Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz has already made a significant move this offseason by trading Ryan McDonagh as he looks to upgrade the roster and build off the overachievement his team had in 2023-24.
The Predators currently have a projected cap space of just over $26 million according to PuckPedia, with only six teams having more projected space to work with. This cap space will partially be used to re-sign any unrestricted free agents Trotz might want to keep, but some of it will be retained for future moves after the season starts.
So in basic terms, the Predators have buying power to work with this offseason. How they choose to use it is anyone's guess with Trotz leading the way. Going into his second year in charge of the front office, he's a bit of a wildcard.
Trotz & Preds have a lot of buying power and leverage this offseason
The Predators have six unrestricted free agents to decide on, plus some notable restricted free agents they'll likely want to re-sign including Spencer Stastney and Marc Del Gaizo.
The trade of McDonagh back to the Lightning is great for both sides; McDonagh really wanted to go back to Tampa and play at a place he made a lot of unforgettable memories at, and Trotz did the classy move by making that request happen while also freeing up an additional $6.75 million in cap space.
It's logical to think that Trotz has bigger moves up his sleeve now that he has freed up a sizeable chunk of cap space that very few expected. He could use this to further help along a long-term contract extension to Juuse Saros, or Trotz might go for a home run pickup in free agency this summer.
Going back to the unrestricted free agents, there's no one on this list that just screams that they're a "must keep". Maybe you can argue that Alexandre Carrier is more important to keep with McDonagh out of the mix, but it could also mean that Dante Fabbro gets the elevation to play with Roman Josi on a more regular basis in 2024-25.
Jason Zucker and Carrier are your most expensive UFAs to keep into 2024-25. It wouldn't be a surprise at all if Trotz re-signs Zucker, a well-respected veteran who has that playoff pedigree and leadership quality.
Zucker is listed on CapFriendly as the 10th-highest paid unrestricted free agent from the 2023-24 season, making $5.3 million after being added by the Predators at the trade deadline. Possibly Trotz always saw him as a rental, but it's also possible that Trotz wants to keep him.
Carrier on the other hand is a complete toss up in my mind. Maybe he stays, maybe he walks. Or maybe he tests the market, nothing great comes along, and he reverts back to the Predators for a team friendly deal that makes sense to keep him because that right side on the defense is getting thin.
Trotz did tell the local media following the McDonagh trade that he wants a "pathway" forward for the young guys to get more playing time.
“I wanted to have a pathway for some of the young guys to play on our hockey team. Now what they do with that opportunity is up to them.”
— Bally Sports: Preds (@PredsOnBally) May 22, 2024
GM Barry Trotz on the confidence he has knowing guys down the pipeline have experience⤵️ pic.twitter.com/0GYUPOU2UK
Juuse Saros is the x-factor in how the offseason unfolds
If the Predators sign Saros to a long-term extension somewhere in the neighborhood of $8 million, and let's say Trotz also re-signs Zucker to say around $5 million, that takes out half of your projected cap space you currently have. The other half remaining could be used to re-sign some role players, like Kiefer Sherwood, to a modest deal or the remaining could be used to go big game hunting for an impact forward like Sam Reinhart, Jake Guentzel or Steven Stamkos.
I would love to pry Stamkos from the Lightning, but it's looking more and more like he's going to stay home with Tampa. Especially with McDonagh returning. They're going to keep the band together and run it back. But Reinhart or Guentzel isn't all that hard to fathom.
Furthermore, the Predators could have a blockbuster trade in the works. There's a lot of talks around Mitch Marner being a possibility to the Predators in a trade that would undoubtedly have to involve Saros.
With their amount of cap space they'll have, and the deteriorating relationship between the Leafs and Marner, it's logical that this could end up happening. Although I'm vocally cautious and weary of Trotz taking this big of a gamble on Marner.
To add even another scenario with this much cap space to work with, the Predators could let Carrier and Tyson Barrie walk, two right sided defensemen, and look for a replacement in free agency. Someone like Chris Tanev who plays the right side and currently in pursuit of a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars.
You have to consider how comfortable will you feel with a defensive corps of Josi, Fabbro, Lauzon, Stastney, Del Gaizo and someone else to be named if Carrier is lost. Trotz almost certainly will have to add another defenseman from the outside, so that's something to keep in mind with McDonagh gone.
So you probably see the moral of this story, right? There are a lot of different avenues Trotz and the Predators can take this offseason with their cap space. It will make for an exciting offseason for the fans to see how Trotz chooses to go at this.