Filip Forsberg
I know I'm going to get plenty of pushback on all of my untouchables, including Forsberg. I'm just not fully doom and gloom just yet when it comes to selling off every player regardless of their franchise legacy or fielding a competitive team.
Forsberg is the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer and hasn't hit that dip in his production yet. In the right system and with the right linemates, Forsberg can still be one of the most deadly wingers in the NHL. His creativity to score and put quality shots on net is something the Predators are going to what to hold onto even in the rebuild which is looming in 2026-27 and beyond.
We don't really ever have to look into Forsberg's current contract too much, but now is a good time on the topic of a potential Predators fire sale.
The most important factor for Forsberg's contract is obviously his No Movement Clause, which required player approval to be trade. It makes things much more complicated and dramatic to trade an all-time great with this trade protection.
It would mean that both sides are no longer happy with each other, and Forsberg would have to really want to uproot his Nashville legacy to go chase a Stanley Cup. Key word there is "chase", and it doesn't mean he lands anywhere that will result in that. A major risk to take for Forsberg, who is a Nashville hero and played his entire NHL career here.
The contract itself is pretty manageable at $8.5 million AAV and four years left after this current one. Plenty of teams would take that on with a rising salary cap, but again, the NMC makes this really unlikely to be pulled off. I think Forsberg would rather stay here in Nashville and be part of the solution, and I hope the front office feels the same way.
I give Forsberg at least three more years of really productive offense, and the Predators need to retain a couple trusted veteran weapons to carry them into the choppy waters of a rebuild. They can't field a team of nothing but youth and inexperience. You have to hold onto some veterans even in a full-on rebuild, and Forsberg is an easy choice for me with his NMC and still having a few more years of peak hockey left in him.
Are Predators fans truly ready to be one of the worst teams in the NHL for several years to come, similar to the dark times the Blackhawks and Sharks have dealt with? If they're ready for that, then sure, trade your franchise leading goal scorer still in his prime away for draft picks that may or may not even pan out to actual NHL players one day.