Predators Deal Arnott, Right To Hamhuis

The Nashville Predators made two cost-cutting deals Saturday afternoon with a couple of Eastern Conference contenders. The first of those saw them ship the rights to pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Dan Hamhuis and a conditional draft choice in 2011 to Philadelphia in exchange for Ryan Parent.

This trade was an indication of just how badly the Flyers wanted Hamhuis on their blue line, and how little faith or little desire the Predators had in retaining him based on the contract he is likely to demand. Philadelphia has targeted Hamhuis for quite some time, even creating speculation last season that they were looking to acquire him in a trade deadline deal. And they managed to gain a 12-day window for sole negotiation opportunity with him. This is not the first time Philadelphia has utilized this strategy for bringing in pending free agents, especially not with Nashville in particular. In 2007, the Flyers acquired the rights to defenseman Kimmo Timonen and forward Scott Hartnell in exchange for a first round selection pick in that year’s draft just 13 days prior to the opening of free agency. Both players were signed almost instantly.

Hamhuis just finished off a contract that earned him $8 million over four years. He made $2.5 million of that last season and counted as a $2 million cap hit annually during its duration. Now, it’s believed Hamhuis could be seeking a deal worth about $4 million per season, which is a bit too rich for Nashville’s blood.