Five potential trade destinations for Predators’ Steven Stamkos

Before we think about where Steven Stamkos might go next, let's take a moment to remember where this guy has been.

From the moment Stamkos took the ice in his second season in the NHL, he became the leading scorer on Earth in about a five-year period. From the start of the 2009–10 season to November 11, 2013, Stamkos scored a league-record 199 goals in 311 appearances. That's 34 more goals than the second-place player during that period (Alex Ovechkin, 165) and 59 more than the third-place player (Corey Perry, 140).

If you're wondering why we included the date November 11, 2013, it's because it marked the game where Stamkos crashed into the Tampa net during a reverse check in Boston and broke his leg.

While he was certainly still a fantastic goalscorer after this injury, he never returned to the heights he reached in the league from years 2 to 5.

Stamkos is certainly not the same player today, now in his second year with a dead-end Nashville franchise that is believed to be contemplating some big moves after a free-agent spending spree in 2024 that simply didn't work out.

Both Stamkos and Preds center Ryan O'Reilly emerged on their own. Nick Kypreos' first trade board of the season. Like Stamkos, O'Reilly was part of Nashville general manager Barry Trotz's 2024 Drunken Sailors celebration, and Stamkos' significant $8 million cap hit in 2027-28 is definitely a big talking point — and potential stumbling block — in all of this speculation.

The other part of this conversation is the question of how much the 35-year-old has left in his legs. Of course, he's not the same guy who terrorized goalies early in his career, or even the same player who regularly scored 40 goals in the second half of his long run in Tampa Bay. However, this is a winger who scored 27 goals last year in a team that essentially had nothing going for them.

And while he's only scored five times this year, when you have a track record like Stamkos and a stellar reputation as a teammate who wants to win, teams will take notice.

The reality is that acquiring Stamkos won't require an A package from a club, especially if that club can solve the problem without asking Nashville to keep most of Stamkos' remaining account.

Obviously, Stamkos doesn't have the cornucopia of suitors he would have had if he'd waited a couple more days and hit the open market in 2016, and there probably isn't even a team as eager as Nashville was when they handed him a huge check 18 months ago.

However, teams are about to falter and it's worth wondering what might happen in the right situation. If Stamkos is moved, here are a few clubs that could be a good landing spot.

Consider this line from an article on the Kypreos trading board: The acquiring team needs to make sure they have a coordinator who can deliver a still-lethal blow to Stamkos.

Now imagine talented rookie Ivan Demidov doing what he does best: reaching the blue line, surveying the landscape and throwing a cross-ice pass for Stamkos to score.

Hey, one of Demidov's high-profile comparisons is Nikita Kucherov; why not complete the picture and pair him with Stamkos?

In all seriousness, Stamkos ticks more boxes for the Habs than you might initially think. While he wouldn't be the 2C the Canadiens would want to add (Stamkos is clearly a forward at this point), he is a veteran who could add a second layer of scoring to a team that may be overly reliant on the top line.

Montreal recently split Nick Suzuki's traditional top three between Cole Caufield and Urij Slafkowski to try to achieve more balance. Stamkos' involvement will help with that, and Demidov does seem like a good fit, especially on the power play.

The Canadiens also have a guy in Patrik Laine whose AAV is slightly higher ($8.7 million) than Stamkos. If Montreal could send Lane, whose contract expires in July, back to Nashville, perhaps the Habs could get Stamkos without asking Nashville to eat the money, thereby reducing the potential capital (or draft pick) needed to acquire the player.

Winnipeg's forwards have scored 69 goals this year, and 43 of them have come from the sticks of the three guys on the top line: Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi. This means that one line accounted for 63 percent of the goals scored by forwards.

Why not try catching the former Lightning in a bottle?

The Jets signed Gustav Nyqvist to a one-year, $3.25 million contract in hopes he could find some spark and score 20 goals. He currently has a clean sheet in 17 matches.

Winnipeg could send Nyquist back to Nashville to make room for Stamkos.

Brad Lambert, 30^th The organization said he has clearance to seek trade partners for the 2022 draft pick, and the Jets could also part ways with someone like defenseman Ville Heinola — another first-round pick — if Nashville is interested in young players who need a fresh start.

It's a risk, but Stamkos will likely be energized by playing on a Cup-contending team in a Canadian postal code for the first time in his professional career.

Seattle doesn't have a single player with 16 points this year. The only club that can say this with shame is the humble St. Louis Blues. Each of the other 30 teams has at least two guys with 16 points.

The Kraken have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, and from the start of the 2023-24 season through Thursday night, Seattle's 2.77 goals per game ranks 30th.^th in the NHL.

This franchise needs more talent, period.

Former Predator Ealy Tolvanen scored 23 goals for Seattle last year, but he has three this season and is in the final year of his $3.5 million contract. Sending him back to Nashville will help free up space.

Kraken coach Lane Lambert also has a long history with Barry Trotz, having spent many years as an assistant on his bench. You have to believe he has at least a little connection to Nashville's general manager.

Now is a good time to mention that Stamkos has full travel protection, but Seattle is a great place to live and the club is much more competitive than the one he currently works for.

By law, you have to mention the Canes when players with a winning history come up. Carolina has consistently struggled in the latter stages of the playoffs and is in foot-on-the-floor mode when it comes to adding talent.

Carolina has plenty of team space and a power play that currently ranks 29th.^th in the league by 14.7 percent.

On the surface, the Wings have a clear need for Stamkos, with players like sharpshooter Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane (the first overall pick in 2007, the year before Stammer took over) already in the top six.

However, Detroit has plenty of cap space and is using every lever possible to end its nearly decade-long playoff drought. And, of course, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman signed Stamkos to an eight-year contract (albeit after protracted negotiations) in Tampa nine years ago.