With the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline closing fast, Predators general manager Barry Trotz’s phone will be busy with other teams looking to improve their own teams as they make the charge for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Trotz is in an interesting position in his first season as a GM. The Predators have largely overachieved as compared to what most expected of this club this season.
They are still very much in the running for a playoff berth, although the chances of them lasting long in the postseason are very slim.
Trotz needs to decide quickly who stays and who could be moved if the right offer came along.
In David Poile’s last season as general manager, the Predators were very active at the deadline, moving the likes of Mattias Ekholm, Tanner Jeannot and Nino Niederreiter. Trotz was already on board in the front office and participatory in the decision-making process with all of those trades.
With the team now his, Trotz has his chance to move the team in the direction he envisions.
Market possibilities
The biggest name is undoubtedly goaltender Juuse Saros.
Saros has had an up-and-down season, with more downs than ups and a save percentage hovering around .900. The team has not been great in front of him much of the season, contributing to his subpar numbers.
His name has been rumored as a fit for teams looking for goaltending help, with the Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, and New Jersey Devils chief among them.
Saros has one more season on his contract at $5 million. Players with time remaining on their contracts are attractive to other teams in that they know they have the player locked up for at least one more season, and they know the dollar amount for salary cap planning purposes.
What dollar figure Saros might be looking for in his next contract will aid Trotz in this decision, as well.
Yaroslav Askarov, a first-round pick (11th overall) in 2020, has been playing well in Milwaukee of the American Hockey League and even earned his first NHL victory earlier this season. His development trajectory and when the Predators think he’s ready to ascend to the NHL level full time will factor into Trotz’s decision on Saros.
Trotz has been open in saying he has told Saros that he envisions him being a Predator long term, but he will likely be shipped to a different destination if Trotz gets an offer too good to ignore.
Defensemen could depart
Other players who could draw interest from other teams include defensemen Tyson Barrie and Dante Fabbro. Unfortunately for Trotz, he isn’t dealing from a position of strength with the two defensemen.
Barrie was acquired from Edmonton in the Ekholm deal, but he’s failed to find much success during his time in Nashville. He let it be known earlier in the season that he wasn’t happy with his role on the team.
Barrie also has a significant cap number at $4.5 million and is due to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Most teams do not have a lot of salary cap room, so adding Barrie would be difficult.
Like Barrie, Fabbro has been a frequent healthy scratch this season. At $2.5 million and with inconsistent play, Fabbro will likely not draw a lot of interest from other teams. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. It’s hard to see the Predators presenting Fabbro with a qualifying offer for next season, so he will likely not be back in Nashville in the fall even if he isn’t traded this season.