NHL Trade: Nashville Predators acquire James Neal from Penguins
By Josh Hill
The NHL Draft is well underway and we are starting to see some trades made that will change things up for teams next season. The Pittsburgh Penguins are no strangers to Draft Day trades and they’ve pulled off another one tonight, this time with the Nashville Predators.
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According to the Nashville Predators official Twitter account, the team has acquired James Neal from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. No draft picks appear to have been included in the swap, but it’s hard to see this trade not at least affecting strategy.
BREAKING NEWS: James Neal traded to the @PredsNHL for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling.
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) June 28, 2014
The Predators taking on Neal is a huge addition for a team that needs to start getting better right now. The Preds can’t wait for prospects to develop, they need stars who can help them win at the moment and that’s what James Neal represents.
As for the Penguins, this is the first big move of a new regime and it shows that the new guys in charge aren’t afraid to make some big moves to try and get this roster back to the winning ways it’s used to experiencing.
It’s unclear who the trade will play out in the long run this season, but it’s hard to say that there’s a loser in a trade like this where both teams walk away with exactly what they were looking for.