Joined: Jul. 2021
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 548
It’s not fair to judge this trade by where everybody is 7 years later, but it’s still fun to compare the two players. I’d say Jones probably turned out to be the better player after the trade, but I think both teams were happy with what they got. Both players eventually got their big 8-year contracts. Johansen got his sooner by signing a bridge deal coming off his entry-level contract, but I think Jones will do better in the long run by getting paid top dollar for more of his declining years. Columbus is probably happy they traded him away when they did, and Nashville might think they hung onto their guy a little too long.
It was a fun trade because it was one of those rare old-fashioned hockey trades that we don’t see much anymore. I think it was just a case of each team being deep at a position the other team needed, talent for talent with no financial or contractual drivers.