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With the NHL trade deadline less than a week away, rumors continue to fly about the hockey universe. Today, another piece of information became public knowledge: the Nashville Predators had decided to sit winger Gustav Nyquist to protect his health. Whispers of a trade have grown louder, and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed the decision made by GM Barry Trotz and the Predators' brain trust on X, formerly Twitter.
“Hearing Gustav Nyquist will not play this afternoon for Nashville on Long Island,” posted Friedman on the social media platform. “Health protection for trade.”
It is certainly a smart move for the Predators, as a number of teams are interested in Nyquist's services. As the deadline looms ever closer, so does the postseason. All of the contenders will certainly be looking to upgrade certain spots, and Nyquist has shown many times in the past his ability to score goals and create chances. Would a trade to another team in the playoff hunt, like the Minnesota Wild for instance, help spur Nyquist back towards his performance in the recent past? That is certainly something all interested parties undoubtedly want to find out. As long as the price is right, that is.
Predators, Nyquist likely to part ways soon
Despite this past off season's spending flurry, the Preds aren't where they want to be this season. That much is very apparent, as the team is now actively looking to cut payroll. Nyquist is one of the easiest ways to do that, especially since he has quite a few interested parties. At the moment though, it looks as if the Wild are the team to beat for the veteran's services according to the Athletic.
“Struggling to score or kill a penalty, the Wild are trying to tap into an old well by reacquiring Gustav Nyquist from the Nashville Predators, multiple sources tell The Athletic,” posted team reporters Michael Russo and Joe Smith on Saturday. “To protect the health of the pending free agent, the Predators will scratch Nyquist, 35, Saturday when they play the New York Islanders.”
If this is true, then it appears as if Nyquist could be on his way out of Nashville as soon as today. He signed with the team this past July in free agency, a part of a large free agency haul that also included stars Steven Stamkos and Ryan O'Reilly. The new players, combined with players such as starting goalie Juuse Saros, were supposed to get the Predators back to the postseason. After a rough start to the season, maybe tearing it back down is the right move for Trotz and his team of executives.
