The Nashville Predators are one of the hottest topics in the NHL, as their league-worst 7-12-4 start to the 2025-26 season has sparked reports about a reported toxic team environment and a potential sell-off of some of their top names.
Now, TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting on an episode of Insider Trading that two specific veterans, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, are being put on the trade market.
“Historically, you get to US Thanksgiving, and that seems to be the mark of where teams know what they have and know what they need,” Dreger said. “Watching the Nashville Predators and Barry Trotz as general manager, take it in the shins game after game. We know that they’re willing to listen on Steven Stamkos or Jonathan Marchessault.
“But despite the fact that those are pedigreed players who have won championships, they’re older players who are not getting any faster, and the market isn’t that deep. I think that the teams who are struggling are open for business in the sense that they’re willing to listen, but they’re not quite ready yet to part with primary assets.”
The Predators inked both Stamkos and Marchessault to big contracts in free agency during the summer of 2024, and they haven’t produced the way Nashville was expecting. Nashville finished 30th in the NHL last year with a 30-44-8 record and seem destined for an even worse finish this year with those big-money deals.
Stamkos, 35, is in the second season of a four-year deal with an $8 million cap hit. The one-time 60-goal scorer has been limited to just five goals and two assists in 23 games this season after recording 53 points (27g, 26a) in 82 games last season.
The 53 points were the fewest Stamkos has totaled in a non-injury-impacted season since he notched 46 points (23g, 23a) as an 18-year-old rookie with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008-09. He is on pace for just 25 points (18g, 7a) this year.
Marchessault, 34, is in the second season of a five-year deal with a $5.5 million cap hit. The all-time leader in scoring for the Vegas Golden Knights has just seven points (4g, 3a) in 20 games this season after recording 56 points (21g, 35a) in 78 games last year.
The Predators have also been awful at five-on-five with Marchessault on the ice, seeing just 48.5 percent of shot attempts, 43 percent of expected goals, 47.5 percent of scoring chances, and 45.5 percent of high-danger chances. They have also been outscored 16-8 during those minutes.
In any move for Stamkos or Marchessault, the Predators will likely be asked to retain a significant amount of their salaries for the remainder of their contracts. According to PuckPedia, Nashville currently has $8.62 million in cap space.
News of Stamkos and Marchessault potentially being on the trade block comes after Jeff Marek recently stated that the Predators are also discussing the future of star winger Filip Forsberg. Additionally, the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday that the team’s apparent asking price for veteran center Ryan O’Reilly is a first-round pick and an “A-level prospect.”
The NHL’s trade deadline this season is not until March 6, 2026.
