The Vancouver Canucks announced Friday that they traded defenceman Mark Friedman to the Nashville Predators for... nothing, also known as future considerations. After 28 NHL games, the Friedman experiment is over.
Friedman, 29, last played for the Canucks on Jan. 23, playing 9:53 on 17 shifts and receiving a 10-minute misconduct penalty in a brutal 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Overall, Friedman appeared in five games this season - mostly filling in for the previously injured Filip Hronek - recording 10 penalty minutes, four shots on goal, and an average ice time of 14:04.
Canucks fans may recall that, on Oct. 17, 2023, the Canucks traded a once-promising prospect in Jack Rathbone, alongside Karel Plasek, to Pittsburgh in exchange for Friedman and Ty Glover.
Rathbone now plays for the AHL Rochester Americans in the Buffalo organization, while Plasek is playing his third straight season in Czechia's top pro league for HC Olomouc. Glover, a 24-year-old prospect, is still playing in the AHL for the Abbotsford Canucks, so he is the last man standing in this trade with the other three off to new teams or playing abroad.
Trading Friedman likely signals that the Canucks, who suddenly have a logjam on defence, no longer had the former third-round pick in their plans. Defence prospect Elias Pettersson very clearly leapfrogged Friedman, as well as an established veteran like Carson Soucy, for the time being.
It became apparent that Friedman was no longer of use to the Canucks and would be best suited competing for NHL minutes elsewhere. It is worth noting that Friedman's salary was low enough to not count against the Canucks' cap space while playing in the AHL, so this trade with the Predators was truly one where the Canucks gave the player away without receiving any kind of tangible benefit in return.