RADIO
On Thursday, Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile announced the signing of forward Steve Moses to a one-year, $1 million contract for the 2015-16 season.
The 25-year old, who has spent this season playing in the Kontinental Hockey League, has tallied 36 goals and 21 assists in 60 games for the Finnish club Jokerit Helsinki. Prior to playing in the KHL, the Massachusetts-native spent four years playing collegiate hockey at the University of New Hampshire. After graduating, Moses spent a brief eight game stint with the Connecticut Whales, an AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, during the 2011-12 season.
While the reason many scouts believed Moses didn’t work in North American hockey is due to his small, 5’9 ft, 172 lbs frame, an unnamed NHL management person said that, despite his size, currently, “[Moses] is the top free agent in the KHL.”
A current NHL Scout was also quoted praising Moses saying, “He’s quick and can shoot the puck but he’s tiny and spends a lot of time on the perimeter; He’s a better player on big ice.”
It brings up the question of whether or not Moses can transition from playing on bigger European rinks, where he has seen success, to smaller North American rinks, where he hasn’t seen the same type of success.
Despite questions of Moses game, by all accounts, this seems to be a good move for a playoff-caliber team like Nashville. A one-year, low money “prove-it” deal could prove to be beneficial for both parties.
