July 1, 2024, was a blockbuster day for the Nashville Predators. Huge free agency signings made way for Smashville to become the talk of the town. The momentum continued with smart moves by GM Barry Trotz to form the best team he could this summer. And the fun could continue with the assets Trotz has accumulated.
To recap July 1st, the Preds signed Steven Stamkos, Brady Skjei, Jonathan Marchessault, and Scott Wedgewood with the stockpile of cap space Trotz has been so careful to manage since his arrival. He also re-signed Alexandre Carrier and gave Juuse Saros a massive eight-year extension to keep some of the homegrown talent in Nashville. See full details from July 1st here!
As July continued, young defenseman, Spencer Stastney, went into a successful arbitration, where he signed a two-year, $1.65 million contract; the first year being a two-way contract and the second year being one-way. Stastney has played in 28 games for the Predators, scoring two goals, four assists, and a +14 rating. He has also played in 102 games for the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) where he has 10 goals, 23 assists, and a +28 rating. His progression continues the trend of elite homegrown defensemen in Nashville.
The singing of Stastney put Nashville over the salary cap by just a hair and a trade became imminent. In early August, the Predators announced a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Trotz sent forward Cody Glass, who was a healthy scratch for the majority of the season, playing in 41 games where he accumulated 6 goals, 7 assists, and a -9 rating, as well as a 2025 3rd Round Draft Pick (via Minnesota), and a 2026 6th Round Draft Pick. In exchange, the Penguins sent over young forward Jordan Frasca.
It seemed like it would be a quiet rest of the summer after this move as the team began preparing for the fall, but a bit of drama stirred the pot for Smashville.
It was reported that upcoming star goaltender, Yaroslav Askarov would not report to the Milwaukee Admirals this season. It was a reasonable request from the netminder as Trotz had filled both the backup and starting positions for the near and distant future, leaving no room for growth opportunities in the NHL for Askarov. Trotz did say he had a plan for Askarov and his continued development moving forward, but regardless, he went back to work and found a deal with the highest bidder which ended up becoming the San Jose Sharks. On August 23, Nashville announced they traded Askarov, forward Nolan Burke, and a 2025 3rd Round Draft Pick (via Colorado) to the Sharks. In exchange, San Jose sent forward David Edstrom, goaltender Magnus Chrona, and a 2025 1st Round Draft Pick (via Vegas). While both players have yet to play in the NHL, the real prize was the first-round pick. This gives Nashville nine draft picks in the 2025 Entry Draft, including three first-round picks and two second-round picks. The draft capital gives the team flexibility to continue to grow their already impressive prospect pool for the future or leverage it for trade acquisitions for depth help once the season is underway.
Their current cap space could potentially be expanded as well. With the trades they made, they currently have a projected cap space of $3.1 million. This is a decent margin to help sign current RFAs Juuso Parssinen and Philip Tomasino, but they could also find themselves with another $4 million. In June 2023, the Predators traded Ryan Johansen to the Colorado Avalanche, retaining 50% of his $8 million salary, which expires at the end of the 2024-25 season. The Avalanche then traded Johansen to the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of the trade deadline. The Flyers attempted to send Johansen to the AHL, but because of his injury, they couldn’t place him on waivers to do so. It was then reported in late August that the Flyers placed him on unconditional waivers with the intent of terminating his contract due to a material breach regarding his injury. This could free up that retained salary that is still in Nashville, opening their salary cap wide open. Johansen and his party are expected to file a grievance with the NHLPA, leaving the contract currently in limbo for now.
It was a busy summer for Barry Trotz during his second offseason as a first-time general manager. He navigated these team issues expertly, making the Nashville lineup significantly stronger without wagering away their future. This season and the future are very bright in Nashville.
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