The Nashville Predators won big in NHL Free Agency on Monday. Nashville signed three of the best free agents available this summer — Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. Stamkos, in particular, was a massive deal for the Predators. He joins Nashville after spending parts of 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Contract talks between the Lightning and Stamkos stalled. And after the NHL Draft, Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed the Lightning legend would test NHL Free Agency. Now. “Stammer” will spend the next four years attempting to win a Stanley Cup in Nashville. After officially signing his contract, the 34-year-old explained why he chose Nashville.

“I’ve been on championship-winning teams in the past in Tampa,” Stamkos said, via NHL.com. “You see those teams that have won recently, there’s always a mix of a really good goaltender, an elite defenseman and some elite forwards. Even before today with the signings, Nashville checked those boxes. We’re so excited to be part of this amazing franchise. We saw what happened today with some of the other signings. A great day to be a Nashville Predators fan. Very, very excited to be part of that.”

Steven Stamkos headlines Predators' NHL Free Agency haul

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) skates against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period at Amalie Arena.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Predators went on a tear in the second half of the 2023-24 NHL season. Nashville failed to advance past the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But they put in a quality effort against the Pacific Division champion Vancouver Canucks. With the right moves, Nashville could certainly make noise in 2024-25.

General manager Barry Trotz decided a major influx of talent was needed. He signed Stamkos and Marchessault to vastly improve the team's top-six look. Skjei, meanwhile, could immediately play on the top defensive pairing alongside Roman Josi. Trotz called his flurry of moves “a statement” when speaking to the media on Monday.

“It's huge because it's a statement, I think, for the rest of the League that these players will come to Nashville,” Trotz said, via NHL.com. “These players see what we're doing with our franchise. We have lots to offer, and we're very determined to win. We're committed to that. That's what players want.”

Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault bring Stanley Cup experience to the Predators. Stamkos won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. Meanwhile, Marchessault won the Stanley Cup in 2023 with the Vegas Golden Knights. Additionally, Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

The Predators are hoping to go on a deep playoff run in 2025. They acquired the necessary talent to do so in NHL Free Agency. It'll certainly be interesting to see how Stamkos, Marchessault, and Brady Skjei all fit in with Nashville this upcoming season.