Nashville Predators Trade Rumors
Nov 21, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Nashville Predators forward Colin Wilson (33) carries the puck across mid ice during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
Nashville Predators trade rumors are hot and heavy.
That is the kind of thing that happens when you go over three and a half games without a goal. Casual and hard-core fans alike start to worry and are reaching for the panic button. Is David Poile reaching for his own button?
MORE Predlines – Is it time to Panic?
As we mentioned in the above article, there are things to like and things to worry about when it come to the Predators. The biggest thing by far that is a glaring problem is the lack of a true number one center. There are a number or rumors floating around that point to remedying that. Some make sense and some don’t. We are just the messenger and gathering them for you.
This past weekend the Predators made what could be termed an interesting move when they grabbed Petter Granberg off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Granberg is a young stay-at-home defenseman with size and not a lot of offensive talent. It was a bit surprising though as it’s a point of strength for the Predators and they were already carrying eight defensemen. Could they be thinking about trading one of them?
There are always teams that are practically dying for a good defenseman and especially if they can carry the puck. The Predators have a wealth of those behind Shea Weber and Roman Josi in Ryan Ellis, Seth Jones, and Mattias Ekholm. Any one of them is practically worth their weight in gold on the trade market if you are willing to part with them.
Adam Vingan and the Tennessean in his Mailbag mentioned that David Poile told Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski:
“In goal and in defense, we’re very pleased there,” Poile told Wyshynski. “Can we improve our forwards a bit? That would probably be the missing piece. … I’m happy with our team, but we have a lot of hockey to play to get to the position of getting to the playoffs and getting to the trade deadline, when you see what’s available to you.”
McGuire on NSH: "I have to think they're going to be be one of the more aggressive teams in terms of trying to procure a scoring forward."
— Platinum Seat Ghosts (@3rdPeriodSuits) November 24, 2015
Anyway, as we mentioned, there are plenty of rumors out there so we thought we would gather some of them up and let you throw them around the water cooler.
Next: A UFA Center from the East Coast
Mar 17, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward
(12) skates with the puck against the Ottawa Senators at PNC Arena. The Ottawa Senators defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Staal for a 1st Round Pick and a Prospect
This one has been around since before the season started. We actually wrote about it way back in September Here. Staal of the Hurricanes is a natural center who still has a scoring touch. He has nice size at 6 foot, 205 and is a perennial 20-goal scorer and hit 40 a couple of times. Drawbacks are that he is an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of the year, has only four goals in 21 games this season. He is only 31 years old and in his 12th year in the league and may have more interest on a better team.
He averaged over 70 points a season for the past 10 years. He once hit 100 points and scored 45 goals back in 2005-06. Last season with a lackluster offense around him he still scored 23 goals and 54 points in 77 games. He is the Hurricanes captain and won the Stanley Cup under coach Peter Laviolette.
Next: How About a Young Scorer?
Nov 23, 2015; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (9) celebrates his goal during the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Colorado wins 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Duchene for a Top 6 Defenseman
This is probably my favorite of all of the rumors out there because Duchene is only 24 years old and signed through 2019 at a
reasonable $6 mil per year. Supposedly, and this comes from many sources but most notably a couple of times from Elliot
Matt Duchene Stats from Hockey-Reference.com
Friedman, the Avalanche are willing to part with their young center for a top defenseman which they’ve been desperate for. Patrick Roy has issues with Duchene and has supposedly put him on the market.
As you can see he is a perennial 20 goal scorer and already has 11 this season. He also is a good faceoff man with an over 55% win rate this season and plus 50% lifetime. He could fill the center role alongside Filip Forsberg and James Neal for a long time to come.
Here is an article by Joe Pack of SportsNet showing why Duchene is a good fit to be traded to Nashville. Cody Hodgson is also Duchene’s best buddy. Maybe that would help get him going too.
Would you trade Ryan Ellis and Mike Ribiero for Duchene and a throw-in prospect or draft pick?
Next: Another Talented Young Center
Dec 12, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward
(93) carries the puck against the Anaheim Ducks at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a Top 6 Defenseman
This one is very similar to the Duchene trade. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug says this:
“When Connor McDavid comes back, if Draisaitl is still playing at something like close to this level that gives them a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl 1-2-3 punch, all kinds of depth down the middle. As we know the Oilers are a team that needs help on the blueline. Should they decide to rob from Peter and pay Paul a little bit and move a forward to bring in a high-end defencemen, well, now the potential is to move a player like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins doesn’t sound quite so ridiculous.
The first overall pick in the 2011 draft is one of a wealth of young forwards the Oilers have. They crave a young puck moving defenseman. Nugent-Hopkins doesn’t have quite the stats that Duchene does yet but they are getting close. He has the same $6 mil a year and is signed through 2020 and is only 22 years old. This is another trade that has been rumored many places for a long time.
He is improving all the time and is still barely able to go out with Forsberg and legally get a drink. They and Seth Jones could be the cornerstone of this franchise along with Roman Josi for years to come.
Next: A Veteran for Potential
Feb 21, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center
(12) in the first period against the Los Angeles Kings during the Stadium Series hockey game at Levis Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Patrick Marleau for Colin Wilson
This one takes a lot of thought. Marleau is a sniper that has scored more than 30 goals seven times. He has 1003 points in
Patrick Marleau Stats from Hockey-Reference.com
1350 games and tons of veteran leadership. He is signed through next year at $6.7 mil per year. Wilson has a new, cap-friendly $4 mil per year contract through 2019. He has never reached his potential and you wonder how long the Preds management will wait. Supposedly the Sharks have been enamored with Wilson for a long time.
Marleau is 36 and won’t be around much longer and could be slipping a bit. He is unhappy in San Jose after they played musical captains and stripped him of his letter. His seven goals and 15 points this season would put him second and first in those categories with the Preds. You are adding an even older center to your two 35-year olds, but they could never score like this guy. He is another really good faceoff guy with over a 51% win rate lifetime.
One way or another, there are definitely rumors that David Poile is shopping Colin Wilson. We have heard that more than one place. It appears that it is time to try and get something for him while he still has “potential” beside his name.
Next: How About a Blockbuster?
Nov 17, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center
(71) takes the ice against the Minnesota Wild during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Evgeni Malkin for Shea Weber
Okay, so admittedly, Eklund gets a little crazy with his trade rumors sometimes. He lays out in this article on HockeyBuzz why
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71). Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
the Pittsburgh Penguins should trade Evgeni Malkin this season and one of the reasons is to fill their defense starved lineup. We have been one of the loudest when it come to not trading Shea Weber but have to admit that this deal would make some sense for both clubs. From Eklund:
Nashville: Is Shea Weber for Evgeni Malkin a good deal for both sides? There are fascinating arguments to be made that both teams would get instantly better.
Malkin would be back with James Neal and Forsberg, well one could only dream about what Prince Filip could do on a line like that. Malkin is arguably the top center in the league although some would say that he’s not the top center on his team. That might be one reason that he would be happier somewhere else and not in Sidney Crosby‘s shadow.
He scored 50 goals in a season and over 70 points seven times. Two of those were over 100 point seasons. He is only 29 years old and not a lot of teams could afford to take on his $9.5 million dollar salary through 2020. The Preds have room, especially if they traded Weber for him. You would certainly hate to see the Captain go but how much more balanced would both the Predators and the Penguins be?
Next: Is it Time to Hit the Panic Button?
There are other rumors out there too. Wouldn’t you love to see Steven Stamkos in Preds Gold? We can’t believe he won’t be staying with the Bolts, though. Andrew Ladd of the Jets is rumored to be coming to the Preds. He is a left winger with a scoring touch. It’s always fun to look at rumors, but it doesn’t count until it’s official.