VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The revamp of the New Jersey Devils now includes one of the top defensemen in the NHL to go along with the No. 1 draft pick.
The Devils made the biggest move of the second day of the NHL draft Saturday before any selections were made by acquiring All-Star P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators for two players and a pair of draft picks.
"Obviously, his legacy in terms of off-ice stuff is well known, but on ice he's a competitor, he wants to win," New Jersey general manager Ray Shero said. "I love the fact he hasn't won a (Stanley) Cup yet. He's hungry for that, and so are we."
It was an attention-grabbing move for both clubs. After taking 18-year-old American Jack Hughes with the first pick of the draft Friday night, the Devils landed a veteran star defenseman to potentially share the ice with the new young forward.
For the Predators, it was another deft move by general manager David Poile to shed salary and shake up a stagnant roster after two straight early playoff exits followed the team's first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. New Jersey sent defensemen Jeremy Davies and Steven Santini to Nashville, along with a second-round pick this year and a second-round pick next year.
Santini, who has played parts of the past three seasons for New Jersey, had a goal and three assists in 2018-19 in a career-high 39 games. Davies was a seventh-round pick of the Devils in the 2016 draft but instead went to college and spent the past three seasons playing for Northeastern.
Losing them was a small sacrifice for the chance to land Subban, a 30-year-old six-time All-Star. Shero had expected to get word from Poile on Friday night about a deal that had been discussed for several days. Shero said he was talking with managing partners David Blitzer and Josh Harris when he realized the hopeful phone call wasn't coming.
It finally came Saturday morning.
"I said to Josh and David last night, 'I know this is the right deal because if it doesn't happen I'm going to be really disappointed,'" Shero said.
Subban was thought to be on the trade block because of his $9 million salary cap hit for each of the next three seasons, but that's OK with the Devils, who are expected to have about $34 million million in cap space. His addition won't hamstring the Devils from attempting to re-sign Andy Greene, Taylor Hall or Sami Vatanen before they become free agents.
Subban posted an entertaining video on social media about the trade, thanking Nashville for his time there and his excitement moving forward.
"I just want to tell you guys, are you guys ready for the 'Subbanator?' Because I'm ready to go. Let's go," Subban said.
The winner of the Norris Trophy in 2013 with the Montreal Canadiens as the NHL's top defenseman, Subban spent the past three years in Nashville but was limited to 31 points in 63 games last season. After consecutive early playoff exits, the Predators are clearly trying to make some changes.
Speculation has centered on them targeting Matt Duchene in free agency as a potential replacement for Subban.
"We had to make a business decision," Poile said. "With an aim at strengthening our forward corps this offseason and the continued strength of our defensive group, we felt it was necessary to clear up salary-cap space this way."
After becoming a star with the Canadiens, who drafted him 43rd overall in 2007, the popular Toronto native was dealt to Nashville in June 2016 in a blockbuster deal that included Shea Weber, and the deal paid off immediately as Nashville reached the title series in Subban's first season with the Predators.
They were ousted early from the playoffs each of the past two seasons, though. Nashville won the Presidents' Trophy with the league's best regular-season record in 2017-18 but was knocked out in the conference semifinals by the Winnipeg Jets. The Predators repeated as Central Division champions this year but were knocked out in the first round by the Dallas Stars, a wild-card team.
Now Subban's job is to help get New Jersey become relevant in conversations about the postseason and the best teams in the league. The Devils finished last in the Metropolitan Division this past season and have made the playoffs just once since reaching the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.
While the Predators, who debuted in 1998, are still looking for their first NHL title, the Devils hope to add their fourth after winning in 1995, 2000 and 2003. Subban's addition is clearly part of the plan to end the drought.
"It's great for our market," Shero said. "It's great for the Devils franchise, and in our area we deserve to have a Jack Hughes, a Taylor Hall, a Nico Hischier - along with PK Subban - and be relevant."