Jayden Struble has been traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the Nashville Predators on Friday for a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, ending his time in Montreal after four seasons with the club.
The move gives Nashville a 25-year-old defenseman who had appeared in just three games this season and was averaging a career-low 12:05 per game. For Montreal, it is a clear asset move after a player who had been selected by the Canadiens in the second round, No. 46 overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Nashville adds a defender with a clear role
Chris MacFarland described Struble as a “25-year-old physical defender” who will add “mobility and a hard-to-play against quality” to the backend. He also said the team is “excited to watch his growth” and sees him as someone who can grow with them.
That is the clearest way to frame this deal. Nashville is not acquiring a finished product, but it is buying into a player with NHL experience and a profile that suggests he can help on the blue line.
Struble arrives with 174 regular-season games and 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games on his record, along with 35 points, seven goals and 28 assists. For a player who was in the second season of a two-year contract signed on July 28, 2025, the trade closes one chapter quickly and opens another with a different opportunity.
What Montreal gets back
The Canadiens’ return is straightforward: a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. In a league where value is often tied to timing as much as talent, Montreal has turned a depth defenseman into future draft capital.
For Struble, the next question is whether Nashville can give him the role his profile suggests. For Montreal, the transaction is already complete. The Canadiens have moved on, Nashville has added size and mobility on the backend, and the 2027 pick now becomes the long-term part of the story.
