3 early Predators trade candidates after missing 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

For the second straight season, the Nashville Predators failed to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite amassing a 38-34-10 record. While the Predators briefly flirted with a postseason spot, they couldn’t overcome their slow start.

The Predators posted a 4-6-2 record in October and 4-7-2 in November, putting them at a disadvantage early on. But one of the positives that they’re going to take with them into the offseason is that they managed to rebound and put together a positive record after the fact, putting them within striking distance of the playoffs before ultimately falling short.

According to comments made by alternate captain Filip Forsberg, there is plenty of “youth and excitement” in what they did down the stretch, and they plan on building upon it.

“We showed progress, especially down the stretch – showed that there’s a lot of youth and a lot of excitement in that,” Forsberg said via NHL.com. “We’ve shown that some of us old farts still have some good hockey in us, and obviously not slowing down anytime soon… I think it’s pretty clear that we have something exciting coming, especially down the stretch the last few games, and obviously, we’d love to keep building on that.”

However, the team that finished the season isn’t going to be the same as the team that begins next season for Nashville, and there are more than a few candidates on the current roster that are prime trade candidates for whoever the new Predators GM ultimately turns out to be.

Jonathan Marchessault continues to be included in trade rumors

Marchessault was signed by the Predators in the summer of 2024 after he didn’t receive what he felt was a fair offer from the Vegas Golden Knights, just one year after he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping them to the first and only Stanley Cup in team history.

His first campaign with the Predators was a disaster for the entire club as a whole, as they began the season winless in their first five games. And it wouldn’t be long before Marchessault began finding himself included in trade rumors despite having signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal.

This past season, Marchessault was limited to 62 games, but still had an extremely disappointing output, scoring only 12 goals while adding 19 assists. This comes just two seasons after he tallied 42 goals in what was his final season in Vegas; he netted just 21 goals in his first season with Nashville.

With three years left and a $5.5 million cap hit on his contract remaining, Marchessault nevertheless remains a hotly debated topic in NHL trade circles. While his contract contains a no-trade clause, he could be willing to waive it in order to join a new club, giving him a chance at winning the Stanley Cup one more time and perhaps thriving in a new environment, considering how things have gone so far in Nashville.

In March, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman speculated that the Predators were hard at work trying to move on from Marchessault.

“I do believe there are serious efforts to find Jonathan Marchessault a new home,” Friedman said via Sportsnet.

Will he be on the move this summer again?

2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly could also move

O’Reilly, who signed a four-year, $18 million contract with the Predators in 2023 after a brief stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has been heavily involved in trade rumors down the stretch in each of the last two seasons.

In fact, he even reportedly vetoed a trade last season that would have sent him back to the Maple Leafs, whom he helped win a playoff series with in 2023 for just the second time since 2004.

However, despite his insistence that he’s happy in Nashville, his pending status as an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season and no guarantee that the Predators can get back to the playoffs next spring make him a prime candidate to be moved.

He has one season left with a $4.5 million cap hit left, making him a moderately-priced option for multiple teams looking for valuable center depth along with Stanley Cup-winning experience.

The rumors surrounding Predators’ Steven Stamkos won’t go away

Like Marchessault, Stamkos was signed by the Predators in the summer of 2024 in a move that many believed would put them over the top in the Western Conference.

Despite a below-average scoring output in his first season with the Predators, Stamkos looked more like his old self this season, reaching the 40-goal threshold once again.

He still has two years left on his contract with a considerable $8 million salary cap hit, but the Predators could ultimately choose to try to move that cap hit and recoup multiple younger assets in return.

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