The Nashville Predators announced a trade on Friday afternoon that was made to bolster the team without impacting any current NHL roster players.
The Preds will receive 6'7" defenseman, Hal Gill from the Montreal Canadiens along with a conditional fifth round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, in exchange for Brentwood native, Blake Geoffrion, prospect Robert Slaney, and a second round pick in theis summer's NHL Entry Draft.
Gill will bring much needed size and experience to the Predators blue line for the upcoming playoff push. He will be the only Predator player that has a Stanley Cup ring on his finger.
Geoffrion will go to Montreal as a fourth generation player in their organization, following his father Danny, grandfather, Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, and great-grandfather, Howie Morenz, the former pair being in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The following is the press release from the Predators...
Nashville, Tenn. (February 17, 2012) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has acquired veteran defenseman Hal Gill and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft from Montreal in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft and forwards Blake Geoffrion and Robert Slaney. He is expected to meet the team today in Detroit.
“Hal Gill brings our team a number of elements – size, penalty-killing ability, depth on defense and playoff experience,” Poile said. “He has won a Stanley Cup and played a combined 69 playoff games over the last four years, experience that significantly benefits our team.”
Gill, 36 (4/6/75), has suited up for 1,047 regular-season games (36g-143a-179pts, 940 PIMs) and 105 playoff contests (0g-6a-6pts, 68 PIMs) since 1997-98 – more than any player currently on the Predators roster. He appeared in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009 with Pittsburgh, winning the Cup in 2009. One of the League’s tallest players at 6-7, 240 pounds, Gill has eight points (1g-7a) and 29 penalty minutes thus far in 2011-12 playing in his third season with the Canadiens.
The Concord, Mass., native was drafted 207th overall (eighth round) by Boston in the 1993 Entry Draft, and played eight seasons with the Bruins (1997-2006) before stints in Toronto and (2006-08) Pittsburgh (2007-09).
The Predators now have eight draft picks for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft to be held June 22-23, 2012 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. – their own picks in the first, and fourth through seventh rounds, in addition Toronto’s third-round pick, Phoenix’s fourth rounder and the New York Rangers’ sixth-round selection.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
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