The Nashville Predators have overhauled not only their management staff, but their roster too. Over the last couple of seasons under former GM Barry Trotz, the Predators spent a lot of money on players like Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, and Brady Skjei. However, Nashville did not see any success.
That is why change was necessary. It felt like Trotz’s “Big Three” or “Three Aces in the Hole” had been in the rumour mill ever since they got to Nashville. Not to mention the Predators’ top center, Ryan O’Reilly, seemed to always be mentioned once the trade deadline came around.
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So instead of shipping more younger players out, the Predators got younger and more talented under new GM Chris MacFarland. But even with the work he has already put in this off-season. There is a sense that the Predators are not finished.
Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com and Full Press Hockey joined Nashville Sports Radio, and despite it being quiet on the western front, he was asked whether the Nashville Predators are done making moves.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “Jim, catch us up, man. We all know we talked about this not too long ago with you: the Predators, right now with the new administration, seem to be at their quietest because they’re tight as a drum with Nick Saban advising and consulting. Nothing’s coming out of 501 Broadway. We’re not hearing a single rumor, a single word. But Jim, that tells me that something might be percolating. What’s your feeling? What are your thoughts? What’s your vibe? And what you’ve been picking up out there around the grapevine, around the league, about the Predators?”
Jim Biringer: “Yeah, well, let’s start off. Let’s backtrack a little bit. Last time I was on the show, we talked about how Nashville was going to have an active offseason, and they did. You were bringing Chris MacFarland. He gets a couple of guys he knows in Jack Drury and Ross Colton. And the big storyline here throughout Nashville has to get younger, got to get deeper, especially down the middle. You bring in a couple centers, and then you go get Mavrik Bourque from Dallas and Ilya Lyubushkin.
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Now, word on the street was that that trade was orchestrated because there was a potential offer sheet coming from the Nashville Predators to Mavrik Bourque, so that kind of facilitated that trade. And I still think they’re not done with something. I still think they’re going to reshape their roster a little bit more because they got a little younger, and I know Chris MacFarland talked about not giving out handouts.
He wants the young players to earn a spot, and I think some guys are going to do that. But I still keep my eye on some of those veterans, a guy like Jonathan Marchessault. So I almost wonder if they’re trying to, like, quietly see if they can get out of that deal and try to move some players along, but again, he said the veterans are going to dictate how this team is going to go.
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But I still think if they can facilitate something and move that money, that might be helpful for this team. But again, it’s been quiet around Nashville, and that’s a good thing because the last couple of years, all we heard was just name after name after name coming out. That’s not how you want to do business in the National Hockey League.”
Marchessault has been a name that has been on the block dating back to last season. He is entering year three of a five-year contract at $5.5 million. While he does have a no-movement clause, something feels off, and he has not been able to settle into his new surroundings. With the cap going up, $5.5 million is not bad for a player who consistently put the puck in the net.
It will be interesting to see what MacFarland and the Nashville Predators do with him and others on the roster as the 2026 offseason continues.
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