Andrew Gibson showing why he's worth price Nashville Predators paid in trade with Detroit

Over the summer, the Nashville Predators traded for defenseman Andrew Gibson , sending forward Jesse Kiiskinen and a second-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings.

On Saturday, in the Predators ' rookie showcase game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Gibson showed why he was worth the price.

Gibson scored an overtime goal to give the Predators a 3-2 win, blasting a one-timer from the right circle off a pass from Ryan Ufko.

"Definitely feels good to get the overtime goal," Gibson said after the game. "And just to be out there. That the coaches have the confidence in me to put me out there."

Gibson, 19, was drafted in the second round by the Red Wings in 2023. Nashville had traded up to No. 43 in anticipation of drafting him, only to see Detroit snag him at No. 42. Missing out on Gibson stuck with the organization — so much so that they moved another second-round pick and Kiiskinen to get him.

Now Gibson is finally in Nashville, playing for a team that gave up quite a bit to get him.

"I feel super honored," he said. "It drives me to play for them. Play for myself as well. To show that what they gave up for me was worth it."

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Earlier in that 2023 draft, the Predators took defenseman Tanner Molendyk. Knowing they might be able to get Gibson, the plan was for those two — Molendyk as a left-hander, Gibson a right-hander — to be paired together in Nashville's defenseman pipeline for years to come.

In the end, they got their pairing, and Gibson thinks the match is perfect.

"[Molendyk] is just a great player all around," Gibson said. "He's always in the right spot for me if I get in trouble and I'm there for him as well. Our game just feeds off of each other."

For now, however, both are likely headed back to the CHL this season. As 19-year-olds, they cannot be sent to the American Hockey League because of an agreement between the NHL and CHL . Unless either makes the Predators' roster out of training camp, Molendyk will return to Saskatoon (WHL) and Gibson will head back to Sault Ste. Marie (OHL).

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Andrew Gibson showing why he's worth price Nashville Predators paid in trade with Detroit