After an offseason spending spree in 2024, expectations were sky-high for the Nashville Predators going into last season. They fell short across the board, were one of the league’s biggest flops, and posted one of the league’s worst records.
The start of the 2025-26 season has not been much better, with the team entering play on Tuesday at 5-6-4.
What makes the Predators a potential panic trade team is that general manager Barry Trotz doesn’t seem to have a clear plan for the direction he wants the team to take, and he’s only continued to prove that over the past year with trades for Michael Bunting and Nicolas Hague.
Trotz has a fantastic resume as a head coach, including a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals and sensational seasons with both the Predators and the New York Islanders. But his brief track record as a GM has left a lot to be desired, leaving the Predators with a bad, aging roster and some questionable contracts.
The panic trade could come from Trotz not seeming all that prepared to look toward the future and instead trying to salvage this season, especially with more than $5 million in salary-cap space at his disposal.
This isn’t a team that is one move away from turning it around at the NHL level, and any move made in an effort to do that will likely end poorly and only put the team in a deeper long-term hole.
Nashville has some draft pick capital and a strong farm system. If it does anything on the trade front, it should continue to add to those areas, not subtract from them to help the current roster.