The Nashville Predators have cut into their deficit in the Western Conference standings, but are still four points out of the final spot. With a veteran core on expensive contracts, there have been a lot of trade rumors surrounding the club. There could be bigger trades coming, but the Predators should move on from Michael Bunting before the Olympic roster freeze on Wednesday.
At the end of January, the New York Islanders made two trades to improve their depth. One was for New Jersey Devils forward Ondrej Palat, but they were considering Bunting. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said that the Islanders “considered” Bunting to improve their forward depth before landing on Palat. So, the Predators are willing to discuss a Bunting trade, and the time to make it is now.
The Predators cannot let themselves get fooled by their recent surge. Four points is still an incredible deficit to make up at this point in the season, and Nashville does not have the offense to make up for it. Despite the name-value of some stars on the team, Barry Trotz has not built a winner in Tennessee. Trading Bunting is the least he should do before the NHL trade deadline.
The Predators should be looking to move on from at least one of Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos. They came to the team together before the 2024-25 season, but have not had the team success they anticipated. Those trades will take Trotz longer to put together, so that won't materialize before Wednesday.
Trading Bunting should be easy, as he is in the final year of his contract and has no trade protection to work around. The report about the Islanders should have teams calling about the winger before the Olympic break. The Predators have trades to make, and this should be their first.
Which teams should trade for Predators' Michael Bunting?
Bunting has bounced around throughout his career, spending time with five different teams. He has been traded in each of the last two seasons, going from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Jake Guentzel trade and then from Pittsburgh to the Predators last year. In 54 games this season, he has 29 points for Nashville.
Many playoff contenders should be asking for Bunting for a mid-round pick. The Predators already have a war chest of draft picks due to other trades, so adding a mid-round pick won't change their fortunes. But if Trotz can flip some of those picks for players or better picks at the draft, it will help the Predators moving forward.
Bunting would be a great fit on the Anaheim Ducks, who are putting together a playoff push with an elite top-end offense. They have plenty of room under the salary cap and have Frank Vatrano on injured reserve. They have plenty of cap space to fit Bunting's full salary, which should keep the cost down. The Ducks have a pick in each of the seven rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft, which makes them a landing spot for plenty of trade talent.
The Minnesota Wild have the room to fit Bunting under the salary cap and should be pushing for a Stanley Cup this year. With Kirill Kaprizov's record extension kicking in next year, finding depth will be hard. So getting Bunting in the building, and maybe convincing him to take a low-cost extension, would be a great get for the Wild. The problem here is that Bill Guerin is a little bit busy as Team USA's GM.
The Predators should be big sellers at the NHL trade deadline and should get it started before the Olympic break by shipping out Michael Bunting.
