Barry Trotz Comments on Difficult Predators Season: Big Changes on the Horizon
The Nashville Predators have had a horror run this season, but if they can get closer in the Wild Card race, Barry Trotz sees this team as major buyers as they clearly aren't giving up on the 2024/25 season.
Although the Nashville Predators were one of the worst teams in the NHL through the first half of the season, they've turned things around immensely in recent times, now finding themselves just 12 points out of the final Wild Card spot with just under 40 games to play.
This would lead many to believe this isn't a team that's ready to compete for a Stanley Cup Playoffs position this season, but General Manager Barry Trotz has other ideas, as he's outlined a plan that could now see the team be buyers at the trade deadline.
While this could sound like a great response to some Predators plans, this is a team with a very bleak future beyond this current group, and if they went out and spent a few draft picks and then missed the post-season, it would be a terrible mistake from Trotz.
However, the trade deadline is still over six weeks away, and if the team can claw themselves back within 5-7 points of Calgary and Vancouver, a move or two could catapult this team into the post-season in a very winnable Western Conference in 2024/25.
This past summer the Predators went all in with the additions of Stamkos, Marchessault and Skjei, and with long-term deals for all, they now have to back that up, and with all that talent and Juuse Saros in net, if they get in, absolutely anything could happen.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Matthew Tkachuk | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Sidney Crosby | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Hughes | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Luke Hughes | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jesper Bratt | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Quinn Hughes | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Timo Meier | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brett Pesce | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Aleksander Barkov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nathan Bastian | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nils Hoglander | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Erik Karlsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Linus Karlsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marat Khusnutdinov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dawson Mercer | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Thomas Novak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| William Nylander | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 50 | 34 | 11 | 5 | 73 | |
Jets | 52 | 35 | 14 | 3 | 73 | |
Oilers | 50 | 32 | 15 | 3 | 67 | |
Golden Knights | 51 | 31 | 15 | 5 | 67 | |
Hurricanes | 51 | 31 | 16 | 4 | 66 | |
Stars | 50 | 32 | 17 | 1 | 65 | |
Wild | 51 | 30 | 17 | 4 | 64 | |
Devils | 53 | 29 | 18 | 6 | 64 | |
Panthers | 52 | 30 | 19 | 3 | 63 | |
Maple Leafs | 51 | 30 | 19 | 2 | 62 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||