The Nashville Predators are rapidly looking set to make major moves ahead of the March 6 trade deadline, especially if their playoff odds take a hit over the coming days. Currently sitting four points out of a Wild Card berth, the Predators are evaluating their long-term roster direction as general manager Barry Trotz prepares to step down at the end of the season.
Among those potential moves might just be an exit for Steven Stamkos, who the Predators are not understood to be desperate to move on, but might still consider offers, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.
While Stamkos is reportedly content in Nashville, he holds a full no-movement clause and has proactively prepared a list of preferred destinations should management opt to sell, keeping in mind his family. That exclusive list features three primary Stanley Cup contenders: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild, with the New Jersey Devils viewed as a peripheral option.
A mid-season blockbuster involving the veteran forward hinges entirely on salary cap mechanics. Stamkos carries an $8 million average annual value (AAV) with two years remaining on the four-year, $32 million pact he signed in July 2024.
The Wild present the most seamless financial fit; they boast an estimated $10.34 million in cap space and have a glaring need for a top-six center after trading Marco Rossi in a package for defenseman Quinn Hughes. Conversely, the Stars and Lightning face severe financial hurdles.
Dallas, which already acquired Mikko Rantanen ahead of the 2025 deadline, sits just $1.4 million below the cap. A potential reunion with Tampa Bay, where Stamkos spent 16 seasons and won back-to-back Stanley Cups, would require the Lightning to clear roughly $5 million in space unless Nashville retains a significant portion of the contract.
On the ice, Stamkos has orchestrated a massive offensive resurgence of late. Following a turbulent 2024-25 introduction to Nashville, where he posted a career-worst minus-36 rating and a 16-year low of 53 points, the forward currently has 27 goals over his last 43 games.
