Looking at how the Nashville Predators free agents are shaping up in 2026, this upcoming season feels like one where we're going to see a lot of roster changes before many of these players hit free agency next offseason.
On the contrast, the Predators have very few expiring contracts this current offseason. Luke Evangelsita is the major one as a restricted free agent, but aside from him, the Predators have just two unrestricted free agents on the NHL roster. Those two are Jakub Vrana and Marc Del Gaizo.
Del Gaizo is in a unique situation as a UFA Group 6, which basically means he's played too many professional seasons and has reached age 25 to keep him from becoming a restricted free agent. Vrana appears to not be coming back, but who knows if Trotz brings him back for a minimal deal.
Here are my predictions for the free agents on the Predators for 2026. Will they be traded, will they get a new deal from the Predators, or will they just end up simply walking in free agency next offseason?
Michael McCarron-UFA in 2026, currently makes $900,000
McCarron has been a good soldier for the Predators' bottom-six regularly during the 2021-22 season. He kind of is what he is, and no one is every expecting him to be anything more or less.
McCarron is a good guy to have holding down the fort on your fourth line. He's a massive body and someone who brings that physical element you need from that group. Every now and then he'll mix in some offense and some sneak skill. However, he has never scored more than 12 goals in a season and has only hit double digit goals in his NHL career once.
I would think that McCarron is pretty content in his role here and it should require too much drama or a big pay raise to keep him here for another year or two past 2026. Maybe up his annual salary to $1.5 million. Anything more, let him walk and don't fret over it too much.
I think he stays with that, and plus the salary cap is going up so giving him that kind of a pay raise is fair to the player and not a big bite to take from the Predators front office. I don't mind McCarron as the fourth line center for a few more years to come. He's not the main problem for this team, and he's very affordable for what he does.
Cole Smith-UFA in 2026, currently makes $1M
Smith might be a little bit harder to keep, and more complicated to keep reserving a space for. He plays on the wing, and at some point the Predators are going to want to start calling up some prospects and bring in a new era. Smith might end up as a casualty of that shift in philosophy to get younger and faster.
Even as a fourth liner, putting up just 12 points in 71 games is pretty underwhelming. Sure, he plays a gritty style you love and his penalty killing is his best quality by far. It's what makes him worthy of keeping around, but something tells me it's going to be a choice between McCarron or Smith, and not keeping both. If that's the case, McCarron brings slightly more value as a center or occasionally brings some offensive flashes and will probably be cheaper on his next deal.
Smith is also about to hit age 30 and has probably topped out in what his value is on the NHL level. He's likely not going to be shooting for the moon in his next contract, but it also wouldn't surprise me if he wants to test the open market in 2026.
As an undrafted bottom-six grinder who has earned his 229 NHL games through hard work, he might want to bet on himself again and test the waters elsewhere. I think he walks in free agency of 2026. I don't see the Predators trying to trade him with very little value there to get anything in return.
Colton Sissons-UFA in 2026, currently makes $2,857,143
Sissons is looking like one of the top players on the Predators trade block entering 2025-26, aside from Jonathan Marchessault. He still brings a lot of value that playoff contending teams love to have in the postseason, which is a two-way game and veteran experience.
I also can't fathom the Predators letting Sissons hit open free agency in 2026. That would be a major gaffe by the front office because he will almost certainly get plenty of attention. At the very least, you trade Sissons for whatever you can get and hope his stock rises before that time comes through individual play.
Sissons is better suited as a fourth line center for a playoff contending team. Someone who can give you quality minutes, win faceoff, play on the penalty kill and be a mentor to any inexperienced players who may have also on your fourth line.
I'd love to see Sissons, who is currently the third-longest tenured player on the Predators right now, retire here in Music City. But judging where this team is at and what's likely ahead, I'd also be very happy to see Sissons land with an organization that can get him back to competing for a Stanley Cup.
In the end, I see Sissons getting traded at some point in the next nine months. Maybe sooner rather than later, and even a draft day trade could happen. Just don't get your hopes too high on the trade return. A mid-round pick, maybe a third at best. Better than losing him for nothing in free agency.
Michael Bunting- UFA in 2026, currently makes $4.5M
Really difficult to predict this one because it's all based on how Bunting performs this upcoming season. He's only one season removed from putting up 55 points across two teams with the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins. Last season his production dipped to 38 points with the Penguins and Predators.
Even if Bunting does mirror his 2023-24 production and becomes a top contributor for the Predators, it will be hard to resist trading him and flipping that trade that you had to give up Luke Schenn and Tommy Novak to get.
However, Trotz seems to really like Bunting and his style of play he brings to the Predators. He plays in the dirty areas by the net front. He scores the greasy goals and is an agitator to the opposition. If he performs well this upcoming season for the Predators, I think Trotz's preference will be to keep him over trading him.
He'll hit age 30 during this next season, so you don't want to get crazy here with term if you keep Bunting. I wouldn't go more than two years if you keep him, otherwise you trade him and hope his value goes up.
I'm going to slightly lean towards he also gets traded only because I think this season is going to be similar to last season in terms of team performance. Trotz will realize real fast that it's time to rip things down to the studs best he can and rebuild from the foundation up.
Jeremy Lauzon- UFA in 2026, currently makes $2M
Lauzon, injury aside this past season, is setting himself up on track to get a decent raise with his next contract. He has become one of the top hit makers in the NHL and he'll make any team's blueline more of a pain to play against. Playoff teams would love to have Lauzon out there as an enforcer when playoff hockey gets testy.
We have to wait and see how Lauzon shakes off the rust from this past season's injury, but assuming he returns right to form of the player he was before, then the Predators should be interested in re-signing him past 2026.
You look at the Predators defensive pipeline and it's thin after you get past Tanner Molendryk and Andrew Gibson. You got some depth guys who might get better, like Spencer Stastney and Adam Wilsby, but Lauzon is a guy in his prime at age 27 and you should try to keep as long as his asking price isn't outlandish.
I don't expect it will take a lot of term to keep Lauzon happy and want to stay here in Nashville. He can play either side and if you really need him in a bind, he can play top pairing minutes. Not ideal, but he's an option if injuries plague the team. And every now and then Lauzon will also wake you up with a blast from the point. He does have a rocket for a shot, he's just not usually accurate and on net unfortunately.
All of this to say, I got the Predators re-signing Lauzon for three years with a modest pay raise of around $3 million AAV. Maybe a tad more if you have to negotiate. I wouldn't go much higher than that, though.
Others to consider: Barron (RFA), Osterle (UFA), Blankenburg (UFA), Englund (UFA), Annunen (RFA), L'Heureux (RFA), Svechkov (RFA)
I'm not going to predict every one of these guys because most are depth guys and fringe starters at best. L'Heureux and Svechkov will see their entry level deals expire, and I totally expect them to get bridge deals at some point before they hit free agency next offseason.
Blankenburg is an interesting one because the guy really showed out last season. One of the few players on this team who overperformed, and I absolutely love the grit and toughness he brings to the team. He's got some sneaky offense to his game as well, so I'd actually really like the Predators to keep him around past 2026.
Blankenburg is making a minimal $775,000 for his final year of his current deal, and I'd up that to over $1 million per for a couple years to invest in him in his prime years. He has earned it and Nashville should reward him.
Barron has to really show us something this season to warrant keeping him. He is very inconsistent, but he's also just 23-years-old. He's kind of on an audition role to stay here long-term in 2025-26. He might be asked to play big minutes alongside Roman Josi as a right shot defenseman.
The Predators would hit the unexpected jackpot if Barron breaks out with Josi as his linemate. Seems far-fetched, but if he pulls it off, pay the man.