Now What? Inside the Predators’ Trade Deadline Outlook Post-Barry Trotz

Barry Trotz’s tenure as general manager of the Nashville Predators was an abject failure. The Predators played the nostalgic card by bringing back the team’s longtime head coach, but his time there proved that he was much more of a locker room leader than a boardroom savant. It’s no surprise that Trotz stepped down from his post, but the timing of the decision won’t sit well with Predators fans.

The timing helps Nashville find a replacement during the Olympic break, when the roster freeze is in effect. Trotz will stay on as general manager of the Predators until then, but with the moves he made thus far, fans could be hoping that a replacement is in the chair before the trade deadline begins. This isn’t a move to go back to coaching, according to Elliotte Friedman; it is just a retirement from the game.

The lasting memory of Trotz’s tenure will be the disaster of the 2024 offseason. He signed Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei in a move to make the team instant contenders, but they laughibly fell near the bottom of the league. The prize at the end of the disaster was Brady Martin, but Trotz can hardly get the credit for that when his goal with the roster he created was a Stanley Cup.

Will Barry Trotz’s successor be a buyer or a seller?

The Predators aren’t too far out of the Western Conference playoff picture. They sit just four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final wild card spot, and the other teams they are chasing aren’t exactly perennial playoff favorites. The Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Utah Mammoth could all falter down the stretch, given their relatively young teams.

Nashville has plenty of young assets they could use to give Stamkos, Marchessault, and Skjei a chance to pay off what they promised fans in 2024, finally. Ryan O’Reilly would fetch a nice return, but by all accounts, the locker room doesn’t want to see him walk out the door. Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Juuse Saros are also capable of getting hot and leading Nashville to the playoffs.

Trotz’s roster construction was a failure, but the Predators still have some reasons for optimism. Martin, Luke Evangelista, Reid Schaefer, Joakim Kemmell, Cameron Reid, Ryker Lee, and Tanney Molendyk offer a good young nucleus to supplement the aging veterans in the coming years. Nashville can afford to make a run at the playoffs while still looking good for the future.

Fans might prefer to see the new general manager accrue some more assets, but they shouldn’t be too surprised if the team stands relatively pat and builds for the future with the prospects in the system and a solid collection of draft picks over the next two years.

Next: Steven Stamkos’ Resurgence Shuts Down Predators’ Trade Talk