The Nashville Predators have done well so far this offseason, but they could do better.
General Manager David Poile pulled the trigger on a trade that brought two-time Stanley Cup champion Ryan McDonagh to Nashville early in the offseason. Then, he extended star forward Filip Forsberg shortly before free agency began.
The Preds were quiet in the first week of free agency, but they got their man in Nino Niederreiter in week two.
Now, according to CapFriendly, the Predators have just over $4 million in cap space, which means that despite the solid moves that have already been made, Nashville can still improve as it looks to contend for the Stanley Cup next season.
The Predators should take a look at these five players.
As it stands currently, forward Nazem Kadri, who just won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, is holding up the market as he carefully selects his next franchise.
As a result, there are a variety of players still available, and while they’re not the stars that have already been locked up this summer, like Johnny Gaudreau, they can be valuable additions for a team like the Predators.
The defense for Nashville is largely set, but you can never be too deep on the back end, and there are a couple of available right-handed options, one of which is familiar with the Predators, that could help the team get deeper.
Offensively, the top six forwards seem to be a solid group. However, there are a few players, like Matt Duchene, who broke out last year after struggling to find his form for the several seasons prior.
The Preds could benefit from some additional secondary scoring in the event that some of last year’s numbers turn out to be one-time occurrences.
Nashville might also want to take a look at some depth forwards that can help improve a penalty killing unit that ranked 18th in the regular season a year ago.
Without further ado, here are five players that the Predators should consider signing as free agency rolls on.