P.K. Subban Acquired by Devils in a Trade With Nashville

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — One day after acquiring the potential franchise center Jack Hughes, the Devils kicked off Day 2 of the 2019 N.H.L. draft by making another splash.

Shortly before Saturday’s selections began, the Devils announced that they had acquired defenseman P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defensemen Steven Santini and Jeremy Davies, plus two second-round picks — the 34th pick in Saturday’s draft and an additional pick in 2020.

Subban, 30, should be a game-changer for New Jersey. He was originally drafted 43rd over all by the Montreal Canadiens in 2007, won the Norris Trophy as the N.H.L.’s best defenseman in 2013 and is a three-time All-Star. He was acquired by the Predators in a 2016 trade. A tight salary-cap situation and plenty of depth on defense gave Nashville General Manager David Poile the flexibility to deal Subban, whose contract extends for three more seasons with an average annual value of $9 million per year.

Limited by injuries last season, Subban had nine goals and 31 points in 63 games with the Predators.

The Devils also acquired right wing John Hayden from the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, in exchange for center John Quenneville. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Hayden, 24, had three goals and five points in 54 games with the Blackhawks last season.

Other deals on Saturday were also influenced by salary-cap considerations. As clubs continued to wait for the official announcement of the cap ceiling for 2019-20, general managers who know they’ll be near the top of the acceptable range chose not to wait any longer before making moves to give themselves more flexibility.

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Patrick Marleau and a 2020 sixth-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a conditional first-round draft pick and a seventh-round pick, both in 2020. Marleau, 39, has one year remaining on a contract with a cap hit of $6.25 million.

The host Vancouver Canucks sent a cheer through Rogers Arena with the announcement that the team had acquired forward J.T. Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goaltender Marek Mazanec, a third-round pick in 2020 and a conditional first-round pick in 2020. The Lightning are also looking for cap relief. Miller’s current contract extends for four more seasons at an average annual value of $5.25 million per season.

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