The Nashville Predators are off to a dreadful start to the 2025-26 season, leading to a lot of trade rumors. Ever since signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei before last season, the Predators have been disastrous. Now, teams are calling on Stamkos as his Hall-of-Fame career winds down. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos broke down what a team needs to land Stamkos.
“Stamkos is one of the more likely players to end up in a trade here, but the Predators will have to work with a suitor on retaining money, as the 35-year-old winger has another two years and an $8 million cap hit on his contract,” Kypreos wrote. “After scoring just 27 goals last season, Stamkos has four in 22 games this season — just a 16-goal pace. An acquiring team needs to make sure it has a facilitator who can feed Stamkos’ still-lethal shot. Stamkos also has to buy in, since he has a full no-movement clause, but that’s not likely to be an issue since he’ll want to take another crack at resurrecting his career elsewhere.”
The Predators should be looking to tear it down under general manager Barry Trotz. He thought that the playoff appearance in 2024 was a sign of things to come, but it has proven to be an anomaly. Trading Stamkos admits failure, but the Predators need to do that to keep moving forward.
Both Marchessault and Skjei could be out the door by the beginning of next season, as well. Marchessault is due $5.5 million for three seasons after this one and also has a no-movement clause. Skjei has five years left at $7 million per season with a 15-team no-trade list. Undoing that offseason is the first necessary step to rebuilding this core.
The Predators will be one of the biggest sellers at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. Who should call on Steven Stamkos?
