Predators GM Silences Trade Rumors Surrounding Star Forward

The Nashville Predators' 2024-25 season was an unmitigated disaster, as after making several major spalshes in free agency, they won just 30 games and finished 28 points outside the playoff picture.

After that disastrous season, forward Jonathan Marchessault - who signed a five-year, $25 million deal with the Predators last offseason - has popped up frequently in trade rumors. However, general manager Barry Trotz was quick to shut down those rumors when asked about them.

“There’s no truth to any of that [trade speculation],” Trotz said at his pre-draft media availability, per the Nashville Post. “If [Marchessault] is going to look for something, he [would be] calling his agent and he [would be] calling me."

“So there’s nothing to that. I was just checking in with [Pat Brisson, Marchessault's agent] because people are going, `What’s happening [with Marchessault]?’ There’s nothing happening. I didn’t know if anything was happening, so I just double checked with him that maybe I missed something. I didn’t miss anything.”

Marchessault, 34, was one of the Predators' big offseason additions last offseason alongside fellow forward Steven Stamkos and defenseman Brady Skjei. The Cap-Rouge, Quebec, native scored 21 goals and 56 points in 79 games this season, though his minus-29 rating was the second worst on the team.

Marchessault has 251 goals and 543 points in 716 NHL games. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 after scoring a league-leading 13 goals and 25 points in 22 games.

Shortly after the season came to an end, Marchessault aired out his criticism of the Predators' offensive system and the season as a whole.

"Clearly it didn't work," Marchessault said at the time. "Obviously there is going to be some adjustments to do. I'm a guy that has a lot of opinions and I don't think I'm going to run them out right now, but there's definitely adjustments."

Despite the failure that was this season, Trotz still has hope for the future with this group.

“I want to see what this group can do,” Trotz said. “I’m hoping [Josi] has a really good bounceback season for us … and [Stamkos] and Marchessault and Skjei, feeling that this is their team now. That part of our team should be much better.”