Adam Vingan

avingan@tennessean.com

David Legwand, the Predators' first draft pick and holder of several franchise records, announced his retirement from the NHL on Thursday.

Nashville selected the forward at No. 2 in the 1998 draft, and he played almost 1,000 games with the Predators over 14-plus seasons. His 956 career games, 210 goals, 356 assists and 566 points are all the most in franchise history.

The Predators traded Legwand, 36, to his hometown Detroit Red Wings in March 2014, a move that netted Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok. Legwand played two more seasons, one each with the Ottawa Senators in 2014-15 and Buffalo Sabres in 2015-16. He went unsigned as an unrestricted free agent during the offseason.

“What a great ride this was, especially having the chance to play nearly 1,000 games for my drafting club in Nashville and seeing the growth of the game there," Legwand said in a statement.

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