Cole Smith was the second player the Nashville Predators traded Tuesday with the winger being moved to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for prospect defenseman Christoffer Sedoff and a 2028 third-round pick.
The Predators traded Smith hours after parting ways with center Michael McCarron in a deal with the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 2028 second-round pick. The Preds now have five picks in the first three rounds in 2028.
Smith, 30, has scored six goals and 10 points over 41 games in a season that is seeing him average a career-high 14:27 in ice time. He'll be a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season as he's in the second year of a two-year contract worth $1 million annually.
It's likely that the Golden Knights will use the Smith in a bottom-six role on the wing to bolster what they already have with Keegan Kolesar, Brandon Saad and Cole Reinhardt. The Knights could use the depth, as the team has four forwards that are either day-to-day or on injured reserve.
Vegas (28-19-14) entered Tuesday atop the Pacific Division with a one-point lead over the Anaheim Ducks while having a three-point edge on the Seattle Kraken. The Edmonton Oilers are four points behind the Golden Knights in the second and final Western Conference wild-card spot.
As for Nashville (27-26-8), it came into Tuesday on a three-game losing streak that put the club four points behind the Oilers.
The decision to move on from McCarron and Smith could be the first steps in a potentially active week with the NHL trade deadline set for Friday at 3 p.m. E.T.
