The Nashville Predators were the toast of the offseason at this time last year. The club had pulled off a major coup by landing Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault. The club had locked in Juuse Saros with an eight-year extension and bolstered the blue line with Brady Skjei.
Things were looking up. The Preds were picked by many pundits to make a strong playoff run. But then, things didn’t go quite as expected.
The Predators finished at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, triggering a fire sale at the trade deadline. Barry Trotz’s offseason strategy had seemingly failed. That situation puts the Predators at a major crossroads now.
As Marco D’Amico noted in a July 19 piece published in RG Media: "Trotz must decide where to chase one last playoff run or begin for what comes next."
That “what comes next” is a teardown and a rebuild. And, as we’ve seen in NHL rebuilds, a decade of futility seems par for the course.
So, do the Predators go all in and try to get back into playoff contention? Or do they raise the white flag and strip the team down?
Given the club’s core, the former seems to be the path forward. AS D’Amico referred to one anonymous league source: "I know Barry wants to be competitive, but you have to be honest with your roster,” said an NHL source. “If they’re back in the basement again next summer, even after acquiring (Nick) Perbix and (Nick) Hague, then the defense was clearly not the problem."
The Predators won’t have an easy road ahead. They’re locked in a stacked Central Division that features the powerhouse Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, and St. Louis Blues.
Plus, the much-improved Utah Mammoth will make it tough for the Preds to get into a playoff spot. Except for the Chicago Blackhawks, every team in the Central is looking to contend. That’s as many as seven teams vying for three playoff spots.
The Nashville Predators could quickly turn into sellers
If the Nashville Predators find themselves out of contention quickly, they could shift gears and become sellers sooner than expected.
This upcoming season has an unexpected wrinkle. The Olympic break in February could prompt GMs to move pieces before the break. The rationale behind that assessment lies in the three-week layoff teams can use to help newcomers adjust.
Instead of asking new players to fit in on the fly, teams can utilize the downtime to get new pieces settled in and recalibrate their strategies before heading back onto the ice.
That situation could mean that big deals could happen following the Holidays. So, January could be a busy month. If that’s the case, the trade deadline could be limited to last-minute deals based on unexpected needs.
Ultimately, the first months will be crucial for the Nashville Predators. If the team gets off to another 0-5 start like it did this past season, changes could be coming sooner than anticipated.
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