Roman Josi is the greatest skater in Nashville Predators history, and for plenty of reasons.
For starters, he will play his 16th consecutive season with the Predators this fall to make him the longest tenured player in franchise history, surpassing goalie Pekka Rinne with 15. The Swiss defenseman is also the franchise leader in points (779), games played (1,030), shots (3,021) and single-season points (96). Is there anything that Josi can't do? For him, the last box left to fill may be the hardest.
Despite being a top defender in the NHL for nearly a decade, Josi has yet to win a Stanley Cup. Countless years of commitment to the Predators organization has held him back from winning. He came close in 2017, but it wasn't enough, as the team around him struggled to keep up with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
If there is one player on the Predators that deserves to win the cup the most, it is Josi. At 36 years old, he doesn't have a lot of time to do so, and with the current direction of the team, it is highly unlikely that he'll ever do it wearing the mustard yellow. For many, seeing Nashville's captain lift the trophy will fulfill the wildest of dreams. Unfortunately, those dreams have little to no chance of becoming true, but that doesn't mean he won't be able to win it in general.
Last month, Predators beat reporter Alex Daugherty proposed the idea of trading away Josi, and it received split opinions by fans on X, but there may come a time when it becomes a reasonable transaction for President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland.
It may be time to reward Josi with more than just glimpses of the playoffs
Trading Josi to a cup-competing team makes the most sense if he were to get dealt. Not only will he'll have the chance to lift the cup, but the Predators could get a serious haul for the former Norris Trophy winner. Personally, I am split when it comes to putting Josi on the trade block. On one hand I understand the reward that could come from a trade, but it also feels wrong to trade away one on the players that has built this franchise from the ground up.
The only way I'd be fine with trading Josi is if he was sent to an extremely competitive team, such as the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche or the Carolina Hurricanes. I would prefer to see him traded outside of the Central Division and potentially even the Western Conference just so I don't have to watch him play against Nashville as frequently.
As Daugherty said in his story, there are no active rumors for Josi, or anyone on the Predators blueline for that matter. A trade at this given moment is very unlikely, especially since he carries a a full no-movement clause. Josi's contract is set to expire in the summer of 2028, so if that dictates when he may decide to hang up the skates, it may be in MacFarland's interest to give him the best shot at accomplishing what every NHL player strives to do, which is being a Stanley Cup champion.
Josi is far past his prime, but that doesn't mean teams wouldn't want him if both him and the Predators opted to part ways. Salary retention will need to happen, which won't be much of an issue for Nashville considering how far along his contract is.
Predators fans may not love the idea of trading Josi, but if it means Josi has a better shot at carving his name into the cup, and the chance to acquire top-tier assets, it is certainly a decision worth considering.
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