The Nashville Predators have a lot of cap space to work with this offseason and the team could make some moves to get much better. In order to do that, they have to part ways with some players. There are three in particular and not all of them are free agents either.
Whether it be due to performance, the stage these players are at in their careers, or just making room on the roster for better players, let’s dive into the three Predators that need to be moved on from one way or the other.
There is no doubt that Tyson Barrie won’t be a Predator next season, but it had to be stated. He was part of the return from the Edmonton Oilers when Mattias Ekholm was traded and Barrie never really fit in on Nashville.
He is a power-play specialist, but Roman Josi already runs the power play, so Barrie wasn’t able to excel where he normally does. The Predators are known to be strong defensively, but Barrie didn’t add anything to that. He is an offensive defenseman.
With all of the cap space to utilize and the right side of the defense needing a bigger addition, there isn’t any reason to even think about keeping Barrie around, even at a low AAV. There are a few solid options for the Predators to go after in free agency, so one will take Barrie’s spot on the roster, even though he lost his place in the lineup by the end of the season.
Anthony Beauvillier
Anthony Beauvillier is another free agent this summer and even though there have been some talks about what a contract would look like, both Beauvillier’s camp and the Predators are keeping options open.
This is likely just a courtesy discussion as even though the Predators have more than enough cap room to give many players what they want this offseason, there are only a certain amount of spots on the roster and Beauvillier didn’t exactly go above and beyond expectations.
Beauvillier has jumped around the past couple of seasons and he was just a low-risk move at the deadline to add a little bit of help for a surging Nashville team. There are more than three prospects looking for full time roles on the Predators next season and a need for a major addition. This leaves no room for Beauvillier.
Luke Schenn
Luke Schenn looked like a solid signing by the Predators at the time, but it went downhill over the course of the season. There is a good argument to be made that he should’ve been out of the lineup more often than not, even in favor of a healthy scratched Barrie, because of Schenn’s play.
It wasn’t great for the Predators that Schenn was playing more than he should have been despite already only playing just over 15 minutes per game. He should be a 6th defenseman at best and out of the lineup a fair bit.
The Predators are going to make at least one big upgrade on defense and it should be on the right side where Schenn plays. Ideally, he would be bought out or a healthy scratch at least half of the time, but he does have two years left on his deal. He’s a good voice to have and the money isn’t an issue, he just might be taking time away from Marc Del Gaizo and potentially Spencer Stastney come next season.
There are a lot of decisions to be made for Barry Trotz and the Predators, but it is going to be an exciting offseason nonetheless.
