It's no shock that the Nashville Predators are starting early on the trade front ahead of this Friday's trade deadline. They've already traded three starters; Gustav Nyquist, Tommy Novak and Luke Schenn.
Again, we're unclear how General Manager Barry Trotz truly sees this trade deadline. Is he looking to run it back and reload for 2025-26, or is he going to take the more conventional approach of throwing up the white flag and committing to a full-on rebuild.
The addition of Michael Bunting suggests Trotz is trying to reload with more veterans. He did get younger by moving off from Schenn, and freed up some cap space as well.
But the Predators have also made some waiver claims the day before the trade deadline, adding 32-year-old defenseman Jordan Oesterle and 29-year-old winger Jakub Vrana. I'm sure that will get Predators fans buzzing.
According to PuckPedia, the Predators have a projected $6.66 million of cap space. That's fifth-most in the league, so Trotz can absolutely buy a big piece if he wants to reload for next season. Not saying that's the best path to take, but Trotz is a wildcard as we've come to know.
Here's three moves that the Nashville Predators can still make happen before tomorrow's deadline.
Buy another veteran: Who's available?
If Trotz is really about to go back to buyer mode, which adding Bunting suggests he might be, then there are some decent options out there. The Predators undoubtedly need a top-six capable center.
Ryan Donato is getting a lot of interest on the market. The Blackhawks are full-on sellers, but their asking price has risen significantly with this current market of overpaying. Just see Gustav Nyquist to understand why.
Donato's potential fit with Nashville is that he's a stop-game center for the top-six if Trotz is in reload mode. Again, don't shoot the messenger here. I'm just saying that Danato is the type of player you trade for if reloading, and not rebuilding, is on your mind for 2025-26.
A first-round pick is expected to be the asking price for Chicago, otherwise they might keep him. Trotz would be crazy to deal a first-rounder even with Donato having an offensive burst this season.
Trevor Zegras is still dangling out there. That would be nuts if Trotz pulled off some kind of trade with Anaheim for the highlight reel that really needs a change of scenery in the worst way. It would be a big risk to take a flyer on Zegras, but at age 23 it could also end up being the steal of the decade down the road. Don't overpay, but make the call if you're Trotz.
With the roster moves the Predators have already made this week, I don't see hardly any real fits for Nashville to seek other than future draft picks and prospects.
Who else on Nashville Predators might be traded in next 24 hours?
Colton Sissons is my highest trade block player as of Thursday afternoon. The Predators have already taken a sledge hammer to their forward core by dealing Novak and Nyquist, and Sissons has decent trade value to boost some draft capital. I don't see a point in keeping him here any longer, get what you can out of him.
Ryan O'Reilly remains on the trade board just because you never know in this business if someone comes along and wants to ridiculously overpay. Will Trotz stand firm and treat O'Reilly truly like he has a no-trade clause? And is O'Reilly second-guessing his loyalty to sticking around for this dumpster fire? We'll know by Friday night.
I've been on the trade O'Reilly bus for months now going back to December. I love the guy and he's been one of the few models of consistency on this team. He's also your most valuable trade chip, so you can't just ignore that unless his wishes are to stay with the team and you want to do right by him. You owe that to him and that's my only reasoning for not trading O'Reilly.
Michael McCarron has surfaced on Frank Seravalli's trade board, citing that McCarron is getting interest from at least one team in particular.
It's nothing personal towards McCarron, but I'm just ready to move on from him. He serves one role that's easily replaceable, and that's being a big body and an enforcer type. Move him out if you can for a younger player with more speed and offensive upside. Especially considering this season isn't heading towards the postseason.
Everyone else on the Predators roster looks pretty safe. I don't see the Predators being extremely active on trade deadline day. Maybe one more move up their sleeve to shed more cap space.