Seattle Kraken: Best trade partners in each division for Mark Giordano
PNWS Staff
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Central Division – Nashville Predators (by Dan White)
Nashville Predators – 60 points (4th place), $10.5M current cap space.
Why the Predators
Out of all the contenders in this Division, Nashville should definitely be a buyer at the deadline, if for no other reason than their cap space. The Preds are hanging onto a playoff spot with a five-point lead, but Nashville could be one defensive injury from sliding down the standings – or leaping up.
The trade
Seattle Kraken send Giordano to Nashville for Alexandre Carrier, Yakov Trenin, and Nashville’s 2nd and 3rd draft picks in 2022.
Why it works for the Seattle Kraken
Seattle is trying to build a championship-caliber team from within. They want younger players they can develop. Giordano is almost certainly out the door at the end of the season, so Seattle should trade him and get two young players, and two high-level draft picks.
Trenin, a pending restricted free agent, is having a great season. Meanwhile, Carrier has one more year left on his contract and would easily slide into Seattle’s top 6 defensemen. This is one of the few trades where Seattle would not have to retain any cap, too.
Why it works for the Nashville Predators
Nashville is already deep on defense; however, defense wins championships. They need more depth. Gio would be a great second or third-pair defenceman for Nashville, providing a defense that opposing offenses would dread – Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Giordano, Philippe Myers, Mark Borowiecki, and Dante Fabbro with Matt Benning and Ben Harpur in reserve.
Central Runner-up
Minnesota is a solid runner-up from the Central division. They are in a four-way race for the Central Division title. The Wild currently have just under $2M in cap space, so moving 2 players to make room for Gio makes perfect sense. They could shed Viktor Rask’s $4M cap hit back to Seattle and sweeten the deal with their first-rounder and a fourth.
Final Thoughts
Gio provided some much-needed leadership for a brand new franchise. Now is the time for him to go win a cup and, in return, net the Kraken a solid return.