The Nashville Predators are getting very active as the NHL season heads toward the trade deadline. Tuesday night, the team lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets and traded Michael McCarron and Cole Smith for draft picks. The loss brought them closer towards becoming sellers, while the trades for future assets show where Barry Trotz's head might be as he goes through what will likely be his final deadline. The only question is whether he'll trade Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos.
It'll take Trotz admitting that his decision to sign Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei two offseasons ago was a mistake. The team will aim to get younger over the next 12 months, and moving some of their veteran players will signal a seismic shift for the franchise.
Stamkos has a no-move clause, but O'Reilly doesn't have the same protection. The Predators are being loyal to their veteran center, though, and will bring any trade to him to see how he feels about moving. It seems like O'Reilly will take a bit more persuading to move. Still, Stamkos is willing to waive his clause to join contending teams like the Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, and Tampa Bay Lightning, according to Elliotte Friedman via the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
Predators need to move on from Steven Stamkos, Ryan O'Reilly
The true mark of a good front office leader is to understand when to throw in the towel. Some executives buoy their teams by trying to hang on to contention for too long, and that mistake could cost them for years. You can argue that Trotz is leaving soon and might want to go for one more playoff run before he rides off into the sunset, but that isn't how the franchise's legend operates.
The dream scenario for the Predators would be for Trotz to accrue as many assets as he can and set the next general manager up with the cupboards stocked. It won't be easy for anyone new to throw away everything Trotz has done completely, so it'd be much easier for whoever that individual is if Trotz does the dirty work for him.
Nashville's dream scenario would be to find teams willing to part with big assets to acquire these players who also fit where the players are willing to go. It'd be a shot to the locker room, but in the long run, it's what the team needs.
Does Barry Trotz think the team can contend?
It seems like no one knows what exactly Trotz is thinking going into this trade deadline. The Predators are just four points back of the playoffs, and the general manager could think that a rental or two might be the thing to put Nashville over the top and get them into the postseason.
The Central Division is too much of an uphill battle. Still, they could convince themselves they are better than the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, and the Utah Mammoth, all teams ahead of them in the standings and likely fighting them for the two wild card spots at the end of the season.
The worry for Predators fans has to be that Trotz will show too much hubris and attempt to make the postseason. It's a long shot that they will, and even if they do, the first-place team in the frightening Central Division likely waits for them in the first round. Talk about a nightmare scenario.
