With about six weeks remaining before the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline, the Predators will need to decide if they are sellers – again – or buyers with an eye toward a playoff run.
The Predators were active at last season’s deadline, predominantly taking on the role of sellers, shipping forward Tanner Jeannot, defenseman Mattias Ekholm, center Mikael Granlund and winger Nino Niederreiter. Ekholm was the longest-tenured of the Predators who were jettisoned, and the return the Predators received for the Swedish veteran was just as handsome as the beard that adorns Ekholm’s face.
During David Poile’s tenure as Predators general manager, he wasn’t shy about pulling the trigger on trades well in advance of the deadline. Back in 2012, Poile landed Mike Fisher in a deal with Ottawa almost a month before the deadline.
On the flip side, waiting also has paid dividends for Nashville, as the team’s best deadline acquisition was Filip Forsberg from Washington in a last-minute trade that wasn’t verified by the league and announced until after the deadline had passed.
New general manager Barry Trotz was an active participant in all last year’s moves as he was waiting to ascend to the throne as team’s new GM. He might be looking to make his mark in the first trade deadline of his own.
With the Predators in the conversation for a playoff spot this season, some tough decisions will have to be made pre-deadline about the direction of the franchise. It might be in the franchise’s best interest to be sellers once again, since the likelihood of them lasting very long is not good.
The Predators have famously been victims of their own success, doing well enough to not be involved with the draft lottery and missing out on almost surefire blue chip players.
Even after all the moves last season, and combined with all the injuries they experienced, the organization’s younger players played well enough to keep them in the fight for a playoff position until the season’s final weekend. Another middle-of-the-pack finish in the standings would land the Predators a related middle of the pack draft position, though.
Unlike most teams, the Predators have salary cap room, one of the most desirable positions to be in if they want to be active trade participants. Other teams might be willing to deal a combination of draft picks and/or prospects to Nashville if the Predators would take on an undesirable contract in exchange.
Teams with little salary cap room are usually forced to wait until the deadline to make trades, as the longer they wait, the lower the amount of a player’s salary that remains to be paid.
The NHL’s salary cap is $83.5 million this season and is projected to rise to $87.7 million next season.
The Predators could also become involved in multiteam trades, with combinations of players and picks moving between two or more teams. These deals are more complex, so starting these conversations early can increase the likelihood that they are able to be completed.
Trotz was in Sweden for the World Junior Championships in late December through early January. Most of the players who played in that tournament have already been drafted, but Trotz and his scouts seeing those players compete against other elite-level competition gave them a further look at players they may desire to bring into the organization.
The Predators have retained salary on two trades made in the last year, Ekholm’s as well as the offseason deal with the Colorado Avalanche for center Ryan Johansen. The NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement limits teams to three retained salary contracts, meaning the Predators can only do one more such deal this season. Johansen has one more year left on his contract and Ekholm two.
Nashville has two buyouts on the books that are included on their salary cap. Both centers Kyle Turris and Matt Duchene’s buyouts will be paid for the next four and five seasons, respectively. But with the cap increasing and the Predators not near the cap ceiling, these contracts shouldn’t have any impact on the deals made this season.
The Predators will almost assuredly move defenseman Tyson Barrie, an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, at some point. Earlier this season, it became public that Barrie was unhappy with his usage and he was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions. He recently returned to the lineup after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury.
Having Barrie’s dissatisfaction made public did not do any favors for the Predators finding a landing spot for him and getting a good haul in return. Other teams may try to lowball Trotz with their offers since the demand for his services likely won’t be high.
Goaltender Juuse Saros was a player that several teams inquired about last season. Teams in need of goaltending help may kick the tires again this season, but Saros’ up and down numbers this season may cool that interest.