The Nashville Predators have traded the rights to one of their top defensemen, Dan Hamhuis, to the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Ryan Parent. Nashville is also sending a conditional 7th round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft as part of the deal.

Hamhuis will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. If Philadelphia does not sign him prior to the 2010-11 season, Nashville will transfer its own 7th round pick in 2011 to Philadelphia. Additionally, if Philadelphia trades the rights to Hamhuis prior to July 1 the conditional pick will not be transferred.

Hamhuis, selected by the Predators with the 12 th pick in the 2001 draft, completed his sixth NHL season by recording 5 goals and 24 points in 78 regular-season games, adding a pair of assists in six playoff games. In 483 career regular-season games for Nashville, he has 32 goals and 161 points.

Parent is also a former first-round pick by the Predators, going No. 18 in the 2005 draft. He never played an NHL game for Nashville, however, getting sent to Philadelphia as part of the Peter Forsberg trade. In 102 games over parts of four seasons for the Flyers, Parent recorded 1 goal and 7 points. He also scored a goal in 17 playoff games this past season during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.