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The Vegas Golden Knights traded defenseman Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators along with a 2027 conditional third-round pick in return for forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.
The Predators then immediately locked Hague up with a four-year contract worth $22 million, good for a $5.5 million cap hit.
It was their first major transaction after what was truly a disappointing 2024-25 season that began with understandably lofty expectations considering the haul that general manager Barry Trotz accumulated last offseason, which included the free-agent signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. However, the Predators stumbled out of the gate into a stunning 0-5, the worst in franchise history, and eventually finished as one of the lowest-ranked teams in the Western Conference.
Trotz recognizes the need to bounce back from the previous season in which they came nowhere close to living up to expectations, and it began by acquiring a bona fide defenseman that can help take some of the load off of Skjei along with team captain Roman Josi.
“You're getting a 6-foot-6 defenseman who we project is going to be in that top four [of our defense corps],” Trotz said of Hague via NHL.com. “He's going to play high minutes… We just feel he’s one of those players that is going to make a difference in the right age category for us as a hockey team…and getting someone who is…maybe a little bit undervalued in his previous situation.”
“The big thing for me was the trade that we did the other day,” Trotz said of the Hague deal. “That one feels absolutely right for where we want to go with this team… We’ve got lots of good players [on defense]. I mean, having a healthy Roman Josi back in on the defense that we currently have and the depth that we have there, I think we're going to be really, really good. And that’ll make [goaltender Juuse] Saros’s life a lot better too, because last year, there [were] times it was very unfair for him. He took a lot of heat for it unnecessarily.
“If you can't defend, you can't win. We’ve just got to be better at defending. Start there, and then you're always in the game when you can defend.”
The Predators, recognizing the need to defend better, also signed former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix to a two-year contract.
Just how well will Hague fit in with the Predators, and can he help them return to the postseason?
Background of new Predators defenseman Nicolas Hague
After being drafted by the Mississauga Steelheads in the second round of the 2014 OHL Draft, Hague was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Draft with the 34th overall pick. While playing with Mississauga in the 2017-18 season, he eventually was named the recipient of the Max Kaminsky Trophy, which is awarded to the OHL's Most Outstanding Defenseman of the Year.
Hague eventually made his NHL debut with the Golden Knights in the 2019-20 season, which would ultimately be shortened thanks to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2022-23 NHL season was the first for Hague in which he eclipsed 80 games played, appearing in 81 total regular season contests and scoring three goals with 14 assists. He also added two goals and four assists in the postseason, including a tally in the Golden Knights' Stanley Cup-clinching Game 5 win over the Florida Panthers.
He's played in 364 career NHL games, and has 20 goals with 63 assists. He's also contributed three goals and seven assists in 44 career postseason games.
The Predators will improve defensively with Nicolas Hague
The good news for the Predators is not only is the club going to be far more motivated this season after their stunningly poor 2024-25 campaign, but that the addition of Hague will aid them in tightening up their defensive structure.
Additionally, Hague's presence will help ease the burden of Josi, who was unable to play for the Predators after suffering an injury thanks to a hit from eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers on February 25. Josi was eventually diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, characterized by an abnormal increase in heart rate, often accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness and fatigue.
Josi is expected to be healthy enough to suit up for Nashville in the upcoming season, but shouldn't be expected to immediately resume his Norris Trophy-winning form of the 2019-20 season.
Additionally, Sissons did not have a long-term future in Nashville, while Lauzon was also considered expendable. They'll both be used as depth pieces for the Golden Knights, who recently landed Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs and will be viewed as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
It will be up to Hague to not only live up to his new contract, but to help the Predators accomplish their goal of proving that last season's disappointment was a fluke.
Overall Grade: B+
