Canadiens trade defenceman Jayden Struble to Predators for 2027 second-round pick
The 25-year-old defenceman had played 174 games for Montreal, scoring seven goals and 35 points.
MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens traded defenceman Jayden Struble to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2027 second-round draft pick, the teams announced Friday night.
Struble, 25, had appeared in three out of Montreal's four games this season, going pointless while skating an average of 12:05 minutes per game. He recorded four hits and three blocked shots with an even plus-minus rating.
"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," said Predators president and general manager Chris MacFarland in a press release announcing the deal. "We are excited to watch his growth and look forward to him being a player who can grow with us."
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The trade came just a day after Struble was held out of the lineup as a healthy scratch during Thursday night's matchup against his new team, the Nashville Predators. Adam Engstrom made his season debut as Struble's replacement in that game.
The Cumberland, R.I., native was selected 47th overall by the Canadiens in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He played a total of 174 games with Montreal across four seasons, scoring seven goals and 35 points. He had a career plus-minus rating of +3 and 167 penalty minutes while averaging 14:21 per night. He also recorded 364 hits during his time with the Canadiens.
Struble appeared in a career-high 59 games for the Canadiens last season, scoring two goals with 10 assists. He also skated in 12 playoff games during Montreal's run to the Eastern Conference Final this past spring.
The left-shot defenceman is in the final season of a two-year, $2.825 million contract extension ($1.4125 million AAV) he signed with Montreal last summer after avoiding arbitration. He will be a restricted free agent with the Predators at the end of the 2026-27 season.
The second-round pick sent to Montreal was originally owned by the Vegas Golden Knights and was sent to Nashville in the trade for Colton Sissons in 2025.
The move leaves the Canadiens with six healthy defencemen on their roster. Kaiden Guhle's return from injury is just around the corner, meaning the Canadiens will soon be back to having seven defencemen.
Losers of three straight, the Canadiens look to get back on track Saturday night with a home date against the Detroit Red Wings.
With files from Sportsnet, TSN and The Tennessean