Last Minute Trade Deadline Plans for Nashville Predators: Trenin, Carrier, Barrie

You Cannot Move Past Trade Deadline Without Trading Lankinen

I don't see a pathway forward that makes sense with keeping Kevin Lankinen in a Predators sweater. Not because he's a bad backup to Juuse Saros, but actually the opposite. Because he has outplayed his backup status and probably deserves to be a 1B type of goaltender somewhere else.

With Yaroslav Askarov on the cusp of being a full-time NHL goalie, and with the trade talks cooling off with Saros, Lankinen is the odd man out. And he's due to be a UFA this summer.

You can't push aside the importance of having a backup goaltender you can trust when going into the playoffs. With the exception of Connor Hellebuyck for Winnipeg and Thatcher Demko for Vancouver, every playoff team either has a quality one-two punch in their crease or is in search for one.

Lankinen can be valuable on the trade market for that reason. He can be a quality insurance policy for your playoff run. I think about a team like the Colorado Avalanche with Alexander Georgiev. Do they really trust Georgiev to be good enough to get them to a Stanley Cup, which is that team's ultimate ceiling.

Even the teams who are in search of a starting goalie might have to settle for a lesser prize of Lankinen. Think the Devils and their goalie mess, or the Hurricanes who have juggled five different goalies this season.

Lankinen should be able to fetch you a mid-round draft pick. Just get something out of him, then you call up Askarov to backup Saros the rest of the way. I know that would hurt the Admirals playoff run, but you have to have the NHL club as the top priority.