Well, it seems to be official… the Nashville Predators are NHL deadline sellers and the first team everyone is looking at among organizations that will dump assets in the next couple of a weeks. In a season where being a seller could look much different than in has in past seasons, who will be available and who won’t be?
Related: Insider Hints Predators Mattias Ekholm Getting Trade Interest
The Predators discussed what to do with their tradeable pieces this season and seemingly deemed their 2020-21 campaign and disaster. Internal discussions are that everyone — with the exception of three players — will be available.
During Saturday’s Headlines segment, Elliotte Friedman said, “Word is, there may be only three untouchables” and noted that only Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Pekka Rinne are on the Predators list that the organization won’t trade.
The NHL insider believes the team is willing to listen to offers on all other players, including winger Filip Forsberg and defenseman Dante Fabbro, which he thought was surprising.
Which Names Should We Watch For?
Just because all these players are potentially available doesn’t mean most of them will get traded. In fact, it’s more likely a good number of the players stay put.
This isn’t just because of the fact trades are tougher to do this season, but because contracts for players like Matt Duchene were going to be tricky to move anyways. Rinne’s not being available might be a combination of his age, his contract status and his salary cap.
That said, there are a handful of players worth watching. Pendhing UFAs like Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula and Brad Richardson are the names we’ll hear about most often. Beyond that, players with deals that expire at the end of next season could be attractive. Those include Mattias Ekholm, Calle Jarnkrok and Nick Cousins.
Next: Oilers Update: Koekkoek Injury, Bear Trade Talk, McDavid Highlights
