2. Colton Sissons, Center, 1 Year Left at $2.857M
Proposed trade return: Mid Round draft pick
You're probably sensing a theme now with my list. With the exception of Novak, this list features aging veterans whose best days are behind them and their contracts are getting near the end. There's no point in clinging onto these veterans when they're likely not going to be around for the other side of the rebuild.
Colton Sissons doesn't have a ton of trade market value, but he'll get you something and it will clear roster space for 2025-26. This team is slow and gets exposed nearly every game by teams much faster than them. The most recent example being last night against the Ottawa Senators.
For all of the good Sissons does, and there's a decent amount of that like winning faceoff and killing penalties, he brings almost zero offense. He's a grinder, and he's a team-first player. Both important qualities, but he has been with Nashville for his entire 11-year NHL career and it's time to move on and wish him best of luck.
Sissons should draw at least mild interest from some playoff teams looking to boost their depth and their intangibles. Sissons is cheap and low risk, but could be valuable in the playoffs with the qualities I already mentioned.
Much like O'Reilly, only to a smaller degree, Sissons isn't going to be around on the other side so it makes more sense to move on from him now and turn a whole new chapter in Nashville Predators hockey.