3 Trade Candidates Named if Predators 'Start Rebuild Plan'

Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz raised some eyebrows around the league this week, amidst the team's disappointing start to the season, suggesting that he could start a "rebuild" if the Preds don't turn things around from their 4-8-1 mark.

"If we don’t get it going, then I’m going to start our rebuild plan a little bit," Trotz said on a local Nashville radio show.

Insider Darren Dreger clarified on TSN's Insider Trading on Thursday that what Trotz really meant was "rebuild in terms of 'renovation', not rebuild in the traditional sense of the tear-downs we've become accustomed to in the NHL."

The team spent a lot of money signing a trio of huge free agents this past summer, in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.

But... All of that hasn't stopped analysts around the game from wondering who the Predators could trade if they want to "renovate" their roster.

With that, Shane Seney of The Leafs Nation has suggested 3 players who Trotz could deal this season:

Colton Sissons

The 11-year veteran center has been a nice secondary scorer in the middle-six the past couple of seasons, with 27 goals and 65 points total in those two years. It's been a slow start this campaign, however, with just one point in 13 games, along with a plus/minus of -12. Ideally, he's a 3C for any acquiring team, who can win more than his share of faceoffs.

Michael McCarron

At 6'6", 230 pounds, the 29-year-old can rattle some bodies and keep opponents honest as he's always ready to drop the gloves when needed. But he also made himself felt on the scoresheet for the first time last season, popping 12 goals in 70 games, in 12:46 time on ice per night.

Cole Smith

Another sizeable depth forward, Smith, 6'3", is good for somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 hits per season. He's been a fixture in the bottom-six for Nashville the past couple of years, and, as Seney notes, like McCarron, Smith will "lean on opponents, forecheck hard, (and)... flourish when playing heavy hockey."