The Nashville Predators are a team currently sitting on the very edge of being a playoff team or rebuilding. Right now, they've got a new GM, a returning coach on a short leash, and an incredibly odd mixture of veterans and young players.
They've also got the 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft, and we've seen draft picks already trading hands for commodities like Bowen Byram, Mackie Samoskevich, Brady Tkachuk, Simon Nemec, William Eklund, Jordan Kyrou, and Valeri Nichushkin all got traded for 1st round picks or multiple picks, or 1st round picks and more.
The Predators have a top 10 pick this year and have 21 more picks across this draft and the 2027 Draft. It's time to ship some picks out, for the sake of the franchise.
This Is Basically the Last Chance
We've referenced this before, but the Predators are going to have to deal with a lot heading into the 2027 offseason. A lot is 11 expiring contracts. You're also going into the final year of Roman Josi's deal, Filip Forsberg will be set to turn 33, Juuse Saros 32, Brady Skjei 33, Steven Stamkos 37, and Jonathan Marchessault 36.
The core is old, and most of the contracts that are up are for the younger players. The roster will be in total flux, and the next generation of Predators hockey will be here before we know it. They'll need a signature player to be the tent pole that a player like Filip Forsberg was for this one.
There isn't that player in the UFA market, but there is in the RFA market. Instead of paying through the nose and hoping a team decides not to match the contract, they need to deal some of their assets to get a game-breaking player. It won't be a Conor Bedard, but maybe it could be a Jason Robertson, Leo Carlsson, or Adam Fantilli.
Not only would a player like that make an immediate impact, but it would also soften the blow when your stars and veteran leaders retire or are shipped away in the next two to three years.
There Isn't A Clear Need
For all of his faults as a general manager, Barry Trotz picked a lot of players. In the 2024 and 2025 drafts, he made 15 selections, and you have to assume he had a hand in the 11 2023 picks as well. The cupboard is fully stocked when it comes to prospects.
In those drafts, they took 15 forwards, 7 defenders, and 3 goalies. That is quite literally a full team with several healthy scratches. Now, all of them won't work out, but you've got other prospects in play acquired from trades and previous drafts in the mix as well, like Joakim Kemell, Ryan Ufko, and Cole O'Hara.
Giving up picks this year and next can help rebuild the team, and might be necessary for asset management. With contracts to be signed and the roster already actively turning over, the Predators will be in another crunch in 3 to 4 years if they keep just drafting away.
Let your current crop come up, deal unknown futures for solid known qunatities, and give your aging core one last run.
Add us as a preferred source on Google