David Poile knows his final draft as General Manager of the Nashville Predators might be one of the most important in the franchise’s history for a number of reasons.
Not only is the 2023 NHL Draft happening inside the Predators’ home building, but the Preds themselves are slated to be the busiest team. They have 13 total picks, the most of any team in the NHL this year and the most they’ve ever had in a single draft. They have two first rounders, the 15th and 24th overall, two second rounders, and 10 total picks in the first four rounds.
Considering many believe this year’s class to be among the deepest in recent memory, the Preds could wind up with a treasure trove of players.
“This is one of the best drafts in history, I really believe that,” says Poile, who says he can’t help but notice similarities to the last time the draft was held in Nashville in 2003. That year’s class yielded 29 future NHL All-Stars, including a handful of sure-fire future hall-of-famers.
“You look back at the quality of players that were in that draft, specifically the players we got in that draft (namely Ryan Suter and Shea Weber), when I go to bed at night and say a little prayer, I’m thinking the same thing… at 15 and 24, if we can hit on two foundation-type players.”
The Predators can be aggressive in getting those franchise players. All of those picks, combined with roughly $20 million in cap space next season, give Poile and his successor, Barry Trotz, ammo to make a big move to add a franchise player to the mix. That could be in the form of a trade for an existing young player or an aggressive move to land a player high on their draft board.
But that’ll only happen if the price is right.
“We have lots of capital, but we have to be smart about it as well and use it effectively,” says Trotz. “You don’t want to do one thing, and then try to a fix a bunch of holes if you go too far.”
Could the Predators Move Up in the Draft?
Trotz and Poile have both said they’re content with staying at 15 and 24, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be doing whatever they can to land someone higher up on the draft board.
“Me and David have both been on the phones trying to do that,” Trotz said when asked about the possibility of trading up, mentioning he’d love to get into the top five. A top five pick in this draft would guarantee the Predators the potential franchise-changing prospect they desperately crave. Of course, it would have the same impact for the teams who currently own those picks, meaning the Preds would need to go above and beyond to pry those picks away and fend off any other teams who might want them.
“Obviously everyone wants to move into the top four,” says Trotz. “There’s a pretty good comfort level for them; I’ve been trying to make them uncomfortable.”
On Monday, Trotz said a deal for a top five pick “wasn’t out there” yet, but that could change by the time the draft starts. David Pagnotta reported the Canadiens, who own the 5th overall pick, have explored the possibility of moving down in the draft. That would potentially put teams in the range of someone like Matvei Michkov, Leo Carlsson, or Will Smith, i.e. the “get people out of their seats” type of forward Trotz craves.
The Predators would gladly package both firsts, and potentially some other sweeteners, to land that top five pick. The question is would that be appealing enough for the Canadiens (or any other team in the top five) to pull the trigger.
If it’s not, there could be other chances to move up, especially if there’s a player the Preds have rated high on their board that starts to slide. But the price tag may need to be put under the microscope a little more intently. As fellow Penalty Box Radio writer Eric D said on the Locked On Predators podcast this week, there’s not a huge gap between the players that will be available at 10 and the players available at 15. That doesn’t mean the Preds shouldn’t aggressively try to land the player they want, but they’ll also want to be smart about spending their capital.
What About A Player Trade?
We’ve already seen a number of high-profile trades this week, including deals for Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Newhook. Players like Alex DeBrincat and Elias Lindholm still appear to be on the market, while others like Travis Konecny could be on the move for the right price as well.
The Predators have been most closely linked to DeBrincat, who Sens’ general manager Pierre Dorion said Tuesday he’s still trying to move. The Sens don’t have a pick until round four of the draft, and the Predators could certainly afford to help Ottawa remedy that situation without hurting their own draft board. The trepidation would be surrounding what else the Sens would want in return. Ottawa’s actively trying to win now, and if they appear to want to replace DeBrincat with another young piece who could help them do that immediately.
The name most Sens fans have been salivating over is Juuse Saros, and they’re not alone. The Predators’ goaltender has been at the center of trade talk since the season ended.
Despite admitting he’s taken calls on Saros, Trotz told Pierre LeBrun he doesn’t envision trading his All-Star goaltender, saying he hopes to build around his “game-changers.”
“Patience” has been a word Trotz has used frequently when asked about adding new players, and the Predators appear to be using that motif in trade talks, opting to let deals come to them rather than being forced into bidding wars.
“I believe that we’ll be put in a position where teams will be offering us certain players, and they might even be giving us something to do that,” Poile says. “The way we’re looking at it is that some teams are really up against the cap, and there might be an opportunity to improve our team. So we’re going to be patient and look for those opportunities.”
Again, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Preds won’t “swing big” if there’s a player available they really like. That just may not happen at this year’s draft.
