Canadiens Trade Jayden Struble To Predators
TRADE 🔄 We’ve acquired defenseman Jayden Struble from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Vegas’ second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Full details » https://t.co/3ES1yAV4BN https://t.co/i04MjaSXIA
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) October 9, 2026
“Jayden Struble is a 25-year-old physical defender who will add mobility and a hard-to-play-against quality that will help our backend,” Preds GM Chris MacFarland said. “We are excited to watch his growth and look forward to him being a player who can grow with us.”
MacFarland continues to shake things up in Nashville, as this is his 10th trade in his short time as president of hockey operations & GM since taking the Predators job back in June.
Canadiens insider Marco D'Amico explains the trade as a numbers game on the blueline, and a smart bit of business.
The impending return of Kaiden Guhle and the efficacy of Adam Engstrom meant a decision was inevitably coming in Montreal. Getting a 2nd rounder for Jayden Struble is a good bit of business nonetheless. And if you're Nashville, that's a young player worth taking a bet on.
— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) October 9, 2026
With Kaiden Guhle coming back from injury, getting a nice asset like a second-rounder in exchange for a depth player makes sense. Struble was a healthy scratch 22 times over the course of the 2025–26 season while rotating in and out of the lineup. He was a healthy scratch as well in the Habs' most recent game this season, on Thursday night.
Additionally, he'll be an RFA after the season. He's finishing up his deal on a $1.412M cap hit, and for him, the trade is a blessing. He'll get far more of a chance to play in Nashville and boost his value for a new contract next summer.
Struble, 25, has seven goals and 35 points in 174 career games with Montreal. Last season, in 59 games, he handed out 115 hits while averaging 14:01 ice time per night.