Nashville Predators: Top 3 players they need to trade

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 19: Kyle Turris #8 celebrates his game tying goal with Craig Smith #15, Mikael Granlund #64 and Nick Bonino #13 of the Nashville Predators against the Florida Panthers at Bridgestone Arena on October 19, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /

2 of 4

Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images /

Rocco Grimaldi

Cap hit: $1 million

The Nashville Predators have found a diamond in the rough in Rocco Grimaldi. He’s been a very pleasant surprise for them over the past two seasons. Grimaldi has 36 points in his last 96 NHL games, which isn’t too shabby for a guy who doesn’t get too many minutes.

However, he’ll be a free agent after this season and it would make a ton of sense for the Predators to get something for him. Even if their intention is to re-sign him, they can revisit those discussions in the offseason.

With so many teams being close to the salary cap ceiling, Grimaldi is someone who could draw quite a bit of interest at the trade deadline. After all, he’s cheap and he’d be an upgrade to what a lot of teams have on their third and fourth lines.

Grimaldi is small, as he’s just 5’6″. However, he’s got a ton of skill and still plays a pretty gritty game despite being undersized. Grimaldi is good at avoiding unnecessary contact but still capable of winning board battles against players who are bigger than him.

Potential suitors: Grimaldi seems like someone who the Pittsburgh Penguins would value. However, I think they’re going after a far bigger fish than him. Then again, with all the injuries the Penguins are having, perhaps they’ll need to find a productive bottom-six forward by the deadline. Maybe a team like the Arizona Coyotes could use him to try to get some more production out of their bottom-six forwards?

Home/Nashville Predators