The Nashville Predators have acquired forward Erik Haula from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a fourth-round pick (2025) and defenseman Jeremy Hanzel.
Haula, 34, scored 11 goals and 10 assists for the Devils last season. In his 12-year career as a winger and center, Haula has 153 goals and 184 goals in 759 games for seven different teams.
The trade brings Haula back to Nashville, where he spent the 2020-21 season. That year, he scored nine goals and 12 assists in 51 games with the Predators before leaving in free agency for the Boston Bruins.
Haula is in the final year of a three-year contract he signed with New Jersey in 2023. He is owed $3.15 million for the 2025-26 season, after which he will be an unrestricted free agent. After accounting for Haula’s $3.1 million cap-hit, the Predators will have $14.2 million in cap space for the 2025-26 season, according to Puck Pedia.
This move brings versatility to the Predators lineup, as Haula can play both center and wing in the middle of the lineup. It also comes at a low cost – a fourth-round pick in 2025, plus defenseman prospect Jeremy Hanzel, who spent most of the season with the ECHL Atlanta Gladiators and did not have a clear path to the NHL.
“(Haula) brings great flexibility to our roster with the ability to play up and down the lineup in a variety of different roles,” general manager Barry Trotz said in the trade announcement. “We are confident that he’ll be able to play alongside our young players, helping to accelerate their development.”
Haula’s addition does not resolve the Predators’ center depth issue entirely. He will join Ryan O’Reilly, Colton Sissons, Fedor Svechkov and Michael McCarron as the players most likely to take face-offs, but Nashville still needs scoring help from the middle of the ice.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.