Another decision-making moment is coming up for the Nashville Predators.
Losing four of their last five, most recently in overtime to the Boston Bruins, 3-2, on Tuesday, the Predators are slowly slipping out of the Western Conference Wild Card race.
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With the Olympic break approaching, league play will pause for two weeks, giving general managers time to thoroughly analyze their rosters ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.
Nearly every single Predators player has had a rumor about them getting traded. From Ryan O’Reilly to Nick Blakenburg, there been an argument for why every player should go.
A little over a month from the trade deadline, here is a realistic look at the Predators’ situation and what could happen.
Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators incoming general manager Barry Trotz announces the twenty fourth pick in round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
According to PuckPedia, the Predators have around $27.8 million to spend at the NHL trade deadline, more than enough to make some big moves.
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Six players have no-movement clauses, which means they cannot be traded or sent to the minors unless the Predators have player approval:
Filip Forsberg ($8.85 million AAV), Steven Stamkos ($8 million AAV), Jonathan Marchessault ($5.5 million AAV), Roman Josi ($9.059 AAV), Brady Skjei ($7 million AAV) and Juuse Saros ($7.740 AAV).
Two players are currently being bought out:
Matt Duchene ($6.55 million this year, then $1.55 million AAV from 2026-27 to 2028-29) and Kyle Turris ($2 million AAV until 2027-28).
The Predators have retained salary on two players:
Colton Sissions ($1.428 million for the 2025-26 season) and Mattias Ekholm ($250,000 for the 2025-26 season).
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Other notable details include Erik Haula (six-team no-trade list), Matthew Wood and Fedor Svechkov (both on ELCs and two-way contracts). Tyson Jost, Adam Wilsby and Ozzy Weisblatt are all on two-way contracts.
As for free agents, the following players will be UFA’s after this season: Michael Bunting, Erik Haula, Cole Smith, Michael McCarron, Tyson Jost, Andreas Englund, and Nick Blakenburg.
Fedor Svechkov and Justin Barron will be restricted free agents.
General Manager Barry Trotz had been candid, saying on 102.5 The Game on Tuesday that “everything has to be on the table.”
Nov 26, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) celebrates his goal with center Steven Stamkos (91) during the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
O’Reilly:Â Â 3rd year of a 4-year, $18 million ($4.50 AAV)
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Stamkos: 2nd year of 4-year, $32 million ($8 million AAV) with a No-Trade Clause
One of the biggest trade talks around the league has been about O’Reilly and Stamkos, specifically at the beginning of the year, and it’s now flaring up again.
O’Reilly carried the Predators through the first quarter of the season and has been their most consistent player all year, recording 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in 52 games.
Stamkos had a slow start to the season, sparking up conversation that the future Hall of Famer may want to leave Nashville for a contender in his final few years in the league. Since then, his game has picked up, recording 38 points (25 goals, 13 assists) in 52 games.
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O’Reilly has been asked about a trade before, earlier in the year, and he said he has not been open to those conversations, adding that he “wants to be part of the solution” in Nashville.
Trotz also said the Predators would need to get a high-caliber player in return if they were to trade O’Reilly. Seemingly, Nashville doesn’t want just draft picks for O’Reilly.
As for Stamkos, it’s about whether he wants to go. If he’s set on staying in Nashville, any sort of trade talk is done.
Into the next step of who could be potential suitors to take on an AAV of $8 million or $4.50 million?
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When talking about the most appealing places for O’Reilly or Stamkos to go, it looks like Detroit or San Jose.
The Sharks have a $8.960 million in deadline cap space, ahead of the Wild Card curve Nashville is chasing and at least 3 steps ahead in the rebuild process, with an extremely bright future.
O’Reilly would be a good fit in adding another veteran leader to a beaming, young Sharks team. However, they are currently projected to be about a million above the cap by the end of the season.
The Red Wings have $59.449 million of deadline cap space and are expected to have $13 million by the end of the season. Detroit is battling Tampa Bay for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and is seemingly rounding a corner, ready to be a consistent player contender again.
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Jan 10, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) skates with the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
So what could the Predators get in return if they were to trade, hypothetically, with the Red Wings or Sharks?
Jeff Skinner’s No-Trade Clause expires at the end of January and is currently in a 1-year, $3 million contract.
He has 13 points in 32 games, so he does not have the high impact as O’Reilly, but he is a veteran piece that could fill the role. Skinner also has a eight team no trade list through the end of the season.
Tyler Toffoli would be another option, in the second year of a 4-year, $24 million contract, with 35 points in 51 games, but he has a no-trade clause and seemingly has no interest in leaving San Jose.
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The Sharks could package deal it, but Trotz said that they want a 1-for-1 return if O’Reilly is traded.
On the Detroit side of things, the trade the Predators would likely want is O’Reilly for Lucas Raymond. He’s a young winger with 58 points in 52 games and has no contract protection until the 2028-29 season, which comes as a 10-team no-trade list.
He has a much pricier contract than O’Reilly’s, at 8 years and $64.6 million, with an $8.08 annual hit. Nashville would truly need to bundle to get this done, and it’d be a hard sell to Detroit.
It’s unlikely to happen, but these are the kinds of trades Nashville wants for shipping O’Reilly, and likely more if Stamkos leaves.
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The Edmonton Oilers are another team that’s been rumored to land O’Reilly. They have only $425,000 in deadline space, but as we know, teams aren’t afraid to go over that cap.
This isn’t as appealing to Nashville as the Oilers have seven forwards tied down by no-movement clauses.
The only trade that would be likely for what the Predators want for O’Reilly is if they package him in order to land Evan Bouchard, who has 56 points in 54 games as a defenseman.
That’d also be a massive cap hit at a 4-year, $42 million contract with a $10.5 million annual hit.
This trade situation may seem a bit “out there,” but the Predators are asking a lot for O’Reilly. If he’s gone, they don’t want a production fall off or having to wait to draft a player of his potential caliber.
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Dec 15, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer (30) defends the net against Nashville Predators left wing Michael Bunting (58) and left wing Erik Haula (56) during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Michael Bunting, F: Final year of 3-year, $13.5 million deal with $4.5 million AAV
Erik Haula, C: Final year of 3-year, $9.45 million deal with $3.15 million AAV, 6 team no-trade list
Nick Blakenburg, D: Final year of  a 2-year of $1.55 million deal with $775,000 AAV
Michael McCarron, C: Final year of 2-year, $1.8 million deal with $900,000 AAV
Cole Smith, F: Final year of 2 year, $2 million contract with a $1 million AAV
Nick Perbix, D: First year of  2-year, $5.5 million contract with $2.75 million AAV
The Predators have a handful of guys who are playing well, nearing the end of their contracts, and don’t cost a ton that they can use in the market.
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The biggest being Michael Bunting, who has had a massive uptick in production this season, recording 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 52 games. He has been a significant boost in Nashville’s bottom six and could slide into the same role on any team.
Erik Haula, who had a slow start to the year, is another bottom-six player who could give any team some good depth. He has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 52 games, nine of which have come on the power play.
Haula’s veteran presence and Olympic experience are huge assets for any team’s bottom six and would be a massive addition to a second power-play unit. His only limitation is a six-team no-trade list.
Blakenburg has proven to be a valuable asset on the Predators’ second and third pairings this season, tallying 21 points in 42 games. Standing at just 5-foot-9-inches, Blakenburg has proven to be a critical depth piece.
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Then there’s guys the Predators likely want to offload. Michael McCarron and Cole Smith have played a specific role on the fourth line, but haven’t added much depth to the lineup.
McCarron has nine points in 51 games and 67 penalty minutes and Smith has eight points in 33 games and 25 penalty minutes. While their role as aggressors is important, Nashville needs scoring depth.
Nick Perbix is another player who has been underperforming and could be on the move. He has eight points in 49 games and a plus/minus of -12. His contract is a little big, but he could find another team.
The Predators are likely not looking to trade too many picks, but this is what they have in stock.
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2026: 1st, 2nd (x2), 3rd, 4th (x2), 5th (x3), 6th, 7th.
2027: 1st, 2nd, 3rd (x4), 4th (x2), 5th, 6th, 7th.
2028: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th.
2029:Â 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th.
2030:Â 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th.
As for who the Predators can bring in or what they’ll bring in, it’ll likely be a supplimental bottom six player and a few draft picks.
Nashville has needed support down the middle and needs more depth on the blue line. Getting guys who can log solid minutes and create plays will help the Predators make the jump into the playoffs.
Going the other way, bringing in a bunch of draft picks could help Nashville strike big with their 2026 and 2027 classes. Nashville already has 11 picks in this year’s and next year’s draft classes. The talent pool could easily be much deeper.