The Nashville Predators have no urgency to sell anymore since they are in a playoff spot and look great. This doesn't mean that a trade or two won't still happen, whether they surprise and make a big splash, forcing them to move a roster player back, or just make some more minor moves. Either way, there are some Predators that we should keep our eyes on in the final couple of days before the trade deadline hits.
Tyson Barrie
Tyson Barrie was the NHL player the Edmonton Oilers had to move back when acquiring Mattias Ekholm from the Predators last season. While this has worked out great for the Oilers, Barrie hasn't found his place in Nashville and has struggled. The hope is that the team can still move him for something in return.
Barrie has been a healthy scratch a good number of games this season and hasn't been the offensive force he has proven to be in the past. If anyone needs a change in scenery, it's him. If he's not traded, Barrie will just end up hitting free agency, so it makes more sense to get what asset the team can in return ahead of the deadline.
Yakov Trenin
While it is not so easy to say that the Predators are going to trade Yakov Trenin, it is definitely more likely now that Tommy Novak is signed. At a certain point, the team has to decide who they are going to keep and leave a little bit of room for the strong prospects that should arguably already be playing in the NHL. Trenin is a UFA at the end of the season and his future is uncertain in Nashville.
A couple of things that Trenin is great for is depth scoring and physical play. But, when Trenin is relied on to play higher up in the lineup, it means the Predators are in need of better offensive producers. Trenin is currently playing on the second line and has 10 goals in 59 games. This would be good for a bottom-six player, but not where he is playing. Players like Philip Tomasino, Egor Afanasyev, and Juuso Parssinen are all patiently waiting in the AHL for a shot again this season, and that won't come with a full lineup.
Alexandre Carrier
While it doesn't seem like losing a player with value like Alexandre Carrier after the season is something Barry Trotz wants to do, two other reasons for all of the trade speculation that is still going on is the weak market for right-shot defensemen and because "the organization likes Spencer Stastney, currently playing in the AHL Milwaukee. They'd like to make room for him in the NHL," per Jeff Marek on Sportsnet.
Carrier is on the third pairing and has offensive pop to go along with solid defensive play. His contract is attractive ($2.5 million AAV) for teams looking to reinforce their back-end. So if the Predators are okay with getting their young defenseman in the lineup by trading Carrier and getting something good in return, it sounds like a solid plan.
Trading any or all of these players should benefit the Predators in the long run, though we will have to wait and see how it impacts the rest of the season.
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