He may have dropped a few spots in the NHL Draft selection, but it appears as though Seth Jones will begin the season with the Nashville Predators.
Jones, a defenseman from the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and the No. 1-ranked North American skater coming into Sunday’s draft, was the fourth overall pick, going to the Predators.
Joshua Cooper of The Tennessean reported on Twitter Tuesday afternoon that Predators general manager David Poile indicated Jones will “likely start next season in Nashville.”
With Jones on the cusp of starting his NHL career, the Predators have also put defenseman Hal Gill on waivers, as per Cooper.
Poile doesn't think Gill will be a fit with the drafting of Jones
— Josh Cooper (@JoshuaCooper) July 2, 2013
Gill, the 6'7" blue liner, is 38 years old and has one more year remaining on his contract. He also comes with an annual cap hit of $2 million.
Poile also revealed that if he can’t trade pending restricted free agents Matt Halischuk and Jonathon Blum, he will not extend them qualifying offers.
As reported last week, Poile had been looking at trade possibilities for both players.
Halischuk is at the end of a standard, two-year contract worth $1.425 million, while Blum is at the end of a one-year deal worth $650,000.