Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix
Because a #1 C is generally acquired in the top 5 picks of the draft, somewhere the Predators usually don't pick from. Meanwhile they seem to have a steady stream of top pairing defensemen falling into their laps every few years.
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He wanted a mega raise 18 months ago and kept the Blue Jackets dangling right up until the season started. For me, there are serious attitude question marks with him right now. Lets also remember that his play(especially his goalscoring) has fallen off a cliff this season. The pressure is massively on him to rebound from this slump and start banging in the goals. And if he does, what's stopping him doing the same to the Predators as he did to the Blue Jackets and demanding a mega salary, which they will probably struggle to do within their budget?
Yeah, he's a #1C, but there are serious question marks over his attitude and now his play. Not seeing those issues with Jones, plus he has similar top line upside.
And you say Nasvhille seem to fall on their feet for defencemen. Well, what about Columbus? They are bottom of the league and in the best place to draft Matthews. They grab him and suddenly losing Johansen doesn't look so bad.
When you consider everything, I'd say, at the moment, its an even trade. Columbus get a young d-man who can make an impact and stop the flow of goals going in. I doubt they miss Johansen on the goalscoring front. But there are question marks over Jones' upside and might top out as a 2nd line player.
As for Nashville, they get a boost in their offence, which they badly need and don't lose a step on their blue line. But there are attitude question marks over Johansen, so concerns about him, just like Jones. Both are in good spots to replace the player they've lost imo. Like I said, pretty even for me.