For the second year in a row, the Nashville Predators are reportedly using the trade deadline to bolster their blueline.
Per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Predators have acquired Erik Gudbranson from the Ottawa Senators. Per Friedman, the Preds are sending minor league prospect Brandon Fortunato and a 2023 7th-round pick to Ottawa in return.
Gudbranson is a stay-at-home defender in every sense of the word. He has 3 points (1 G, 2 A) in 36 games with Ottawa this year. He has been a routine contributor to the Sens’ penalty kill, but with the depth of the defense corps in Nashville (when healthy), Gudbranson will likely be little more than an insurance policy for the Preds’ blueline.