Is Barry Trotz Mortgaging Nashville Predators Future for a Cup Run Now?

Nobody can truly fault Barry Trotz for the moves that he's made as General Manager of the Nashville Predators. He's brought in a host of players who have helped change the culture of the team and initiated a turnaround from being a team on the bubble to a team that should be a Stanley Cup contender.

Trotz has been active in the trade market, signed a flurry of free agents, and made moves to secure core pieces all over the lineup. The job of a general manager is to set up a team for success, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan or analyst that doesn't think the Predators can roar past last years first-round knockout.

What about the 2025-2026 season? What about 2026-27? While Trotz has done an excellent job of creating a team that raises a lot of eyebrows and has generated a lot of moving money in Vegas, has he pushed too far and is he setting himself up for another rebuild in the near future?

Is the Preds Prospect Pipeline Blocked?

For the forwards, the answer is probably not. Cody Glass still being in the league means that the Predators "won" one of the worst all around trades ever, but he's not long for this roster. He could get traded tomorrow for all that we know, but even if he plays out the season, he'd need to have a fantastic year to warrant being re-signed. So that leaves his spot open.

Similarly, players like Michael McCarron, Mark Jankowski, and Cole Smith might seem secure with their new deals, but with a low price tag attached to their names and status as bottom-six players, they are moveable.

Then there is Gustav Nyquist. Is he in line for an extension? A raise? He's trade bait? He's a player in his mid-30s coming off of a career year with an expiring contract. He'll be 35 by the time the season starts, and his spot in the lineup is in flux.

With the addition of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, the 24 power-play points Nyquist recorded probably aren't going to repeat themselves.

All of this is meant to say that nothing is really blocking the Predators if they decided it's Joakim Kemell time. He could already slot into the 13th forward spot. It would be hard to deny Zachary L'Heureux some NHL time this year, and if the Predators have to make a move to do it, they are still in a position to do so.

You Skipped the Defense

No, I was getting to them, but only because yeah, the defense is set. Now it takes longer for those prospects to be NHL-ready, but if one is now, there isn't space on this roster. It might be time to move on from Dante Fabbro, but Spencer Stastny has first dibs on his spot.

Stastney and the Predators are currently in arbitration negotiations with Stastney's camp seeking a one-way deal for one year, while the Predators want a two-way deal.

After him, there aren't really any NHL-ready prospects. Marc Del Gaizo will be one of the first runners-up defense-wise. Other than that, it actually looks a little thin for the Predators. Tanner Molendyk, the 2023 draft pick, can't get here soon enough.

And the goalies?

Well, Yaroslav Askarov might be blocked and he might be angry about it. If he tries to force his way out it will be the only real misstep from Trotz's reign so far.

What About The Money?

There is none. The Predators have spent to the cap. According to Puckpedia, the Predators have $595,801 left in cap space, which is basically nothing in NHL money.

Signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei, and extending Juuse Saros, have tapped the reserves. Trotz has put himself in a position where if he has to make a move, he has to deal a player.

Draft Capital?

We're really glad you asked. The Predators have 10 picks in the 2025 draft, and seven of those picks are in the first three rounds. They have two first-rounders, two second-rounders, and three third-rounders. If Trotz needs to deal a player and has to sweeten the pot he has his options for sweeteners.

More importantly, the Predators are in a position where they can keep advancing some of their top prospects, have a load of draft picks, and still have a better roster on paper than last season.

Trotz deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a coach, but if you needed any more evidence as a voter, his first year and change as a GM in Nashville should be a reminder of just how brilliant a hockey mind he is.