The 10 Best Offseason Moves in Predators History
The Nashville Predators don't have the trophy case of an Original Six franchise, but in the franchise's 27-plus year history, the front office has made more than its share of shrewd summer decisions. Some came through the draft, some were signed as free agents, and some through aggressive trading by former general managers David Poile and Barry Trotz. Here's a ranking of the offseason moves that shaped the Predators the most.
10.. Signing Jonathan Marchessault
Nashville signed Jonathan Marchessault to a five-year, $27.5 million contract on July 1, 2024. Signing Marchessault, coming off a Conn Smythe Trophy with the Vegas Golden Knights, sent a strong message of the Predators' intentions. Marchessault has scored 33 goals and 87 points in his two seasons in Nashville, but is looking for his first playoff run on Broadway.
9. Signing Gustav Nyquist
The Predators signed Gustav Nyquist to a two-year, $6.37 million contract on July 1, 2023. Nyquist, in turn, gave Nashville 23 goals and 75 points in his only full season. He was traded in the middle of the second season to Minnesota but was a low-cost signing that paid off for the Predators.
8. Signing Ryan O'Reilly
On July 1, 2023, the Nashville Predators signed forward Ryan O'Reilly to a four-year, $18 million contract. The three-time NHL All-Star and former Conn Smythe winner has scored 72 goals with 196 points, living up to the contract, despite his prior perception that he was on a down turn.
7. Drafting Juuse Saros
The Predators selected goaltender Juuse Saros in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL Draft, allowing the franchise to transition from Rinne to Saros between the pipes and maintain a strong standard of play. Saros is a two-time NHL All-Star and was a Vezina Finalist in 2022 and is entering the second-year of an eight-year contract with the franchise.
6. Trading Shea Weber for P.K. Subban
On June 29, 2016 the Nashville Predators traded away captain Shea Weber to the Montreal Canadiens for superstar defender P.K. Subban. The trade sent Weber, a lifelong Predator, away for one of the premeire offensive defensemen in the NHL. Subban ended up scoring 130 points in 211 games for Nashville, and he was instrumental in helping the Predators reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017.
5. Drafting Pekka Rinne
The Predators chose Pekka Rinne in the eighth round of the 2004 NHL Draft. He went on to play 15 seasons in Nashville, playing in four All-Star games and winning the Vezina Trophy in 2018 as the best goaltender in the league. Rinne is Nashville's only Hall of Famer and has his No. 35 jersey retired. Rinne is one of the best value picks in modern NHL Draft history.
4. Drafting Roman Josi
The Nashville Predators selected Roman Josi with the 38th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, and he's since turned into one of the best players in franchise history. Josi has been a key part of Nashville's best playoff runs and has appeared in four NHL All-Star Games. He is a multi-time finalist and a one-time winner of the James Norris Trophy, and is the Predators' all-time leader in points, making Poile look like a genius for his second-round selection.
3. Extending Filip Forsberg
On July 9, 2022, Nashville signed forward Filip Forsberg to an eight-year, $68 million contract, keeping the best player to ever wear a Predators sweater on Broadway long term, instead of losing him to free agency. Forsberg was originally drafted by Washington, but was traded to Nashville as a prospect, playing all his NHL games for the Predators. He's added 138 goals and 287 points since his contract extension, further cementing his legacy in Tennessee.
2. Signing Steven Stamkos
On July 1, 2024, the Nashville Predators signed two-time Stanley Cup champion and future Hall of Famer Steven Stamkos to a four-year, $32 million contract as an unrestricted free agent. He had already established himself as one of the best players in hockey, scoring 555 goals in 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and signing with the Preds as a free agent was a statement Nashville needed to make. His signing became the first time a marquee star chose to come to Broadway and changed how the league saw the Predators' ambitions.
1. Founding the roster through the expansion and early drafts
Before any of the previous transactions mattered, David Poile's early drafting of cornerstone pieces like David Legwand, Martin Erat, Scott Hartnell, and others built the franchise by favoring patient scouting instead of splashy free agency. The philosophy paid off as Nashville made its first of four consecutive playoff appearances in the sixth season in franchise history.
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Joe Gaither covers the Nashville Predators for Nashville Predators On SI. He also oversees videos and podcasts for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral. He began his sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 he joined BamaCentral to cover a variety of Crimson Tide sports and recruiting, in addition to hosting the “Joe Gaither Show” podcast. His work has also appeared on the Boston College, Miami, Missouri and Vanderbilt college On SI sites.