The NHL has 10 more days to make trades before the deadline clock hits 2 p.m. CT. Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz joined Stillman & Company on Tuesday addressing a few key players on his team.
For starters, Trotz would not like to trade goalie Juuse Saros if this squad is holding a playoff spot. He would like to give the currently constructed team to push for a playoff series.
“That is the case. I’m going to leave a little window open if there’s a crazy deal that comes out and knocks me out of my chair, Trotz said…
“I expect us to be fighting for that playoff spot. My job is to keep the balance between the long-term & the short-term.”
Barry said he owed it to Saros that if he did get a deal he likes then he’d approach Saros and his agents to see if it made sense for everyone.
To this point in the season, Saros is 23-21-2 with a 2.95 goals-against average and a save percentage of .904.
Forward Tommy Novak is another player Trotz would like to keep. He went as far as to say that the 26-year-old has attributes that others do not have on this roster.
Trotz said on Tuesday he spoke to Novak’s agent and set the framework for a deal and would like to have it down before the trade deadline.
Novak has 31 points in 48 games this season. After battling back from an early season injury he looked more like the player that was recalled last season and went on to score 43 points in 51 games.
“The framework is there. We have to make sure the years and numbers match. I don’t think I can let a player like Tommy Novak go,” Trotz said. “If you get the right number and the term you like then I like Tommy Novak.”
The same sentiment was expressed for defenseman Alexandre Carrier.
“I want to talk to Carrier’s agent again. I know he’s a Nashville Predator. If we can get into the range of the same thing we’ll have a deal & if not we’ll move on,” Trotz said.
It’s also not only Saros that teams have called about between the pipes. Kevin Lankinen has received some interest from NHL clubs as well.
“He’s prepared and he can win against big teams. I’ll get back to [who called] here in the next week or so,” Trotz said.
Lankinen posted back-to-back wins against the Dallas Stars in January and boasts a record of 8-4-0 this season in 17 appearances.
All eyes are on how Trotz handles trade deadline season. He teased that he needed to go see a doctor to get his ear treated because of how many calls he’s received from teams across the league.
Listen to the full interview with Barry Trotz right here.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photos courtesy of Nashville Predators
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