There are five games left for the Nashville Predators following the break for the Olympics and the March 6 trade deadline, and many would say we know everything there is to know about this team and what needs to be done in the next two weeks.
There is no escaping the fact that the Predators are walking a fine line between managing their roster long-term, while also still not completely ripping things apart in hopes that they can hang around in the wildcard race.
However, that is precisely the problem with this organization for many years now; that it just always "hangs around". We will see if the what path the front office chooses in what is GM Barry Trotz's last go-around before eventually passing the torch to the new General Manager in the coming months
There's nothing left to learn about this Nashville Predators team that should change anyone's mind about the trade deadline needs
In the five games remaining before the trade deadline, there's not much you can change. Sure, they could rip off a five-game winning streak and claim a wildcard spot before the deadline gets here, but would even that be enough to say no to a big trade offer for someone like Ryan O'Reilly, Jonthan Marchessault or Steven Stamkos?
Even worse, what happens if the Predators front office gets a false sense of security and walks away from a great trade offer that could help this organization immensely in the long-term, only to eventually fall back out of the wildcard anyway? And even if they do return to the playoffs, will it be worth it to get bounced and be the sacrifical lamb in the first round again?
You see where I'm going with this, and it's been an overwhelming theme of this franchise for years now. I just don't think any of us honestly expected to even be in this position this late in the year after what we witnessed last season with 68 points and absolutely nothing working except for a few young players getting some playing time.
As much as I want to see playoff hockey again for the Predators, I also have to be very honest with the position of this franchise and it's not a Stanley Cup anytime soon. Regardless of what they do with some of their top assets, they're also going to have to deal some important depth veterans like Michael Bunting and possibly Erik Haula anyway. That will be a blow to the team's current pursuit of a wildcard spot as they'll have to lean more heavily on youth and inexperience.
This team has proven all they can up to this point, and five more games isn't going to change my overall long-term plan at all. To this team's enormous credit, they have proven to me already that these veterans play with a ton of pride and wasn't going to let a repeat of last season happen again.
The Predators can still be shoppers at this trade deadline. They need to find another prospect that plays center and has future NHL potential. If they can get something like that in return of a trade package for Nick Perbix, Michael McCarron, Haula, Bunting or Marchessault then you go for it.
O'Reilly and Stamkos obviously require much higher asking prices, but again nothing should be off the table for Trotz to consider. Listen to everything. And I'm sure the players realize that going into these next five games. It's going to be a weird time with outside distractions considering just how many players the Predators have in trade rumors. It's a long list, and very few players on the Predators are "off limits".
It might mean losing the wildcard race, but you have to see what your youth finally has going into 2026-27 and cash in on some pending free agents who have actually boosted their values
We're actually in a fortunate position to see Bunting and Haula play so well this season. They have boosted their trade value higher than where it was when the season started. Perbix holds value as a steady right shot defenseman, and Marchessault still has the high level talent that playoff contenders would love to add. That obviously may require salary retention by the Predators.
Additionally, you have to start seeing more and more what you have with these fringe prospects. It's awesome to see Zachary L'Heureux finally get called back up. Matthew Wood should keep seeing playing time, as should Ozzy Wiesblatt.
One major win so far for this organization in terms of their young players is that Luke Evangelista is on a positive trajectory to be a core player for this team's long-term future. Now it's time to hopefully discover more of these young players for the rest of this season and into next season.
I would love for this team to find a winning streak somehow, get into the wildcard, make some wise trades and somehow dig deep enough to still make the playoffs. That's a best-case scenario that is a long shot, but also not impossible. It will mean that a lot of young core of players respond to the pressure, and it will also require Juuse Saros to carry over his strong Olympics showing into the grind of the NHL regular season.
Top priority is to not let the wildcard race cloud your judgement that some wise selling of assets need to happen. They cannot just hold serve and hope for the best, even if this team wins four of their next five and is in a playoff spot when trade deadline day arrives.
In fact, I won't be surprised at all if some of these trades happen before the day of the trade deadline gets here. Teams will be calling Trotz constantly and he can't just turn down a good offer just so that we can see another game or two first. Take the deal if it's good for the organization's long-term health. And that means stockpiling more draft picks and prospects. If they get an NHL future potential prospect at center I will be elated.