At this time of year there is always one or two crazy reasons to try and shop someobody. Or everybody.
The Nashville Predators are just outside the wild card, and every other game, they teeter either closer or further from making the Stanley Cup playoffs.
While they're caught in hockey limbo, GM Barry Trotz is working the phones, discussing and rejecting deals. The Predators have reasons to buy, sell, and hold, but when you really break it down, there is at least one reason to trade every player on this roster.
Let's list them.
Roman Josi - Quite possibly the best player in franchise history, if you feel like the team isn't going to contend, you could give him the Ray Bourque treatment and send him to a contender for a season or two.
Filip Forsberg - He was acquired for Martin Erat way back when, and Erat was 31 and about to fall off a cliff production-wise. Forsberg is 31 and will likely see his point totals decrease for two straight seasons. The decline isn't as steep, but history might be repeating itself.
Ryan O'Reilly - Simply put, he's playing out of his mind and likely at an unsustainable pace. He'll never be this productive again, and his value will never be so high as it is now.
Steven Stamkos - He's on a goal scoring heater, and every team needs a power play sniper, plus he's a proven playoff commodity.
Luke Evangelista - Negotiations were tense just getting him signed on for his bridge deal, and in the 2027 offseason, he could be offer sheeted, or equally as difficult. Trading him now gets all that off the table.
Jonathan Marchessault - He looks good coming back from the IR, but he still feels like an outlier in the lineup, but he would help a playoff contender if you can talk him into it.
Michael Bunting - A pending UFA who can play on lines 1, 2 or 3 is exactly the kind of player who teams overpay for this time of year.
Erik Haula - A pending UFA who is getting back to his typical level of play after a 1 year abberation, a GM with a hole to fill this year and next could see an opportunity.
Cole Smith - A pending UFA depth forward who checks and kills penalties, helps playoff teams stay deep and provides a safety net.
Michael McCarron - He's gigantic, pretty good on faceoffs, and can fight. An easy sell for adding playoff toughness.
Tyson Jost - He's making less than a million, has NHL experience, and is a pending UFA. Bottom 6 staple.
Fydor Svechkov - A young forward, Svech hasn't blossomed quickly, and might be worth moving to keep from blocking the rapidly coming influx of younger talent.
Matthew Wood - He's only had 1 point this month, and only 2 in December. Wood's rookie wall is concerning, and if they want to get max value for a run, a young guy will need to go.
Ozzy Wiesblatt - He's a gritty forward ready to bring speed and hits to a lineup, which always ends up getting traded around the league.
Juuse Saros - Trading a #1 goalie to a team on the edge of contending, or a team that's a fringe playoff spot holder, could result in a massive draft/prospects haul. It would also be a decent thing to do if you're convinced the window is closed.
Justus Annunen - If you believe in the youth movement in net, then clearning Annunen out of the way makes sense, plus lots of teams want an extra goalie this time of year.
Brady Skjei - A team that wants more offense from their back end and doesn't mind taking on his contract, and the Predators have a lovely cap retention spot to use. He's a luxury goods but someone will want him.
Nicolas Hague - He can play from 3 down, and has experience on a Cup-winning run before. Easy sell for a contending team that needs one more guy.
Nicklas Perbix - We can't emphasize enough that defensive depth gets moved around at the deadline. Last season, 22 trades involved 21 defensemen (Luke Schenn got traded twice) so there's a market for Perbix as a 6th or 7th guy in the lineup for the next year.
Justin Barron - Former 1st round pick with decent underlying numbers who has only played on badish teams, and a pending RFA with essentially no leverage. It could be a rebuilding move if a scout or GM thinks he's a diamond in the rough (which he still might be)
Andreas Englund - He's making the minimum and brings a physical presence. See the above statements on depth. Pretty good in his own end as well.
Adam Wilsby - He's young, has some offensive skill, isn't small, and on a rebuilding team could probably benefit from the minutes. The Predators would probably be doing him a favor by trading him.
Nick Blankenburg - If a team is looking for an offensive specialist, then this would be the guy. He's probably miscast playing 18-20 minutes a night, but with powerplay duties and offensive zone starts he could help boost a team from the backend.
Only time will tell how many of these guys actually get traded and for who.