The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline has come and passed, and the Nashville Predators were sellers—kind of.
While Preds GM Barry Trotz did trade off some pieces, some of the bigger names were left to stay. Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos were destined to stay but others were clear trade chips. The clearest of all chips was Erik Haula.
This deadline would've been the perfect time to trade him. He took home bronze at this year's Winter Olympics with his six points split between goals and assists. In the NHL, he's playing at his regular pace on a weakened Preds squad, scoring 10 goals and 31 assists in 62 games. His contract is the cherry on top with him in his final year of a $3.15 million average-annual-value deal, per Puckpedia.
Despite this, Haula is playing tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. His acquisition was strange and his return was as well, but I'm beginning to believe this was a strategic plan by Trotz to help the team in the long run outside of the draft. Let's take a closer look.
Haula gives Nashville room without needing to trade for fill-in players
Nashville traded away four of its players, three of which were forwards. Michael Bunting and Cole Smith leave room for young wingers to get some ice time. Zachary L'Heureux, Joakim Kemell, and Ozzy Wiesblatt will greatly benefit from the increase of ice exposure. At center, the Preds moved on from Michael McCarron but there isn't a clear replacement.
Fedor Svechkov will return to the lineup and secure a spot in the bottom six manning center. That leaves one spot left to cover. Tyson Jost could take over, but his low faceoff percentage of 38.6% isn't the best to rely on. Wiesblatt could but again, the numbers don't lie with his 28.6%. There isn't an obvious answer to the absence so your next idea might be to call somebody up.
Recently signed Jake Lucchini might come to mind. He's playing well with Milwaukee scoring 13 goals and 38 points. I don't think he's the best person to call up. In his three games with Nashville last season, he didn't register a point and took two shots. If the Preds want to help boost their youngsters, they'll need someone who can perform a bit more.
Maybe reunite the Wiesblatt brothers. Oasiz Wiesblatt is doing well in his first professional season, recording nine goals and 21 points. It's only his first season in the AHL, so I believe he deserves more opportunity with more ice time rather than bottom six minutes on a mere wildcard squad.
David Edstrom or Joey Willis could make good fits but much like Oasiz, they're too early into their professional careers to call up. They need more time in the minors to find their playstyle and hone in their skills before they make that jump.
The third option is to trade for a player. Considering Nashville being a seller at the deadline, that's not reasonable. Why waste a draft pick to acquire a depth piece that you most likely won't resign. It doesn't make much sense to do so.
That just leaves one more option, keeping Haula for the time being. He's a solid player with decent faceoff abilities, carrying a 50.4 W% this season with the Preds. Considering there's no other options left, keeping Haula is one of the best things Trotz could've done for this squad. You want to increase development, not shrivel it done by forcing them to play big minutes. The rookies will use this final stretch of the season to adapt and eventually step into a bigger role next season as veterans fade out.
A Finnish presence could bring confidence to the struggling Kemell
Haula played a huge role in Finland's bronze medal journey. The Finnish connection might proceed into this season with Kemell in the lineup. Kemell hasn't found the back of the net in five NHL games so far. Maybe a bit too early but it's good to note early on. Ten shots for the Finnish winger who's known for his goal-scoring ability. Maybe it isn't the player but rather the players.
He wasn't given much of a chance to play, averaging around 11 minutes of ice time per game. Most of the time, he was paired with other younger players and not guys with years of NHL experience. He's had good shot opportunities but he could get more if he had some veteran help.
One way to kickstart the promising forward is with a Finland native. Outside of Haula, Nashville doesn't have any Finnish forwards, potentially making it hard to connect with others for Kemell. Pair Haula and Kemell together and we might have something in the works.
Give Kemell a good player to work with who also speaks his language and he'll find confidence and fill in his shoes much easier. It's always better to have someone who shares your colors. Start with Haula.
Whether or not keeping Haula was intention by Trotz, it might work out well in the long run. It'll be wise of management to resign him for an extra season or two rather than abandoning him after the draft. Retain some value so you can trade him later but keep him long enough to him an impact.