Nashville Predators: Top 2022 Trade Deadline Assets to Offer

Nashville Predators can offer some draft picks

Draft picks are the most frequently moved asset at the trade deadline. A third round pick can usually get you a player who will bolster your playoff lineup and better the bottom half of your roster in some way.

The Predators need to upgrade their bottom pairing and bottom 6 to compete with the teams ahead of them.

There’s an abundance of defenseman being shopped that would cost a third round pick or possibly even less. Some pending free agent defensemen that the Predators could trade this pick for are Islanders’ Zdeno Chara or Red Wings’ Marc Staal.

Staal or Chara would provide playoff experience to the Nashville Predators blueline that hasn’t went on a deep run for the last few seasons They would also be an upgrade from Matt Benning and the recently extended Mark Borowiecki.

Furthermore, the Predators could use this pick to acquire Arizona’s Phil Kessel, who has eclipsed the 80-point mark four times in his career.

In 52 games with the Arizona Coyotes this season, he only has 33 points, but playing with a more skilled team would increase his point total by a fair margin.

In an article posted by Corey Pronman of the Athletic, an anonymous NHL executive said the asking price for Kessel was a third round pick and the Coyotes would retain 50 percent of the $6.8 million cap hit.

Kessel would be an improvement to the Predators middle-six and adds the depth scoring that is currently a desperate need for the club.