The Nashville Predators had one of the busiest offseasons this past summer. General Manager Barry Trotz spent some big dollars to bring in the likes of free-agent forwards Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and free-agent defenseman Brady Skjei. Unfortunately, the additions haven’t turned into results as the Predators are off to a very slow start, and Trotz isn’t happy with what he’s seeing from his hockey club.
Nashville has registered a 4-8-1 record through their first 13 contests, sitting dead last in the Central Division. Trotz recently let his frustration boil over publicly, as he was a guest on a local Nashville radio station 102.5 The Game and made some interesting comments about his willingness to blowup his roster.
“I’m trying to do some things right now,” Trotz explained. “We will be limited a little because of some of the contracts we do have. If we don’t get it going, then I’m going to start our rebuild plan a little bit.”
GM Barry Trotz on the Preds rough start and if he’s ready to change course. Via @JaredStillman
“I’m trying to do some things right now… we will be limited a little because of contracts… if we don’t get it going, then I’m going to start our rebuild plan.” pic.twitter.com/ZkpGmbLufA
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) November 5, 2024
“We brought in the veteran players this year to be a threat…and then in the next coming years our young guys and take an even bigger and bigger role…If there’s a position where we fall out and it’s not happening, or doesn’t come together…we’re going to shake it up.”
If the Predators are going to ‘shake it up’, Maple Leafs’ GM Brad Treliving will likely be calling to find out the asking price on a few different players. That’s what Treliving does, he’s known to be involved in most trade talks throughout the league and if Trotz is open to sharing his intentions publicly, there’s likely plenty of trade chatter happening behind the scenes.
Predators have a few depth forwards to consider for Maple Leafs
Predators’ center Colton Sissons jumps off the page as a potential trade candidate for Treliving and the Maple Leafs. He’s a right-handed shot, who has some versatility to play down the middle of the ice or on the wing, and he plays an in-your-face style of game, which head coach Craig Berube craves.
Sissons is a threat in the faceoff circle, winning 57% of his draws so far this season and while he’s struggled offensively with just one goal in 13 games, there’s not much going right for any of the Predators this season. Sissons is coming off a career-best 15 goals and 35 points last year, however it’s worth noting he was playing a ton on Nashville’s power play, which isn’t the case this season, and wouldn’t be the case with the Maple Leafs. Sissons would be brought in to kill penalties, be a checking third-line center who as a right-handed shot, would help balance out the Leafs’ center position.
While Nashville may be struggling to win hockey games, their penalty kill ranks 1st in the NHL and Sissons plays a big part on the PK. He’d give Leafs’ assistant coach Lane Lambert another catalyst for his group and help alleviate some important faceoffs from the likes of Auston Matthews and David Kampf. Sissons would provide the Maple Leafs with a veteran role player, who has 71 games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience under his belt. If Trotz wants to shake things up, moving Sissons, who has been a staple in Nashville for a decade, would certainly get the wheels in motion.
Sissons is owed $2.85 million AAV this season and next, so there’s certainly a level of creativity on the Maple Leafs’ part in order to make this deal financially feasible. Pontus Holmberg, Nick Robertson, Matt Benning and Philippe Myers are all potential trade candidates Treliving could consider moving to Nashville.
Two other Predators depth forwards to keep an eye on include 6-foot-6 center Michael McCarron and 6-foot-3 winger Cole Smith. They’d both would give the Leafs’ bottom six much more size and toughness. Their style of play suits a Berube-run hockey club, as they both love to lean on opponents, forecheck hard, aren’t afraid to drop the gloves and flourish when playing ‘heavy hockey’, Berube’s favorite.
McCarron is signed through next season at $900,000 against the cap, meanwhile Smith is owed $1 million this season and next. Affordable contracts, a style of play which would mesh well on the Leafs’ bottom six, and likely two players who wouldn’t cost a ton to acquire.
The kicker in all of this is the fact Trotz and Berube are very close off the ice. Nashville and Toronto make great trade partners being in separate conferences, and perhaps the two teams can lean on relationships and familiarity to construct a deal.
Keep an eye on these two teams potentially doing some business together down the road, as the Predators could put up a ‘for sale’ sign sooner rather than later. Treliving continues to look for ways to improve the Maple Leafs, and ensure they’re better suited to be a very tough team to play against come playoff time.
While Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, or Roman Josi would all look lovely in blue and white, if a deal materializes between Trotz and Treliving, it’s likely going to include depth pieces instead of star players.
