The Nashville Predators are opening the offseason with $14,544,691 of cap space, and that is if the league salary cap does not increase from the current $82.5M for 2023-24 and beyond.
When you have that kind of cap space, you tend to use it to your advantage, but the Nashville Predators might not be so quick to splurge.
First of all, signing Cody Glass and Alexandre Carrier to new contracts is the top priority, and bringing back Jake Livingstone is likely in their plans as well. So at the very least, they will use $4M — and probably more — of that cap space to lock up internal players.
Now, one way the Predators could increase their spending ability would be to trade Ryan Johansen, but that is nothing more than a major “if” until we see it happen. One way or another, it would not change that they are not in position to spend big, if at all this offseason.
Nashville Predators must focus on draft & player development, not free agency
When incoming General Manager Barry Trotz was asked to speak on what he plans to do with the Predators’ roster this offseason and forward, he mentioned that two things he was looking to add are speed and skill.
“I’m looking to get faster. I want to add some size in key positions and a little more skill so we can score a little bit more.” - #Preds future GM Barry Trotz on his vision for the team’s future
— Emma Lingan (@emma_lingan) April 17, 2023
Normally when GM’s say that, they are looking to make such moves through free agency or trade, because the Draft is unreliable when it comes to adding year-one difference makers.
But this year is an exception to that rule, as this is an historic Draft in terms of player talent. And even though the fifteenth spot, which is where the Predators are picking, may not offer guys who can come in and play from the beginning, they have enough draft capital to trade into the top 10 if they wish to do it.
So while the draft could legitimately offer some instant speed and skill to the Predators lineup, notice how Trotz’s quote is mentioned to be in reference to the future. He may not be overly concerned about how this offseason’s moves affect the team in 2023-24, which further suggests that free agency is not going to take precedence.
And it should not — free agency is oftentimes where teams make big splashes that are quite risky but could easily get them over that final hump, and the Predators are absolutely not there.
They are in a clear transition phase and instead of trying to bring in new franchise faces, they should be focused on molding their current players and eventually turning them into franchise faces. And based on how players like Glass, Luke Evangelista, and Tommy Novak have done with so little experience, that could easily happen as long as everyone is patient.
Predators Already Have What they Need for 2023-24
If the Predators are going to look to add any free agents this offseason, they should target mainly rotational players who could come in to give certain guys a rest or fill in for injuries. But when you look at their roster, they might already have those guys in place.
Spencer Stastney absolutely held his own when he played in April, and signing Livingstone so late in the season shows that the Predators value his potential. If Livingstone is re-signed (he is an RFA) and Tyson Barrie is still here, which are both likely, then the team should be just fine on defense.
Even on offense, Mark Jankowski and Michael McCarron are locked in for 2023-24, and Rasmus Asplund is an RFA. Zach Sanford is also a UFA who could be re-signed as an insurance option for next season, and I would say it is a pretty safe bet that one of him and Asplund returns.
None of those forwards are ones I expect to regularly be in the starting lineup come October, and once again if they do, they will be in rotational roles. So we can pretty much guarantee that if the Predators sign any free agents this offseason, they will not be ones you expect to see much ice time.
At most, they could sign someone who they can flip at the trade deadline for additional assets, like the Chicago Blackhawks did with Max Domi, who is a UFA again this offseason. But how can you expect to get meaningful assets in return for a player who hardly sees the ice?
All of it shows you that the Predators do not at all need or even have any use for any free agents this offseason. They just need to let the talented youngsters grow, call upon the other in-house options if need be, and see how it goes.
About two years from now is when the Predators will really know where their team is and can really consider bolstering their lineup in free agency, not now.