The 10 Most Important Players to Nashville Predators Post-Trade Deadline

We have reached the break for the Winter Olympics with the Nashville Predators hanging around in the wildcard race, but still on the outside looking in with a likely selling off of assets at the trade deadline once the roster freeze ends.

It's time to start thinking long-term about what the Nashville Predators will look like after the trade deadline, which is exactly a month away.

With the shocking news that GM Barry Trotz is stepping down from his role once a replacement found, it does make you wonder how that may or may not affect the trade deadline strategy.

Even with the Predators being so close to the wildcard, currently five points back with 29 games left to make up that ground, it still looks like situation for GM Barry Trotz to sell some assets. This will signal a changing of the guard and a pathway for prospects that are vital to this franchise's future rebuild to start getting some NHL minutes after the trade deadline passes.

According to a recent post from Daily Faceoff, the Predators are one of only two franchises in the current salary cap era to not go through a proper rebuild or to actually complete their rebuild.

I think when we look at this same graph in three years, the Predators will officially be in that blue category which indicates "Active Rebuild". Here are my ten most important players to the Nashville Predators franchise after the trade deadline passes in just over a month from now on March 6.