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The Nashville Predators just couldn’t make up for their early-season slump.
We’re starting to see real separation in the Western Conference standings, and the Nashville Predators are one of the clubs whose playoff aspirations are virtually over.
The Predators have lost five-straight games, and they’re now 16 points out of the final wild-card spot in the West. GM Barry Trotz said in November he’d look at the rebuilding process if his team doesn’t improve, which was meant to be more of a chance to swap out some veterans for younger talent while keeping their core players. They didn’t improve.
With that in mind, here are three Predators players who could be traded by the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline:
1. Ryan O’Reilly, C
This is O’Reilly’s second year in Nashville, and the 33-year-old is having a solid season, with 14 goals and 30 points in 49 games. He’s got a salary cap hit of $4.5 million for this year and the next two seasons.
O’Reilly has no no-trade or no-move protection, so Trotz could send him anywhere. But the organization’s respect for him has made his situation a bit different.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Jan. 11 that O’Reilly is being treated as if he has a no-move clause. By that point, there had been no indication that he was looking to move. A trade would have to make perfect sense for the team and be good enough for O’Reilly to accept.
O’Reilly is the type of veteran, middle-six center many teams want, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, which he played 24 games for in 2022. But even if O’Reilly doesn’t want to return to Toronto, the Colorado Avalanche could be another option.
O’Reilly’s Cup-winning experience and hard-nosed game make him very attractive to teams, so if he does get moved, it will be to a team that’s a playoff lock for the next three seasons.
Related: Buy, Sell Or Stand: What 10 NHL Teams Should Do With Trade Deadline Approaching
2. Gustav Nyquist, LW
The 35-year-old Nyquist is having a poor season, with nine goals and 20 points in 51 games. But last season, he posted 23 goals and 75 points, so there will be teams who believe he can produce more on a better team than the Preds.
Nyquist also has a lot of playoff experience, with 77 post-season games under his belt. He hasn’t always been a huge producer of playoff offense with 30 career points, but he had four points in six games last season and five in six games the season before with the Minnesota Wild.
Nyquist’s cap hit of $3.18 million makes him an affordable acquisition, and he’s also a pure rental, as he’s a UFA this summer. It won’t cost teams a whole lot to land him, but Trotz should be able to get a decent draft pick or prospect to help build the future.
Related: NHL Sour Rankings: Chicago, San Jose And Nashville Hold Top Draft Lottery Odds
3. Colton Sissons, RW
The 31-year-old Sissions’ cap hit is about $2.85 million, and he has another year on his contract, so he’d be more than just a rental. But while he has only five goals and 13 points this season, he had 15 goals and 35 points for the Preds last season. Like O’Reilly, Sissons is a faceoff specialist with a 55.6-percent win rate. Sissons also features on the penalty kill.
Teams looking for help on the fourth line and penalty kill could do a lot worse than Sissons, who has 71 games of playoff experience. A mid-tier draft pick or prospect will likely be the asking price for Sissons, which will expand the number of teams that may be interested in him. A new, fresh start could be a boost for Sissons, as would joining a much better team than Nashville right now.
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