It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. The Stanley Cup Final is set, but we’re focusing on the other 30 teams that aren’t playing. We saw a number of teams have disappointing campaigns and that means general managers will have to sort things out. The NHL Draft and the start of free agency on July 1 is coming quickly. This means teams can hit the reset button and start anew.
One club that fell well short of expectations was the Nashville Predators. This edition of NHL rumours deals with one forward that could be moved in the off-season.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Nashville Predators Forward Could be Trade Target
Rumour: Chris Johnston of The Athletic took a look at possible trade targets in the coming off-season. Nashville right winger Jonathan Marchessault is ninth on the list of players/picks that could be moved.
Analysis: The Predators had lofty goals heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Predators General Manager Barry Trotz made some big splashes in free agency with some massive signings. Trotz signed Steven Stamkos, Brady Skjei and Marchessault in the off-season to hopefully build off Nashville’s 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoff appearance.
However, the Predators were doomed after a terrible start. The team scuffled along and were eliminated from contention early. Trotz now has to figure out what to do this off-season, but it won’t be easy.
There is a temptation to see if last year was a blip. However, there’s also a massive pull to try and dump salary and do some kind of a retooling. Players like Stamkos and Marchessault are Stanley Cup champions. However, both players are in their 30s and carry decent-sized salary cap hits.
What It Means
Johnston said that the Predators are likely to make another roster reshuffling. Marchessault did total 21 goals and 56 points, but those numbers are down from his usually high standards. He was coming off a career-high 42-goal season with the Vegas Golden Knights, but saw his goalscoring production get cut in half.
Despite this, the 34-year-old could still be useful to a contending team should Trotz decide to move on from Marchessault. The 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has loads of post-season experience. This could make him helpful for a team with designs on a deep Stanley Cup Playoff run. The Cap-Rouge, Quebec native is a veteran of 102 career playoff games. That kind of experience is hard to come by.
Marchessault does hold an average cap hit of $5.5 million until the end of the 2028-29 season. However, that number could become easier to swallow as salary-cap hit could become a lot easier to swallow as the contract ages.
One concern about Marchessault is the length of that deal. However, it seems that he still has plenty to give. He may get a chance to settle into a middle-six role if he does get dealt to a contending club. The veteran has performed well under pressure in the past, but he may get some more favourable matchups if he’s on a different team.
There are a lot of questions the Predators will have to answer. However, finding a path forward Marchessault will be an important part of the future.
Main photo by: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
The post NHL Rumours: Nashville Predators Forward Possible Trade Bait appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.