Nashville Predators Offseason Outlook: What’s Next in 2026-27?
Nashville fans are in an odd spot this offseason, after the team defied expectations by actually competing for a playoff spot. Following a disastrous 2024-25 campaign after seemingly making the all-in push in the offseason, the Predators came into the 2025-26 season with expectations around the league that they would be competing for the top pick in the draft. Instead, after a disastrous first two months of the year, Nashville became one of the best teams in the division and were competing for a playoff spot until the very last moment.
Helping them eke out victories, the Predators had a top five penalty kill (81.7%) in the league this season and were tied for top ten in the league with the man advantage as well (21.3%). With special teams playing such an important role the Predators will be looking to improve their five on five play and hope that they can get off to a better start to the season so they don't have to dig themselves out from behind the rest of the division. However, complicating matters, the Predators also had to say goodbye as GM Barry Trotz announced his intent to retire once the team found a suitable replacement.
Nashville Predators 2025-2026 Season at a Glance
- General Manager: N/A (Frmr Barry Trotz)
- Head Coach: Andrew Brunette
Final Standings: 5th in Central Division / 86 points
Post-Season Result: Missed Playoffs
Projected Cap Space: $7,213,977
Draft Capital: Two 2nd Round Picks; Two 3rd Round Picks; Three 4th Round Picks
Foundation Pieces: Nashville Predators Core & Breakout Players
The Core That Works
Brady Skjei, Filip Forsberg, and Juuse Saros are all signed through at least 2028, and along with names like Roman Josi, Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos, the Predators have a lot of talent around the top of their roster. The real question is what is there beyond those names, especially as the majority of that core is on the wrong side of 30, and whether the new GM is willing to keep them around. The feeling around the team is that the organization believes that they should be contending for a playoff spot next year, with players like Luke Evangelista and Fedor Svechkov looking to take another step.
While the Predators did just barely miss the playoffs at the end of the season, it was the fourth consecutive year and one wonders who on the roster is truly untouchable. Jonathan Marchessault, after being one of Nashville's biggest acquisitions in 2024, had his worst year in the NHL and found himself approaching the trading block by the deadline, though his no movement clause prevented anything from going beyond discussions with Trotz.
The Breakout Candidates
Luke Evangelista had a breakout this year, surpassing the 40 point mark in his third career season and establishing himself as a regular top six presence for Smashville. With 56 points in 82 games, Evangelista finished as the team's fourth highest scorer, behind only franchise names like O'Reilly, Stamkos, and Forsberg.
Next year a player to watch on a somewhat similar path is Matthew Wood, who finished this year with 30 points in his sophomore season. Defenseman Ryan Ufko also made use of his limited NHL time, with 11 points in 18 games with Nashville. Given that the Preds shipped out Nick Blankenburg, there's space on the bottom of the blueline for Ufko to establish himself as a regular for next year.
The Balance Sheet: Salary Cap & Contract Efficiencies
Best Value Contracts
Ryan O'Reilly only carries a 4.5 million dollar cap hit throughout the rest of his contract. THis year, the Predators fan favorite was second on the team in points with 75 and third in goal scoring with 25. You'd be hard pressed to find a forward who plays the minutes O'Reilly does, at the level he does, for that dollar amount in the modern NHL.
Cap Flexibility in Free Agency
Nashville doesn't have a ton of money to work with, and with most of their top players signed to deals with partial or full no movement clauses, the Predators new GM may find it hard to move off some of the contracts currently on the roster if that is the direction they choose. However, the Predators are already set for top end talent, making the required external moves to push them over the edge into the playoffs closer to the fringes of the roster in the bottom six.
Roster Turnover: Pending Free Agents & Glaring Holes
Internal Decisions (UFAs & RFAs)
Nashville only has three UFAs this year, though only one would the team be hard pressed to replace. Erik Haula has put in back to back double digit scoring seasons, and nearly hit the 40 point mark as a 35 year old in the bottom six. Haula's current contract, which expires this summer, tabs in at a little over 3 million dollars a year. On the back end of his career and with some proven production even as he approaches 40, Haula could look for a pay raise to help another team's bottom six.
Tyson Jost had 16 points in 69 games with a -21 rating, and 34 year old defenseman Kevin Gravel was on a veteran minimum contract. The new GM wouldn't have much motivation to keep either around either.
Smashville's only RFA, defenseman Justin Baron, had just nine points in his 52 games this year, a step back from 12 the previous season. Barron is serviceable, but he didn't make a particular case for himself when it comes to staying beyond this year either.
The Biggest Roster Gaps
The Predators need to have a consistent, healthy group next year outside of their core players. Only six players on the roster finished the season with 80+ games played. Meanwhile, behind Juuse Saros, Justus Annunen failed to secure a winning record, going 10-12-2. Jonathan Marchessault also had another down year, leading mny to wonder if the veteran could be on the move in the offseason.
Getting some players to consistently contribute on the bottom half of the roster, and having the ability to field them night to night, will be key to the Predators success next year.
The Pipeline: Top Nashville Predators Prospects Ready to Make the Leap
Brady Martin: Martin actually made the Predators roster out of camp, however he was assigned back to the OHL soon after. However, Martin has shown himself to be an incredible play driving force with the X, with X goals and X assists after his demotion from the NHL. The young forward also has joined the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL for their playoff run. Hopefully after a little more seasoning the 5th overall draft pick from 2025 will make his next stay with Smashville more permanent.
Ryan Ufko: Ufko has steadily developed throughout his career after the Predators drafted. The 22 year old defenseman is smooth with the puck and displayed in his time with the team a physicality belying his size. Ufko has the makings of a solid back-end blueline contributor, and showed more than a little offensive upside with his 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) in 18 games in the NHL.
Zachary L'Heureux: L'Heureux played in 25 games for the Predators this year with five points and 21 penalty minutes to show for it. While the young winger may not provide all of the offensive upside as some other highly touted Predators prospects, L'Heureux has plenty of size and personality to help make a place for himself in the lineup, whether that be the top 9 or the bottom line. L'Heureux becoming a regular would help Nashville set the pace when their top players aren't on ice.
The Open Market: External Targets & UFA Swings
The Predators need to find a way to bridge the gap between their top veterans and the youth movement beginning to make its way into the top half of the lineup. Finding young-ish, talented forwards is the question just about every team finds itself asking, and with the bottom six potentially losing its most productive player, the Predators may need more than they think. If Haula walks, Nashville will need to bring in a veteran presence to help round out the bottom six, with other roles hopefully being filled by the progress of some of their other prospects, like Fedor Svechkov.
Nashville could also look to add a veteran backup for Saros to inspire some competition and improvement from Annunen in net, though crowding the room with Saros' up and down play
The Verdict: How Close Are the Nashville Predators Really?
The Proximity Scale
The Predators have a pretty damn hard balancing act for a new GM to walk into at the moment. As it stands, the Predators are a bubble team, but could very easily become a more dangerous contender if one or two of the right pieces are added to the roster and their young players keep up their offensive production from the forward group. If the veterans do their part and get going before the halfway mark of the season, Nashville could be in the clover.
Best Case vs. Worst Case Scenario
Best Case: Forsberg, Saros, Skjei and Stamkos all have excellent seasons while Nashville makes a playoff run under the new GM. The Predators were a better team in the back half of the season, and most of their core is locked up for the next two to three years. That's enough time to have a couple more go's at making the Stanley Cup Final with a pre-built and dangerous veteran group.
Worst Case: The club's aging veterans crash and burn, Saros struggles and the Predators find the majority of their roster on the wrong side of 32. The Predators don't make the playoffs and the new guy starts selling franchise faces off.