The Nashville Predators aren't where they wanted to be in the second year of their all-in strategy. Steven Stamkos' first year in Nashville was a flop, as he, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei signed a couple of big contracts before the 2024-25 season, which ultimately led to them being one of the worst teams in the league. The belief was that those players could get the Predators over the hump, but so far, it has been a disaster.
It now looks like the Predators could be one of the most active teams at this year's trade deadline, and it isn't to help Stamkos and Ryan O'Reilly get closer to a Stanley Cup. The truth is, O'Reilly could be one of the most sought-after targets when contending teams come looking for a rental.
“They're gonna look and be willing to listen to see what contenders come knocking,” David Pagnotta said on the DFO Rundown earlier this week. “There are a lot of contenders that would love to get their hands on this guy [O'Reilly].”
O'Reilly has been off to a decent start this season, but it is still a bit disappointing by his standards. He is currently on pace to record just 52 points in 82 games, which would be one of his lowest point-per-game totals since his first couple of seasons with the Colorado Avalanche in the early 2010s.
O'Reilly had a particularly disheartening comment post-game after the Predators' loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. He acknowledged how poorly he is playing right now and even said that he “had one good year in [his] career.” While that is a bit of a stretch, considering there have been some good years other than 2019 when he led the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup, it's easy to see how the Predators' struggles are taking a toll on those in the organization.
It's a harsh reality for Nashville that the dynasty they set out to build two offseasons ago is about to end before it even began. However, the return they could get in a trade for players like Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos might ease some of the pain.
