Andrei Kostitsyn on his way to Nashville shows a few things – and most importantly to Predators fans is that this team is gunning for the Stanley Cup. Right here, right now.

Andrei has broken the 50-point barrier before and despite a bit of a down year in Montreal this season still has posted 24 points. Reuniting him with brother Sergei in Nashville will hopefully mean not only an uptick in production but might also convince the elder brother that the change of scenery suits him on a longer term. His $3.25M cap hit contract expires this season and he becomes a UFA, but perhaps an audition here and a little positive press from Sergei might make him a long-term guy.

Barry Trotz has shown that he is able to bring players in that have fallen into disfavor with other teams and help them get their games in order in a Predators sweater. I would think that for Andrei coming in having a clearly defined role and responsibilities will help tremendously. Also, to have someone with his offensive talent give Nashville just that much more depth of scoring shows that the Predators can attack with three (and sometimes four) lines.

Also, David Poile has mentioned before that Nashville still has its first round pick for this year as a bargaining chip, plus the team still has exceptional depth of prospects. It’s possible there may be more to come for the Preds but for now, Hal Gill and Andrei Kostitsyn are very good adds to a team that is shaping up better and better for a deep playoff run.

Keep it tuned to NashvillePredators.com all day long for continued trade deadline coverage.