Predators GM: The Nashville Predators need a major roster shakeup, but don’t expect to see GM Barry Trotz pull the trigger on a head-scratching blockbuster trade that’s going to set his franchise back multiple years.
Trotz knows his team has underperformed this year, but he’s not ready to take a huge chunk out of the core, and ask forward Filip Forsberg to waive his no-movement clause. Forsberg’s name has surprisingly come up a lot recently in trade chatter throughout the media, and hockey insiders, but Trotz won’t be going that route, even with multiple trades expected in the coming weeks.
The Predators have made their way back from Sweden and enter Saturday’s action with a 6-10-4 record, sitting second last in the Western Conference, barely ahead of the Calgary Flames. Forsberg is signed through the 2029-30 season, earning $8.5 million AAV per season. So far through 20 games, he’s scored eight times and has 15 points, leading the Predators.
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported on the trade talks coming out of Nashville and shared the latest from Trotz:
Publicly at least, Trotz is loath to wave the white flag so early, and he’ll need to stickhandle around trade protection and work with his vets if/when it’s time to cut bait. But the Preds face too long a climb in the NHL’s toughest division. There’s only one logical way to go here. “There’s a lot of noise out there, and a lot of it is coming from the media,” Trotz said. “Everything from Andrew Brunette to Filip Forsberg. He’s not going anywhere.”
While Forsberg isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, the same can’t be said about Michael Bunting, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault. All three veteran forwards have been involved in trade conversations of late, and of the three, Bunting, the pending free agent of the group is the most likely to go.
As for Ryan O’Reilly, he’s not going anywhere. While he doesn’t have trade protection in his contract, Trotz is a huge fan and has a ton of respect for the veteran center, and won’t be moving him. Trotz likes what O’Reilly brings to the dressing room, and appreciates his dedication to his craft, and the example he makes on young NHLers.
