The Nashville Predators have the potential to be a real trade deadline influencer, depending on how they come out of the gates from the break over the next week.
They still hope to make the playoffs, but as a team already in transition since last year, looking to continue to get younger, they’re ready to make moves if their playoff chances take a hit over the coming days.
Let’s dive in on them first in this edition of Rumblings.
Steven Stamkos has full control over his NHL future, so all roads go through him and his camp ahead of next Friday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
The 36-year-old winger, having a renaissance offensive year, likes Nashville and isn’t necessarily looking to get out of town. But he’s also a savvy veteran who has been around and understands the business. If the Predators start selling parts and approach him with trade scenarios, he’ll be prepared for that conversation.
As far as I understand it, Stamkos would have a very short list of teams he’d accept a trade to. It would have to be a legitimate contender and a good spot for his family.
Three teams that would fit that bill are the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.
The New Jersey Devils are a fourth team in the “maybe” category. They’re not a playoff contender right now, but they have a core that could bounce back next season. And they tried to sign him two years ago when he ended up in Nashville.
A return to Tampa would be an awesome story, but Stamkos’ contract is likely an issue for that unless the Predators are willing to retain. He has two more years left on his deal at an $8 million cap hit. The Lightning offered him less money two years ago, but if they can find space, in the NHL’s new salary landscape, $8 million doesn’t look bad at all for a guy on pace for 40 goals. And man, I would love to see this happen.
The Stars and Wild would probably make more sense, especially Dallas, given the Tyler Seguin injury. The Wild are prioritizing a center, but Stamkos would still give them a top-six offensive boost.
Several other teams have kicked tires with the Predators, according to league sources, probably just wanting to see where they stand.
It is probably more likely that he stays put through the deadline, in which case it’s a situation that might play out in the offseason, especially if the Predators want to continue to get younger under a new general manager. But it’s still worth monitoring over the coming week.
Ryan O’Reilly, meanwhile, is signed to another year at a $4.5 million cap hit and continues to be in high demand. It’s still not clear, though, if he would want to move. League sources Thursday said his priority coming out of the break is helping get the Predators into the playoffs. His family loves it in Nashville. There’s even been talk of a potential extension for him this summer. He is eligible for one on July 1 and is thought of well at the ownership level.
I don’t think we can totally discount a trade, though. You can count the Colorado Avalanche, the Stars and the Wild as teams with interest in the 35-year-old center.
O’Reilly doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but at the time of his signing, there was a verbal understanding with GM Barry Trotz that he would bring any trade scenario to O’Reilly and agent Pat Morris.
Jonathan Marchessault, 35, has a $5.5 million cap hit through 2028-29 and is having a down year. He also has total control with a full no-move clause. Still, teams are checking in with Nashville on him, knowing he might produce more in a better fit, playing with more talented offensive players.
If the Preds fall out of the playoff mix over the coming week, they’ve also got a slew of pending unrestricted free agents who will also draw interest (some already have) in Michael Bunting, Erik Haula, Cole Smith, Michael McCarron and Tyson Jost. But again, how the Preds do coming out of the gates through the weekend will decide a lot.
Panthers and the deadline
The Florida Panthers on Thursday are playing the first of five games in seven days, a wild stretch that will go a long way in deciding their deadline plans.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions haven’t given up hope yet on the postseason, but my sense is they feel they need a strong run over these five games to keep that alive. That means probably going 5-0 or 4-1 in that stretch.
If they go, say, 2-3, I think they might become sellers. Their pending unrestricted free agents include A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek, Luke Kunin, Jeff Petry, Daniil Tarasov and, yes, Sergei Bobrovsky.
Kevin Weekes raised eyebrows this past week when he suggested the possibility of Bobrovsky being on the move if he wasn’t signed to an extension before the trade deadline.
I don’t see an extension coming in the near future. I’m sure it’s something the Panthers will look at after the season, but I’m not sure why it would prudent to do it in-season when Bobrovsky isn’t having a good year. And he’s 37. There’s no rush to get into that conversation.
But imagine if the Panthers decide they’re sellers next week and the two-time Cup champion goalie is suddenly available on Thursday or Friday. His $10 million cap hit wouldn’t be easy to absorb, but I can think of a few teams who might pick up the phone.
Kadri would welcome trade
My TSN colleague Darren Dreger mentioned again on Insider Trading on Tuesday that veteran center Nazem Kadri would absolutely welcome a trade to a contender.
The 35-year-old has three more years on his deal after this season at a $7 million cap hit. That might give some teams some hesitation. Some Cup contenders wish that the contract were at least one year shorter. I know of at least one team that would want the Flames to retain some salary on that deal, which I’m not sure would be a sell in Calgary.
But the dude is a playoff warrior who would upgrade any playoff contender. A reunion in Colorado would make some sense after the Avalanche cleared up cap space this week. As mentioned, though, a reunion with O’Reilly could make sense for the Avs, too. I like Charlie Coyle for Colorado as well, but he may not be available (more on that below).
It probably makes sense for Calgary to see what happens with O’Reilly in Nashville before getting a better sense of the market return for a comparable No. 2 center. O’Reilly’s contract (one more year at $4.5 million) is more appealing, so the domino would make sense with O’Reilly going first to set the price.
A Sherwood flip?
When the San Jose Sharks acquired Kiefer Sherwood on Jan. 19, it was largely assumed a contract extension would get done before too long. Otherwise, why would an on-the-rise bubble team trade for a pending UFA?
Whatever the case, I get the sense that the first contract-extension conversation was a real wires-crossed moment as far as expectations from both sides.
So now the clock is ticking on the Sharks. Can they get him signed before next Friday? Or do they consider flipping him so they don’t lose him for nothing July 1? A league source told me this week that the Sharks are open to the possibility of flipping Sherwood if they can’t get him signed. Given his low cap hit ($1.5 million), there should be a robust market for him as a rental player.
Keep in mind, San Jose gave the Vancouver Canucks two second-round picks for Sherwood on Jan. 19. So I do think an extension and Sherwood staying put in San Jose is the best-case scenario for everyone involved. And I think Sherwood wants to say.
The Sharks are on the periphery of the playoff race but certainly not out of it, which complicates things. But I think it’s more likely than not he’s moved if the Sharks can’t extend him over the next week.
Canadiens’ deadline plans
There’s a world where the Montreal Canadiens do nothing more before the trade deadline. It’s not the most likely scenario, because league sources say they’re scouring the market, doing their due diligence, but it’s a possibility.
The bottom line is that after trading for Zack Bolduc last summer and trading for Philip Danault in December, the Habs don’t feel like they have to force another move if one doesn’t feel right. They’re top-five in goals, are getting healthier up front and, most importantly, don’t view themselves as a Vegas Golden Knights or an Avalanche or a Lightning or a Stars, being one move away from a potential Cup. They’re just opening what they hope is a long-term run at contending.
There’s also the danger of being too aggressive and making a move that takes away from what is organically happening this season with this talented, young, entertaining team. They’re coming together. Maybe they should just let it bake.
Having said that, I know from other league sources that the Habs continue to poke away to see what’s out there. That’s why I think if they see a hockey trade — something that helps now but also past this season — they’d be willing to go down that road.
If they do, involving Patrik Laine as part of that deal would make sense — to give him a fresh start somewhere else. But also to make the salary cap math work in any tangible hockey trade. It’s not a must. Laine’s deal expires after the season, so it’s not a big issue. But if there’s a way to move Laine, the Canadiens will do that. And in fact, Laine’s agent, Andy Scott, has permission to speak directly to teams about it. It sounds as though everyone involved is working in concert on that front.
One team I wonder about as a potential Laine landing spot? The Kings. Yes, they just got Artemi Panarin, but they lost Kevin Fiala for the season.
Penguins and Blue Jackets
Despite the injury to Sidney Crosby, who’s out for a minimum of four weeks, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas doesn’t intend to deviate from his original trade deadline plan, which is that he will continue to pursue ways to improve the Penguins in the short and long run.
No GM has been busier in the past two years, that’s for sure. It’s been an impressive haul of draft picks for the Penguins. But despite the injury to No. 87, there’s no white flag in Pittsburgh. They want to make the playoffs without doing anything that impairs their long-term vision as they continue to transition the roster.
All of which brings us to Columbus. You can’t blame the Blue Jackets if they look at the Crosby injury and wonder why not just stay in the race and go for it. The Jackets were one of the NHL’s top teams over the month ahead of the Olympics break. So as long as they don’t trip over themselves coming out of the break, my understanding is that Jackets GM Don Waddell intends to keep his pending UFAs as own-rentals, including highly sought-after guys like Boone Jenner, Charlie Coyle and Erik Gudbransson.
Waddell had conversations with the agents for his pending UFAs during the break, and things didn’t really get far. Everyone involved agreed to shelve talks until later in the season or after the year.
Giroux could be available
The Ottawa Senators and pending UFA Claude Giroux are another of the many situations around the league that could swing with how things go coming out of the break.
Giroux has a full no-move clause, and Ottawa is his home. But he’s also never won a Cup. My sense is Giroux would rather stay put because he thinks they can still make the playoffs. But if the Sens struggle over the next week and dig a hole, that could make him think about things.
I can think of a number of Cup contenders who would want to get their hands on the 38-year-old if that comes to pass. His $2 million cap hit makes him easily absorbed, although he does have some playoff performance bonuses.
Stars-Seguin update
The Stars were expected to get more clarity on Tyler Seguin in the coming days. Seguin had surgery to repair a torn ACL on Dec. 20, and at the time, the Stars said they would get a clearer picture of his timeline after the Olympics.
GM Jim Nill is expected to chat with the medical team and Seguin soon to figure out how things are looking. Remember that with the new playoff cap and long-term injured reserve rules, if there’s any chance for Seguin to return in the playoffs, the Stars have to keep space under the cap for his $9.85 million cap hit. They can’t access that full cap hit unless he declares himself out for the entire year, playoffs included.
The Stars would rather have a healthy Seguin back than make a trade. He’s an important leader for them. But if he’s not expected back, it obviously opens up cap space and possibilities. The Stars have done their due diligence on both the right-hand shot defenseman market and the forward market, as noted above. Evander Kane is also among the forwards they’ve talked about. So as usual, with the Stars being perennial contenders, they’re in the middle of many conversations.