Predators Keep Core, Make Small Trades

NHL stories making news on March 14th.

The Nashville Predators made some moves at the trade deadline, but surprised fans by

not selling off their core.

They dealt depth forward, Michael McCarran to the Minnesota Wild for a second-round pick,

Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights for another.

Second-rounder, middle-six-winger Michael Buntsing to the Dallas Stars for a 2026 third-round

pick and prospect Nick Blankenberg to the Colorado Avalanche for a fifth-round pick.

Meanwhile, General Manager Barry Trots is stepping down at the end of the season with

no clear successor in place yet.

That uncertainty likely made the team hold back from bigger deals, leaving assets for

the next regime instead of fire-selling everything now.

Players like Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamcoes told the organization they want to stay put

and push for the playoffs.

With 67 points, the Predators sit just two points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the

last wildcard spot in a wide-open western conference.

No trade clause is complicated things, too.

Stamcoes has a full no-movement clause and limited his options to three teams, while

Jonathan Marchesaw's 15-team no-trade list and slower.

Production hurt his value.

The team also passed on trading bottom-six center Eric Halla, who could have fetched

a solid return as a pending free agent with strong two-way play.

It's a bold gamble keeping the court intact through O'Reilly's contract until 2027

and beyond for the others.

Nashville fans are holding their breath to see if this group can make a late run.

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