It's no surprise that Steven Stamkos wasn't shipped out of Nashville ahead of last Friday's NHL Trade Deadline, especially as the Predators forward made it clear he had no plans to waive his no-movement clause.
But that didn't mean there was any lack of interest in the sniper, as general manager Barry Trotz told reporters after the deadline.
“There were a lot of calls on Stamkos,” Trotz said earlier this week, per Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. “He’s hot, and he’s got to stay hot because we’re in a playoff race.”
Trotz also said he turned down some “really good offers” not only for Stamkos, but two other veteran forwards in Ryan O'Reilly and Erik Haula.
The Preds are indeed in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture. After erasing a 2-0 deficit to beat the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Tuesday night, Nashville is just a single point out of a wildcard berth.
The race is heating up, with the Kraken (67 points), Los Angeles Kings (67 points), Predators (66 points) and San Jose Sharks (66 points) all vying for postseason positioning. The Utah Mammoth currently own the top wildcard berth in the conference with 73 points.
Stamkos, who scored into the empty net on Tuesday, has been a catalyst of the team hanging around this long. He's been one of the league's best goal scorers in 2026 after a slow start, and he's up to a team-high 31 tallies, along with 51 points, in 64 games.
Should Predators GM Barry Trotz have sold more at deadline?
While there's still a chance the Predators are one of the last eight teams standing in the Western Conference come the middle of April, it's going to be difficult to keep pace with so many teams competing.
Trotz probably could have gotten a haul for Stamkos, along with O'Reilly, Haula and Jonathan Marchessault, but instead, chose to hold onto all of the veterans.
He did move out a couple of depth pieces: Michael McCarron was traded to the Minnesota Wild, Nick Blankenburg went to the Colorado Avalanche, Cole Smith was moved to the Vegas Golden Knights, and Michael Bunting became a Dallas Star.
Trotz recouped some important draft capital for the skaters, but the Preds are obviously a worse team without those four players in the fold.
The head-coach-turned-general-manager made headlines earlier this year when he announced that he would be stepping down from the role after the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign.
Should the executive have sold more to put whoever succeeds him in a better position? That's a topic of debate, but if the Predators don't end up making the playoffs, the next general manager will probably wish he had.
Still, that's a discussion for another day, and right now, Nashville continues to fight tooth and nail to bring spring hockey to Bridgestone Arena. The Predators are back in action against the last-place Canucks in Vancouver on Thursday night as the stretch run continues.
