A Blockbuster 3-Way Trade Involving The Preds, Flyers, and Knights Just Went Down

A blockbuster three-way trade has just occurred between the Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, and Vegas Golden Knights. Ryan Ellis has been sent from Nashville to Philly in exchange for Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers. Patrick was then flipped from Nashville to Vegas in exchange for Cody Glass. 

Ellis fills a big vacancy for Philly on their back end, slotting into the top RD spot that has been in flux for the Flyers for a couple seasons now. Ellis is a legit #1 defenceman, drafted 11th overall by Nashville in 2009. The 30-year old played ten seasons with the Preds, scoring 75 goals and 270 points with his draft team. He also has 74 playoff games under his belt, scoring 7 goals and 38 points in the post-season. He makes $6.25 million for six more years, which will see him hit the UFA market at 36-years old in 2027.

Nolan Patrick was the 2nd overall pick by the Flyers in 2017. He has suffered severe migraines due to concussion issues he accrued in junior and missed 17 months of play as a result. When he did play, Patrick showed some prowess as a steady two-way right-shot centreman, notching a pair of 13-goal seasons in Philly. However, after playing an almost full season last year, he only managed 4 goals and 9 points in 52 games and was buried in Philly's centre depth behind Sean Couturier and Kevin Hayes. Playing in Vegas will give Patrick the chance to push closer to where his skill ceiling was at the time he was drafted, possibly nabbing Chandler Stephenson's spot as the Knights' 1C in the future. Patrick is an RFA this summer and will need to be re-signed by Vegas.

Cody Glass is the least proven of the players in the deal but still has some serious potential. Drafted 6th overall by Vegas in 2017, just four picks after Patrick, he was the first draft pick ever selected by the Golden Knights. Glass has bounced around between the NHL and AHL, playing 66 games with the Knights and scoring 9 goals and 22 points. He has been left off of the Knights' roster in all but one of their playoff games. Glass, another right-shot centre like Patrick, has a chance to develop and be part of the Preds plans for the future, as the team starts to move on from aging contracts and looks to partially rebuild in the wake of Pekka Rinne's retirement and the potential selection of Matt Duchene by Seattle in next week's expansion draft. Glass is entering the final year of his ELC, and will be an RFA next summer.

What do you think about this 3-way deal between Philly, Vegas, and Nashville?

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