The Steven Stamkos experiment in Nashville isn’t working. Let’s just call it what it is. When the Predators signed the future Hall of Famer in July 2024, the hope was for an injection of elite, game-breaking scoring. Instead, his production has fallen off a cliff. Now, just 1 season into his massive contract, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman is floating the unthinkable: could the Nashville Predators trade Stamkos?
Speaking on the “Morning Cuppa Hockey” podcast, Friedman hit the nail on the head. The issue isn’t just Stamkos’s age (35); it’s his surroundings. Stamkos is an elite finisher, but he’s always needed an elite setup man. In Tampa, he had Nikita Kucherov feeding him one-timers. In Nashville… who fills that role? The answer is nobody, and his $8 million AAV is starting to look like an anchor. The Predators are finding out the hard way that you can’t just sign the goal-scorer; you have to sign the playmaker too.
Why a Steven Stamkos Trade is More Complicated Than It Looks
As an analyst, this situation screams “square peg, round hole.” Stamkos built a Hall of Fame career on one thing: the one-timer. He finds the soft ice in the offensive zone (usually the left circle) and waits for a high-IQ playmaker to feed him. Nikita Kucherov was the best in the business at this. The Nashville Predators, however, are not built that way. They’re a hard-working, north-south team, but they lack that surgical passer in the offensive zone. Stamkos is now a 35-year-old sniper without a designated setup man, and it’s killing his production. It’s no surprise his numbers are down; he’s being asked to create offense rather than finish it, and that’s just not his game anymore.
This is where Elliotte Friedman’s comments get interesting. He suggests the Predators would consider moving him if the right offer came along, but the logistics are a nightmare. Stamkos carries an $8 million AAV through the 2027-28 season. No contender is taking that full cap hit, especially for a declining, specialized asset. Friedman correctly notes that Nashville would almost certainly have to retain salary—perhaps up to the 50% maximum ($4 million). This move won’t happen mid-season. It’s an offseason discussion.
So, who trades for him? A contender that believes they are “one piece away” and already has that Kucherov-lite playmaker. A team that looks at their power play and says, “We just need the trigger man.” Even then, convincing a 35-year-old veteran to move again after a failed stint in Nashville is a tough sell. The Nashville Predators took a massive gamble on Steven Stamkos, and it appears they are learning a hard lesson: a superstar sniper is only as good as the playmaker who gets him the puck.
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The post The Steven Stamkos Experiment Is Failing: Why the Nashville Predators Are Already Facing Trade Questions appeared first on NHL Trade Rumors.
