Cole Smith
This last one on here was the hardest to decide, you can make a case for many other Predators players, or for a whole different combination of them. I personally decided to go with Smith for a few different reasons.
Number one, he is a bottom six winger who has been on the team for years and is also on a contract that only has next year left. It just feels right to think that this is the time at which it makes sense for both sides to part ways, as guys like him usually are not on any one team for a super long time.
Second of all, he provides enough that other Cup contending teams could definitely see as a worthy add for their hopeful future playoff runs. He is a hard worker who is extremely physical and is quietly fast, as he is one of only two players on the Predators who recorded 100+ bursts of 20+ MPH in 2024-25.
Now, I know what you are thinking - the Predators were extremely slow in 2024-25 and need to get faster, why does it make any sense for them to get rid of the second-fastest skater on their team?
Well, where the Predators really need to get faster is their top six, and while losing Smith would not help per se, that is not the true area of concern for the team. And several of you are also rightfully thinking that the speed discussion is a low bar when considering the Predators, and that he is not quite fast or overall impactful enough to truly change a team's speed.
The thing is that there are levels to every discussion, and Smith is not going to help the Predators' lack of speed in the way they would need, but he is fast enough that a contending team looking for an upgrade to their bottom six could use him.
He would probably fetch the weakest return of everyone on this list, but potentially more than we think, and enough that it would benefit the Predators considering where they are as a franchise. It is likely that the front office will agree that Smith's time in Nashville has run its course.