After one of the more active Trade Deadline weeks in recent memory for the Predators, the dust settled on Friday afternoon as the 2 p.m. CT mark came and went.
Although there were no deals made from the Nashville front office on deadline day itself, plenty had already been accomplished in the days leading up.
And once things were finalized on Friday afternoon, General Manager Barry Trotz spoke on the trades that were made, the deals that weren’t and what’s ahead for a Predators team that is still very much in postseason contention with 20 games remaining on the calendar.
“You look at it and where we are…you have to decide where we are in the playoffs and the playoff race, I should say, and balancing that out,” Trotz said Friday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena. “I felt that a few games back, that we would move some of those guys… As I’ve said, the plan has always been in pen and the path is in pencil. That was the pencil part right there, where we moved [players]. I thought we were at really good value for the players that we moved.”
Those deals began on Tuesday night when the Preds sent center Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. Later that evening, it was winger Cole Smith who was traded to Vegas in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft and defenseman Christoffer Sedoff.
On Wednesday night, defenseman Nick Blankenburg was traded to Colorado for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Then, prior to Thursday’s game against Boston, the Preds made what turned out to be their final trade of the week as forward Michael Bunting was dealt to Dallas in exchange for a third-round pick in this year’s draft.
Those moves, of course, left some holes in the Nashville roster. As a result, Nashville recalled forwards Fedor Svechkov, Reid Schaefer and Joakim Kemell, plus defenseman Ryan Ufko, throughout the day on Thursday - and all four played against the Bruins that night.
Trotz and the Preds also elected to hold onto other players like center Erik Haula, who the GM said he received offers on, but the club chose to keep the veteran as a help to the group rather than lose another center in the process.
Trotz also said there was interest in players like Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos, but the GM would need a deal that could “knock my socks off.” Those offers never came, and the Preds are certainly happy to keep stars like that on the roster.
Conversations were recently had between Trotz and players like Stamkos, O’Reilly and Captain Roman Josi regarding the direction of the team and the addition of a number of young, up-and-coming players to the roster for the remainder of the season as well - and Trotz says Nashville’s top players are on board with what’s to come with the potential to shape the next generation.
“When I talked to all of them, I said, ‘I've got to make some tough decisions, because we're not there, but I want to give us a little bit of opportunity to see if we can get there,’ And they understood that,” Trotz said. “We talked about, ‘Who was your guy? Who was your guy when you were young? [Stamkos] or [O’Reilly], who was your guy that really helped you along when you're starting?’ And I said, ‘You're now that guy.’
“So we're going to have some young guys. They're going to have a lot of enthusiasm. They're going to watch how you work. They're going to watch how you do things. They're going to want to learn, and they're going to want to try to please you and be a part of it. So, they're all in. They're fantastic pros. You listen to Ryan or Steven or [Josi], I mean, they're honest, great people who are great pros. I want to surround our kids with [players like that].”
Rookies like Schaefer, Kemell, Ufko and Matthew Wood, the latter of whom scored twice against Boston while playing at the center ice position, will get their opportunities down the stretch, and Trotz expects them to not only learn from the veterans, but to take advantage of the chances while doing so.
Friday marked what is likely to be Trotz’s final NHL Trade Deadline as a general manager after previously announcing his plans for retirement with the search for a new GM underway. And while Trotz knows he’s still tasked with taking care of the team in the present, he’s also looking ahead to the future.
The addition of four more draft picks over the past week will help, and while it remains to be seen how things turn out in the years to come, Trotz is doing whatever he can to set the next GM up for success.
“You've got a lot of draft capital, and you’ve got an organization and ownership that will do whatever it takes to build this into a fantastic organization and a winning organization,” Trotz said. “I think I'm doing my part. I'm not done. We’ve still got a couple months before the Draft, so usually it gets quiet from now to the end of the season. As soon as the season ends, there'll be teams looking at free agency. I don't think there's a lot in free agency at this point. I know there isn't.
“So, I think a lot of teams will circle back and we'll look at our team, what we have coming… We’ve got some really good college players that possibly could come out [and turn pro]. We have a couple junior players that may come out as well. We'll just see where we are. But we aren't done, and I'm not done unless I get replaced tomorrow. So, I'm going to continue to work to try to add more things and get us ready for whoever's in my seat and when that time comes.”
