Nashville Predators trade McCarron to Western contender, team finally embracing rebuild

The Nashville Predators have finally made a trade and it's a huge win for the team.

Preds GM Barry Trotz made a deal to send forward Michael McCarron over to Central Division rival Minnesota Wild in exchange for their 2028 second-round draft pick. He was listed as a healthy scratch for Nashville's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets for "roster management purposes," with the trade announced not too long after.

McCarron, 30, scored five goals and 12 points in 59 games this season with Nashville. He tallied 66 points in 292 games with the club. The 6'6" was a top centerman for the Predators, carrying a 52.8%-win rate at the faceoff dot. He's on the final year of his $1.8 million contract signed back in February 2024.

His energy in the locker room and grit on the ice will truly be missed by Nashville players and fans. However, this move should be looked in a more positive lens for the Predators, especially for their future. Dominos are falling fast with Trotz making two trades in one game and fans should be excited for what's to come.

McCarron's trade shows management isn't scared to depart from big faces

While McCarron was best known for his big on-ice presence and gritty playstyle, he was also known as the locker room glue. In almost every media clip of Big Sexy, he's all smiles and full of energy. Despite being such a beauty in the dressing room, Nashville has decided it's time to move on.

This isn't a move of betrayal but rather what's best for the team. Hockey is a business and trading McCarron is part of that. The trade just shows that management isn't afraid from trading away their chemistry guys and leaders. This is a good sign considering a good handful of the squad's top trade candidates fall under this category.

It also shows that they aren't scared to depart from long-term names. Moving on from McCarron, and later Cole Smith as covered by Matthew Maratea,
proves that Nashville isn't going to be a place securing pieces based on legacy. We traded Colton Sissons in the past, a long-time veteran of the Preds organization, and trading these two guys adds onto this message. Not to go on a slippery slope, but this is promising for trades surrounding Ryan O'Reilly and potentially Juuse Saros.

For the time being, however, I'm just happy we're beginning to sell pieces. With how close the Preds are to a wildcard spot in the West, I was worried that Trotz would find false hope and add rather than deplete. In a form of juxtaposition, the team's back-to-back losses were a good thing, showing that they're indeed not a playoff contender and are instead a pretender. Harsh but true.

Per Puckpedia, Nashville now owns Minnesota's 2026 and 2028 second-round picks. Considering Minnesota is bound to be a contender for several years to come, these picks will likely find themselves in the later stages of their respective rounds. Still, these picks are extremely valuable and set up the Predators pretty well in future drafts.

Big Sexy and Smitty are the first two dominos, so who's the third?

Realistically, that all depends on who gets a phone call first. I have my bets on Michael Bunting since he's also on an expiring deal. He's also one of the most valuable players Nashville has in their cards. Not only is he good offensively with his 31 points, he's also good at drawing penalties. Moneypuck shows that he's drawn 42 PIM while only serving 14 for a -28 PIM differential.

Other potential trade targets include Erik Haula (also on an expiring contract), Jonathan Marchessault, and Nick Perbix. The Predators don't have much longer to get these guys outta the Music City so they must use every minute wisely. The deadline is set for 3 p.m. this Friday so let's hope we get some more news out of Nashville till then.