I highly doubt the Nashville Predators trading away Jason Arnott was a big surprise to some, although him being dealt back to New Jersey certainly caught most of us off guard.
Lost in all of the furor over the trade yesterday was the fact that Arnott did have a no-trade clause in his contract and needed to agree to be traded before Nashville could deal him. It turns out it wasn’t that tough of a decision, as Arnott says that he and the team came to a mutual decision that the Predators needed to get younger and he wasn’t a part of those future plans.
From Mike Organ of the Tennessean:
“They kind of explained what the situation was and it just didn’t seem like I was in their (plans) for long term,” Arnott said. “So I decided I’d rather move my family now and we both kind of came to the agreement that it was time for the young guys to step in and do their thing, and for me to move on. So it was kind of a mutual thing.”
For Arnott, hopefully this is a chance for him to enjoy one last good season as he returns to New Jersey. His leadership was constantly called into question over the past year in Nashville, as it seemed that he wore the “C” for no other reason than he was basically the only option, aside from perhaps Dan Hamhuis. With Barry Trotz calling out Arnott at times at the end of the season, it certainly seemed his time on the team was limited.
This is a great move all around for both Arnott and the Predators, as the team looks to move in a new direction this summer. With the trades sending Hamhuis and Arnott to other teams, the Predators are in position to make major changes this offseason.
Then again, in this interview, Poile says he doesn’t anticipate many more changes for the Predators. So perhaps this is just the Predators making moves to alter the direction of the team by moving on without Arnott and Hamhuis.