The NHL trade deadline is now just over 24 hours away. Teams interested in buys for a playoff push are making calls, hoping to find their missing piece from a team selling. One of those selling teams is the Nashville Predators, who have already completed trades.
The next player who could be leaving Nashville might be Steven Stamkos, according to hockey insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
“On the Steven Stamkos front, my understanding is there's 3-4 teams in the East that have reached out to Nashville over the last few days. I don't think there's a firm trade offer on the table yet, but teams inquiring to be sure,” LeBrun posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The Predators have already traded away Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild, Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights, and Nick Blankenburg to the Colorado Avalanche.
Meanwhile, Stamkos is in the second year of a four-year deal he signed with the Nashville Predators ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Canadian forward was the first overall selection of the 2008 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He broke into the NHL in 2008-09, racking up 46 points. The next season, he bumped that total up to 95, while finding the back of the net 51 times. Overall, he would lead the NHL in goals twice and win two Stanley Cups with the Lightning.
While he was still scoring 80 points per season at the end of his time with the Lightning, a contract extension was not agreed upon, and Stamkos went to the Predators. In his first season in Nashville, the forward managed just 53 points. That was the lowest total he has had, while playing 40 or more games, since his rookie year. This year, he has rebounded, scoring 30 goals and dishing out 17 assists in 61 games.
There could be some complications in moving on from Stamkos. The forward is 36-years old, and still has two more years on his contract. Further, he has an AAV of $8 million on his contract, which will be cost-prohibitive for many teams without the Predators retaining much of his contract. Also, Stamkos has a no-movement clause on his contract, which means he will have to approve any deal that is made.
Stamkos has said he has no plans to waive that clause, although that could change.
For all of the NHL Trade Deadline reporting ahead of the Friday 3 p.m. ET deadline, stick with ClutchPoints as stories break and develop.
