DETROIT – The Nashville Predators have traded away their first draft pick, sending forward David Legwand to his hometown Detroit Red Wings in a deal at the NHL trade deadline.
Detroit general manager Ken Holland announced the deal Wednesday.
Legwand, who turns 34 in August, was the expansion Predators' first pick in the 1998 draft as the No. 2 overall selection. He was tied with captain Shea Weber for the team scoring lead with 40 points, but his contract also is up at the end of this season. The Predators lost defenseman Ryan Suter in free agency in 2012 to Minnesota getting nothing in return.
The Predators got Patrick Eaves, a prospect and a third-round draft pick in exchange for the forward called the original Predator. Legwand played in a franchise-record 956 games for Nashville.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.