The Nashville Predators missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row this season but the players aren’t expecting wholesale changes.
In November, the Predators were among the worst teams in the NHL but scraped back into the postseason race and missed the playoffs by just four points.
The late surge came as Nashville was a seller at the trade deadline, moving out forwards Michael Bunting, Cole Smith and Michael McCarron and defenceman Nick Blankenburg.
Despite knowing that the Predators will have a new general manager heading into the 2026-27 season after Barry Trotz announced in February his plans to retire, forward Steven Stamkos said he doesn’t anticipate a rebuild in the cards.
“We had some meetings today, and I think the message was, the expectation is still to be a competitive team and to push for the playoffs,” Stamkos said on Monday. “So, I don’t anticipate any huge changes. We’ve kind of talked about, is there going to be a rebuild? And I think that’s probably safe to say not going to be the case.
“I think we all want to be part of the solution… So, there’s going to be some changes, for sure, but I think the overall message that was portrayed to us today was, ‘Let’s have a great summer and let’s get off to a really good start next year and push for the playoffs, because that’s what every team’s goal is every year.’”
Trotz also said Monday that expects his successor to largely stay the course with a focus on returning to he playoffs “as soon as we can.”
#Preds GM Barry Trotz says he expects many of the players on the Nashville roster to return and "the goal is to get back in the playoffs as soon as we can."
— Brooks Bratten (@brooksbratten) April 20, 2026
In recent years, the Predators have been a busy team in the off-season.
Last summer, the Predators added forward Erik Haula and defenceman Nic Hague via trade and inked defenceman Nick Perbix to a two-year deal in free agency. At the draft, they had three first-round picks, headlined by centre Brady Martin at No. 5.
In 2024, Nashville opened the wallet in free agency, adding Stamkos, forward Jonathan Marchessault and defenceman Brady Skjei on long-term deals. The year prior, they bought out Matt Duchene and inked Ryan O’Reilly to a four-year deal.
This season, the Predators have just two players who are unrestricted free agents in forwards Haula and Tyson Jost while defenceman Justin Barron is their lone RFA.
O’Reilly believes the team is on its way to being a contender.
“We’re not too far away,” O’Reilly said. “Looking at the core and the veteran guys, I think a lot of us still have a few good years left in us. If we can add maybe a piece or two, that we’d be close and be right there with any other team.
“So, I’m optimistic that we can be a contender. It’ll be interesting to see over summer how it goes, but there’s so many good people in here, so many good players that I’m confident that we can make something happen.”
