NHL insider suggest bold move to happen in Nashville

The Nashville Predators took a big blow before the season even started when they announced that star defenseman Ryan Ellis would miss half of the campaign due to an injury. 

NHL insider Darren Dreger took the microphone on Montreal's TSN 690 on Tuesday morning, and was asked if the injury to Ellis impacted what could have been a deal between Nashville and the Colorado Avalanche.

“It could have, but I’m not so sure that David Poile wanted to include Ryan Ellis as part of that package,” said Dreger. “He’s a big piece of that blueline. Now, in saying that you look around the Nashville Predators’ defensive corps and they’ve got some big name guys, but in watching Ellis as closely as we did and watching him play through injury in that Stanley Cup Final, he’s a real big part of that team.

“But I can’t sit here and say there was no way Poile would have included. But that’s a pretty significant piece.”

But what about when Ellis returns to the lineup? It could be a possibility that one of the Preds' blueliners becomes expendable when Ellis returns to the lineup to boost the offensive corps in Nashville..

"A couple of trades, in fact, starting with Seth Jones to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Who saw that coming," asked Dreger, hinting at more coming from the Predators' GM. "And then of course P.K. Subban for Shea Weber. It was another blockbuster to say the least. So David Poile has proven that he’s not afraid to take the Louisville off his shoulder and swing for the fence."

“So for him at his age, and all that he’s experienced in the great world of hockey to get that close and not win that Stanley Cup, that left a mark. So based on the trades that we’ve seen him make already in the last few years, maybe he does do something bold. I mean, I’m certainly not going to discount that possibility.”

The Predators were to said to be quite interested in Avalanche forward Matt Duchene during the offseason. Is Poile waiting to have Ellis back in the fold to make another Blockbuster move? 

Stay tuned, that's for sure.