NHL Trade Rumors: 5 teams that should trade for Rick Nash

5. Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators would love to upgrade their offense this off-season. Even with Filip Forsberg and James Neal, you can never have too much scoring depth. At some point, the Predators need to go all-in to try to win a Stanley Cup while goaltender Pekka Rinne and defenseman Shea Weber are still productive players. Why not this off-season?

Rick Nash would be a great fit on either of the Predators’ top two forward lines. He’d even be a great fit on the third line, especially with many NHL teams wanting to have three scoring lines. Phil Kessel of the Penguins has done a ton of damage this season on the Penguins’ third line. Nash could make a very similar impact on the Predators’ third line. Of course, the Predators also don’t quite have the center depth of Nash, so Nash will likely play with either Ryan Johansen or Mike Ribeiro.

Clearly, Rick Nash would be a good fit in Nashville. They have the cap space to pull it off too. But everything good in life has a price. What would it be for the Predators? Kevin Fiala and the Predators’ 2016 first round pick might be enough. But the Rangers might want a cheap defenseman like, say, Ryan Ellis. Ellis for Nash straight up would be beneficial for both teams as both teams would fill a clear need. Would Nashville further sacrifice their greatest strength (defensive depth) once again after trading Seth Jones for Johansen, though?

Next: 4. Florida Panthers