Carrie Underwood (along with Mike Fisher) Traded To Predators

This one came a bit out of left field and I would have thought Alexei Kovalev would be the first player dumped by the 14th place in the Eastern Conference Ottawa Senators, but Carrie Underwood - and Mike Fisher by dealt - was dealt Thursday evening to Music City's Nashville Predators, where she will surely be more at home to advance her country music career.

As for Fisher, the 10-year Ottawa Senator now going to only his second NHL team, now moves to Nashville in exhange for a first round pick this year and a conditional 2012 selection. That 2012 pick will be  a third rounder if the Predators advance one round in the playoffs or a second rounder if they win two or more rounds, according to TSN.

Fisher has been one of many Senators to have a down year this season, with just 14 goals and a minus-18 rating through 55 games. But he is still a solid two-way player who should up his game with the change of scenery the Predators offer as a team firmly in the postseason hunt.

"We were seeking a top-six forward and Mike Fisher was the player we set our sights on," Predators general manager David Poile said in a statement. "He plays playoff-style hockey all season long. He plays on the power play, kills penalties, is strong on draws and can match up against any opposing line."

Poile is especially excited about the playoff experience Fisher will bring to the team. And Fisher is equally excited about this new opportunity, in addition to the comfort his wife will find in their new hometown.

"They're a very good team, and it'll be kind of like going home for me," Fisher said. "I'm sure my wife won't be disappointed, either. But I think it's a great place for me and family and everything."

Fisher is in the third year of a five-year, $21 million contract extension signed with Ottawa in 2007. He will count as a $4.2 million cap hit to the Preds in each of the following two seasons.