With a new vacancy on the blueline for next season and $6.75 million in cap space freed up for the next two, there are of course many things to consider in the wake of McDonagh’s trade.
Below are three of the key points Trotz touched on during Tuesday’s media availability:
Cap Space
Though sending McDonagh back to Tampa out of respect for the two-time Stanley Cup champion did play a role in the transaction, it also gives Trotz’s team $6.75 million more in cap space to play with over the next two seasons.
With nearly $12 million tied up in retained salaries and buyouts next season - those being Ryan Johansen ($4 million), Mattias Ekholm ($250k) Matt Duchene ($5.55 million) and Kyle Turris ($2 million) - the cap space cleared by McDonagh’s departure opens up unexpected possibilities, either to grab enticing pieces in free agency or renew expiring contracts.
“[It gives us] probably some flexibility now,” Trotz said. “Just because of the retention and all the stuff that we have going on with what I did last summer, this probably gives us a little more flexibility to maybe be a little more active in some free agency that we probably weren't considering ourselves to be in.”
Following Tuesday’s trade, the Predators have just over $26 million in available cap space to use this offseason.
Draft Capital
In addition to cap space, McDonagh’s trade gives the Predators four picks in the first two rounds of both the 2024 and 2025 drafts.
While it’s obviously a viable option to use all those premium picks on furthering the Predators prospect pipeline, Trotz sees plenty more possibilities in the enticing draft capital.
“I think this year you'll see us draft, especially in the first three rounds, and I think that we’ll use a lot of that draft capital,” he said. “After that, I think we might be switching it to next year, where you get the opportunity of teams that don't have picks that need picks. They’ll grab a pick a little higher, and we'll just not take that pick and maybe get two picks the next year or we'll flip it out so that we continue to have that pipeline. Because it's my vision, and talking with [Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting] Jeff Kealty who runs our draft, that ideally we want to be in a position where we become a top team in this League and still have the draft choices in the pipeline coming so we can always fit the salary cap, but also have draft capital going forward. So when you have to make that big deal, when you feel like you're on the cusp of doing something great, you’re going deep or going for it, you want to have those draft choices available to go get those guys, those high picks or those high-end players when they’re needed.”
As a reminder, here’s a breakdown of Nashville’s picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, happening June 28-29 in Las Vegas:
First Round: One Pick
NSH
Second Round: Three Picks
NSH
TBL via Tanner Jeannot trade in Feb. 2023
WPG via Nino Niederreiter trade in Feb. 2023
Third Round: Two Picks
NSH
DAL via trade for 2023 third-round pick
Fourth Round: Two Picks
NSH
CHI via trade with TBL for 2023 fourth-round pick
Seventh Round: One Pick
TBL via Ryan McDonagh trade in May 2024
Young Guns
With one blueliner now out of the lineup, a number of Nashville’s young defensive prospects could have a viable shot at making the Predators final roster out of training camp this summer.
Trotz has three options who have already been tested at the NHL level in Spencer Stastney, Marc Del Gaizo and Jake Livingstone, and plenty more who have had impactful seasons in Milwaukee or elsewhere.
“When a player gives you trust and comfort, then you feel a lot better about moving guys,” Trotz said. “If [McDonagh] had gone down with an injury, for instance, we had people that could come in and be able to do it for a short period of time. Now it’s, can you do it for a long period of time? I'm watching the [Calder Cup Playoffs], and you’ve got some good, young players down there. You watch Stastney or [Adam] Wilsby or Del Gaizo. Wilsby’s been playing really well right now… We’ve got [Tanner] Molendyk, who everybody liked last year and had a phenomenal year… Jake Livingstone is a right-handed shot, a little bigger guy that might open up some opportunity for him, and he's been out of the lineup a little bit for Milwaukee, but he's a player that has played NHL games. So, we have a little bit of depth there, but they're all similar. So I think it'll be good and camp will filter out and find out the best of them.”
