Every NHL team clearly wants to avoid a bad start to the season, but there's more on the line for some. Some squads need to prove their roster and blueprint works, because otherwise, they'll have more of a reason to start trading away veterans instead of keeping them around and hoping they'll drive the team toward success. The Nashville Predators, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins are in different stages of the cycle, but after down seasons in 2024-25, they can't – and likely won't – stick with what they have if they struggle again in the first half of this year. Here's why. NASHVILLE PREDATORS The Predators [http://thn.com/nashville] took a risk by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in the summer of 2024. One year earlier, they brought in center Ryan O'Reilly. What looked like a squad set to become a Stanley Cup contender finished third-last. Now, all those veterans joined Nashville for a reason, but given that all three are between 31 and 35 years old, they may not want to battle for a playoff spot and miss out year after year. Stamkos and Marchessault have full no-move clauses, and Skjei has a 15-team no-trade list. O'Reilly doesn't have trade protection, but GM Barry Trotz treated him as if he did last season. Last fall, Trotz suggested the team needed to reset, but he emphasized [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6006850/2024/12/19/predators-disappointment-barry-trotz/?source=emp_shared_article] that the Predators aren't in a rebuild and selling off pieces. But again, why would any player who has won Stanley Cups – such as Stamkos, O’Reilly and Marchessault – want to end their playing days with no chance of winning on a team they haven't been on for very long? If the Predators are struggling, those who want out will almost certainly be granted their wish, and the team can't just keep adding players just to miss the post-season. NEW YORK RANGERS The Rangers already made huge moves this past year, with GM Chris Drury hiring coach Mike Sullivan and trading away veterans Chris Kreider, K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba. But if the Blueshirts wobble out of the gate this season, Drury may sense a familiar dread about the state of this team and really take out the scalpel to do some serious roster renovations. The Rangers [http://thn.com/nyrangers] don’t have many pending UFAs, but they are intriguing. One is star left winger Artemi Panarin, and another is backup goalie Jonathan Quick. Panarin and his $11.6-million salary [https://puckpedia.com/player/artemi-panarin] are the primary concern, but if the Rangers want to ease the pressure on star goalie Igor Shesterkin, they’ll need to pay more money than the $1.15 million they’re paying 39-year-old Quick [https://puckpedia.com/player/jonathan-quick]. They don't have a ton of room to pay Panarin more money. The Metropolitan Division is going to be more competitive than it was last year, and that means the Rangers could miss the playoffs for the second straight season. That would be indefensible, and surely, Panarin wouldn't be pleased with that. If there’s a foreboding in Drury by or before this year’s trade deadline, it wouldn’t shock anyone if he pulled the chute on this group. Five NHL Veterans Who Cleared Waivers Years After Their Last AHL Game [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/6952c5bb-f1c6-478c-8d71-70abb81944f4.jpeg] Five NHL Veterans Who Cleared Waivers Years After Their Last AHL Game A handful of NHL veterans found themselves on the other side of the waiver wire in the past week. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/five-nhl-veterans-who-cleared-waivers-years-after-their-last-ahl-game] PITTSBURGH PENGUINS The Penguins have missed the playoffs three straight times despite having likely first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and maybe Erik Karlsson. The Penguins [http://thn.com/pittsburgh] finished seventh in the Metro last season, and they didn't really do anything to improve for 2025-26. In fact, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is leaning more toward bringing in younger players to develop in the NHL. There's less room for veterans now. Pittsburgh did win its first two games, but the team will likely miss the playoffs again this year. Pens GM Kyle Dubas can still move veteran wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/thin-nhl-trade-market-will-only-help-the-pittsburgh-penguins], who have little or no trade protection. If the Penguins underachieve, it’s more probable than not that Pittsburgh’s lineup will look significantly different. The Penguins need all hands on deck to beat the odds and get into the playoffs, but if the odds beat them, there will be plenty of changes to their future and present. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
