 million in space gives Kent Hughes room to add before the deadline.
Nashville sits at the 23-man limit with Struble on board, so the next call-up costs somebody a roster spot. The trade is fair today; the follow-up moves will decide who won it.
