Nashville Predators Rumors: Team Likely Sellers At Deadline

The Nashville Predators are well within striking distance of a playoff spot seeing as they are five points back with three games in hand of the Calgary Flames who hold the second wildcard spot. The Predators have won more games than they have lost this season, but it has been a regression from where they were last season. Predictably, some of their forwards have regressed in terms of goals and points while the defence appears to be on its way to being broken up.

General manager David Poile said, "I don't think we're a buyer, and if things don't change more favourably, we could be a seller." The team definitely needs to get more scoring injected in their lineup and losing former first round pick Eeli Tolvanen through waiver certainly didn't help considering his production with the Seattle Kraken this season. The Predators have a lot of money tied up in players who underproduce for the value they are being paid.

It will be a battle, but if the Predators can make changes that don't make them worse and help them either free up space to add in the offseason or bring in scoring for more than this season, they need to seriously look into how that can be done. They don't have very many options if they were going to sell anyways, especially not as rentals.

Dante Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier, Tanner Jeannot, and Cody Glass are all restricted free agents at the end of the season, but should mostly be considered part of the future, though one or two could be moved. Kevin Lankinen could get a decent return by the way he's played this season if a team is looking for a backup goalie who's cheap. If the Predators are going to be sellers, they aren't going to go big as they will still try to stay in the playoff race and improve for next season.