Speculation: Armchair GM Thread

[Scoresberg]

Trotz gameplan for next season:

- Sign John Tavares to a 5x$10M contract as a UFA (full NMC) - there's our #1OA pick and longterm 1C solution
- extend Nyquist 2x$3M
- keep the 3rd line intact
- Svechkov needs more cooking and is still waiver exempt so he can start in Milwaukee
- since we're stuck with Evangelista he inherits the Tomasino pressbox slot for a while until we got a 2028 4th offered for him
- Wilsby and Stastney can be spare D
- and of course Bruno has earned another look, we'll see how things are at Christmas


2025-26 Nashville Predators

Forsberg ($8.5M) - Tavares (UFA - $10M) - Stamkos ($8M)
Nyquist (UFA - $3M) - O'Reilly ($4.5M) - Marchessault ($5.5M)
Smith ($1M) - McCarron ($0.900M) - Sissons ($2.857M)
L'Heureux ($0.8633M) - Jankowski ($0.800M) - Novak ($3.5M)
Evangelista (RFA - $2.5M)

Josi ($9.059M) - Barron ($1.15M)
Skjei ($7M) - Blankenburg ($0.775M)
Lauzon ($2M) - Schenn ($2.75M)
Wilsby (RFA - $0.825M)
Stastney ($0.825M)

Saros ($7.74M)
Annunen ($0.8375M)

Ekholm retention: $0.250M
Turris Buyout: $2M
Duchene Buyout: $6.5556M

TOTAL: $93.6874M
2025-26 NHL Cap: $95.5M
REMAINING CAP SPACE: $1.8126M

I think you are right about this. This is 100% what Trotz is thinking, although whether it's Tavares or whoever remains to be seen.

Again, I don't believe for a second Trotz believes in building through the draft. He's in the cut-throat business like Vegas but unfortunately, he lacks the creativity to actually build a dangerous team like that. So, we're left with spending huge dollars on has-been UFAs. I truly think we've just seen the start of the "Bandaid UFA" strategy..

 

[beardawg]

I think you are right about this. This is 100% what Trotz is thinking, although whether it's Tavares or whoever remains to be seen.

Again, I don't believe for a second Trotz believes in building through the draft. He's in the cut-throat business like Vegas but unfortunately, he lacks the creativity to actually build a dangerous team like that. So, we're left with spending huge dollars on has-been UFAs. I truly think we've just seen the start of the "Bandaid UFA" strategy..

Why is he stock piling draft picks if he doesn't believe in building through the draft?

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Why is he stock piling draft picks if he doesn't believe in building through the draft?

I'm not sure that was really the purpose? He got the extra picks because he wanted to get rid of guys, not because he wanted those picks? Our extra picks this year are for Askarov and Jeannot? The extra ones the year before were for Ekholm and Niederreiter and Granlund? I think he just wanted to clear the decks for his "serial winner" UFA signings, not because he wanted to build through the draft?

 

[Scoresberg]

Why is he stock piling draft picks if he doesn't believe in building through the draft?

That's a fair question. In my mind, he's collecting picks to use in trades, although we've not seen him actually do that much. I'll take my words back for a bit, I do believe he's out to get a legit top center from the draft but as far as other positions go, I don't think he believes in drafting and developing players for those positions. Because if he does believe in that, he's doing a really horrible job at it.

Also, when I said he lacked creativity, this is actually what I mean. He has a lot of picks to use in trades, but I think his evaluation of players has been so off since the start of his tenure, that he actually hasn't been able to spend those picks, YET. I do think he was in on Cozens, Jiricek etc. these guys but got beat by other teams offers (or in case of Cozens the holiday freeze just kicked in and ultimately he wasn't moved).