"We want to thank Ryan for all he meant to the Predators organization over the past two seasons, including serving as an alternate captain," Barry Trotz said. "His renowned leadership qualities and dedication to doing whatever it takes to win made an immediate impact on our team both on and off the ice. We wish Ryan and his family all the best as they return to the Lightning organization."
He added, "At the same time, this trade adds to our already deep corps of draft picks over the next two NHL Drafts and allows us to continue to make tweaks and improvements to our team during the offseason. We want to make decisions that help us build on the success we had in the 2023-24 season by giving us as many weapons as we can get, whether it's younger players on our roster, more impactful draft choices or salary cap flexibility."
