The Predators are ready to sell off some veterans. But which ones?

Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

We often talk about the “sexy” pick when it comes to teams making moves in the offseason. We overvalue trades and free agent signings, and we tend to anoint teams before the puck even drops as Stanley Cup favorites and summertime winners.

It was no different in the summer of 2024, as the Nashville Predators were that team who “won” the offseason, landing UFA forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos on five- and four -year deals, respectively, along with inking defenseman Brady Skjei to a long term contract until 2031. All eyes were on the Predators to take a major step this season. Oh, and they also extended goaltender Juuse Saros until 2033, which resulted in the subsequent trade of 2020 first-round pick Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks.

Despite offseason expectations, things have not gone as planned for general manager Barry Trotz and the Predators. Sitting third from the bottom of the Western conference with 35 points, the season has effectively been lost for the Predators. Internally, it sounds like they have officially waved the white flag.

Speaking with those close to the situation over the last couple of days, it doesn’t sound like the Predators will be making a last ditch effort to salvage the 2024-25 campaign with a big swing via trade. In fact, I’ve heard that the team will look to unload some players, with the part of the thought process being to get an injection of some internal youth into the lineup.

In terms of players who could be on the move, I don’t think we’ll hear major names like forward Filip Forsberg, captain Roman Josi or Saros. All three are franchise cornerstones and were extended with the thought process of being long term fixtures on the club. While I haven’t heard this definitively, I don’t imagine any of Marchessault, Skjei or Stamkos will be on the move, if for no reason other than their major contracts.

By the sounds of it, players on expiring contracts or those with one year left beyond this season seem to be the ones that will be in play for the Predators.

Up front, the three names that jump out to me are Mark Jankowski, Michael McCarron and Colton Sissons. All three players currently make up the Predators’ fourth line.

Jankowski, 30, has been with the Predators since the 2022-23 season. Able to play both wing and center, Jankowski he prove to be a versatile forward for a playoff-bound team and provides size at 6’4″. His offense is limited, mind you, as he has registered three goals and five assists through 35 games this season. He is signed until 2026 at an AAV of $800,000.

McCarron, 29, has been a part of the Predators organization since 2020 after being a first-round selection of the Montreal Canadiens in 2013. After spending time between the NHL and AHL in his first several seasons with the Predators, McCarron finally locked in an NHL job last season under head coach Andrew Brunette. He has mostly found his niche playing down the middle and is a hulking 6’6″. Like Jankowski, McCarron’s offense is limited, having only registered two goals and three assists through 35 games this season. He is signed until 2026, like Jankowski, with an AAV of $900,000.

Sissons, 31, has been a Nashville mainstay since being drafted in 2012. Operating much like a Swiss Army knife for the Predators upon his arrival, Sissons has been able to bounce up and down the lineup for much of his time with the team. With an AAV of $2.86 million and another year beyond this left on his deal, Sissons could be a bargain for two playoff runs for a team looking for a versatile middle/bottom-six forward. Sissons’ offense has dipped this season, as he is on pace for just 18 points after back to back 30-plus-point campaigns.

Regarding teams who could be in the market for any of these players, I wonder about the New Jersey Devils. I haven’t heard them tied to these players, specifically, but I have been told over the past month that they are in the market for bottom-six help that could provide some grit. Sissons and McCarron, particularly, stick out to me as players that could fit what the Devils are looking for.

In terms of pending UFA forwards, you have to wonder about Gustav Nyquist.

Nyquist, 35, is in his second season with the Predators. After recording 75 points last season in explosive fashion upon arriving in Nashville, Nyquist is poised for a major drop off, on pace for just 36 points. Despite the offensive dip, I do think teams looking for secondary scoring ahead of a playoff run will come calling on Nyquist given his past offensive pedigree. On an expiring contract with an AAV of $3.185 million, Nyquist comes at a digestible number – especially if the Predators are open to retaining. For reference, the Predators only have one retention spot left this season, so Trotz will have to be strategic on how he operates in that fashion.

On the back end, there is no player more intriguing than veteran blueliner Luke Schenn.

Signing a three-year contract with the Predators in 2023, Schenn has become a common name around the trade deadline for teams looking to bolster their defensive depth ahead of a playoff run. Winning back to back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, Schenn is a winner and a, warrior and that pedigree has followed him the last number of years. He was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs – the team who drafted him 17 years ago – in 2023 and helped contribute to the club’s first playoff series win since 2004. Though more of a third-pairing guy on a Cup caliber team, Schenn’s physicality, right handedness and winning history is something teams are always looking for ahead of a postseason run. He has a year beyond this season remaining on his contract at an AAV of $2.75 million.

In terms of interested teams, the Edmonton Oilers pop out as a potential fit. I have not heard them tied to Schenn in any way or another, but given the everlasting hole on the right side of the second pair, Schenn does seem like an ideal fit. Yes, Schenn is more of a third pairing guy for a team with cup aspirations, but the pickings could be slim for Oilers GM Stan Bowman in terms of right shot options to shore up his top four on the back end.

The conversations on specific players may be a little premature, but it does sound like the Predators are gearing up to unload some bodies with the hope of getting some youth into the lineup. The plan was to get a taste of their internal youth a year from now; unfortunately, a dreadful season may have sped up said plan by a year. Things may have not gone as planned this season in Nashville, but with the plan always being to get a look at the youth in the next coming seasons, management is in a position to get a jump on it and move out some veteran bodies.

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The Predators are ready to sell off some veterans. But which ones?

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