Yakov Trenin is officially back with the Nashville Predators with his arbitration finally coming to an end. Per Elliotte Friedman, Trenin was awarded a two-year contract worth $1.7M per year, which will make him an unrestricted free agent at its conclusion.
The two sides were just over $1M apart in terms of AAV, and on paper, this seems like a fair middle ground between what they were negotiating.
From both sides perspective, it is great for the Predators, as they get one of their more crucial depth forwards back at a very cheap price.
From Trenin’s point of view, getting two years at the rate he did was probably not ideal since he was likely hoping to capitalize on his value next offseason if he plays well this season.
That being said, Trenin being a UFA at the end of his contract does give him the bargaining power he would not have had if the contract expired next offseason.
Impact of Trenin’s contract on Nashville Predators and future moves
The signing now leaves the Predators with roughly $2.39M in cap space, and depending on if they make another move and what it is, they have enough to do so and not sacrifice a player from their current starting roster.
It would be extremely tight, but if they wanted to make a play for Jesse Puljujarvi without giving up Dante Fabbro or anyone else, they could do it.
We will see what they decide to do, but nonetheless, the Predators should be excited that they got Trenin back at the price they did. He does a little bit of everything for the team, as he not only scores goals when you need him to, but he is solid defensively and with how he forechecks, he is a tough player to go against if you are the opposition.
The one key to his improvement is balancing out the penalties, which JFresh Hockey illustrates with his player card of Trenin:
Yakov Trenin, signed 2x$1.7M by NSH, is an effective defensive third line forward with a poor penalty differential. #Preds pic.twitter.com/ekf3CPPQcL
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 6, 2022
Trenin helped re-shape the identity of the team with being part of the hard-hitting “Herd Line”,and with him officially back in the fold, they can stay together and be consistent as they have always been.
The length of the contract also puts the Predators in perfect position with what their current plans are. As beloved as Trenin is by the fans and team, it is a good thing they did not try to avoid arbitration by giving him a contract similar to the one Colton Sissons got in 2019, because he is just not proven enough to be worth that at all.
Hopefully Trenin continues to improve throughout his contract, as a player with the effort, intangibles, and playing on a line that he has been well-suited for is a recipe for success.
With only two full years of experience under his belt so far and the opportunity to play for a bigger contract in two years, Trenin very well may have much more to prove.