Nashville Predators: The salary cap situation going forward

The Present

As the Nashville Predators sit right now, they currently own a cap of 70.269 million out of 75 million. That’s about 4.7 million in cap space at this moment. Pretty good considering that they’re not using any relief given to them for Nick Bonino or Ryan Ellis.

The Predators currently have a full roster of 23 players with two on the IR. Which means that two will have to return to the AHL or the CHL. Most likely that’ll be Samuel Girard and Frederick Gaudreau. Girard will most likely head back to Quebec once Ellis returns, while Gaudreau will most likely see Milwaukee once Bonino comes back. This is not what I would do, but this is the most likely outcome.

Cap space, in my opinion, is an asset in itself. The Carolina Hurricanes have used their cap space to take advantage of teams with cap issues, most notably the Chicago Blackhawks over the summer. The Nashville Predators may not be taking advantage of any teams, but this cap space can be used to add players that other teams couldn’t. The idea of a Matt Duchene or Alex Galchenyuk wouldn’t even be a possibility without the five million in cap space.

I’m not saying that the Predators will make a move at the deadline, but leaving themselves the possibility was a smart move. Who knows, the Predators might want to go all in this year, and an extra piece at the deadline might be in the cards. David Poile currently has the Predators right where he wants them, even if injuries have hampered the team.