The trade



New Jersey Devils receive defenseman P.K. Subban



Nashville Predators receive Steven Santini, Jeremy Davies, a 2019 second-round pick and 2020 second-round pick



New Jersey Devils: A-minus



Subban is exactly what the Devils needed. They have their star winger in Taylor Hall. They have their future franchise centerman in Jack Hughes. Now, they have the star, offensive-anchor of their defense. And they were able to pull it off without breaking the bank. At least, not in terms of assets given up. But there was certainly a cost.



A big part of this deal is New Jersey paying full freight on Subban’s contract, costing them $9 million for the next three seasons. They have the space and ability to take that on and that wasn’t the case for a lot of other destinations for Subban, effectively limiting the market.



Another thing that scared off potentially interested teams is the perception he’s declining as a player on...