Story by
Why Nashville Predators have increasing sense of urgency in return from Olympic break
- Story by
- Why Nashville Predators have increasing sense of urgency in return from Olympic break
The Nashville Predators are back from the Olympic break and have little time to spare before the trade deadline on March 6.
The Predators (26-24-7, 59 points) have five games before the deadline and are currently sitting four points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. They know there's little room for error as league action returns.
Advertisement
"That's been the message and the focus here since we got back," coach Andrew Brunette said after practice at Centennial on Feb. 25. "You miss that amount of time, it takes a while to get going. But it can't take that long for your engine to start back up."
The Predators host the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 26 (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network) in their first game back.
"I'm happy with the week of practice, I thought the urgency ramped up as we went along," Brunette said. "We don't have the luxury of easing into this."
With the Predators on the edge of the playoff bubble, and the prospect of competing in the talent-rich Western Conference, most players are aware that a sell-off could happen. With general manager Barry Trotz soon to retire, change isn't just on the horizon. It's already here.
Advertisement
"Winning solves most things," captain Roman Josi said. "We don't know what's going to happen and we can't really control any of that. Only what we can do as a player."
Top trade targets in Nashville include Ryan O'Reilly, Erik Haula , Michael Bunting , and Michael McCarron . O'Reilly leads the team with 20 goals and 36 assists and is under contract through 2026-27. Haula is a steady middle six center with nine goals and 20 assists, plus just won Olympic bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics with Finland. Bunting and McCarron are typical role players that contending teams like to add at the deadline.
Bunting, who has been involved in deadline moves in the past, including his trade to Nashville last March , knows what could come if the team doesn't perform in these next five games.
TRADE COMING? As Bill Haslam searches for new GM, it's time the Nashville Predators face the music
Advertisement
"That's the unfortunate side of it, I've been in the last two trade deadlines. It sucks moving and all that and I'm really close with a lot of guys here. But it just shows the urgency to come out here and get ourselves in a good spot."
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com . Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1 . Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds .
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators increasing sense of urgency in return from Olympic break
