Should Any Former Predators Free Agents Come Back?

The Nashville Predators have parted ways with a number of players scattered around the league. Some have gone on to play better and grow while others haven't done so well. This offseason there are 11 former players who are free agents, so should the Predators consider bringing any one of them back?

Tier 1 - The Best Nashville Has Let Go

There are only two higher-end players that have played for the Predators in the past that may become free agents this summer, and these two are Matt Duchene and Viktor Arvidsson.

Duchene's wounds haven't likely healed yet. After signing long-term with the Predators in 2019, he made it just past the halfway mark in his contract before being bought out. This came after a tough season and Nashville recovered rather quickly. The Predators made the playoffs, but so did Duchene's new team, the Dallas Stars, going to the Western Conference Final.

Duchene really enjoyed playing for the Stars, but he might only last one year there as he's going to cost more than the $3 million AAV contract he signed last summer. His choices of teams is clearly wherever country music is most prominent and where he can win.

Related: Has Duchene's Buyout by Predators Truly Helped Both Sides?

Dallas can win, but Nashville is well on their way too with a good young group mixed in with veterans. While Duchene could be the top-6 center the Predators are looking for, I think it's too short of a time for a reunion. Nashville is still paying his buyout for five more years and the cap hit is over $5.5 for the next two.

In a bad offseason trade three years ago, the Predators decided to move Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings where he has been playing since. He is now a UFA and I could actually see a reunion.

This was a blunder for Nashville and Arvidsson provided offense that the Predators could use again. While his last two seasons in Nashville didn't go as planned and led to the trade, he has been scoring points at a very nice rate for the Kings.

Injuries continue to be a problem, which would be a risk, but the Predators know what Arvidsson brings and could use some of that in their top-6. There just isn't space in Los Angeles anymore and the Kings will be focusing on bringing in a top tier goalie as well as bolstering their defense. Arvidsson is good enough where he'd be most effective in the top-6. Nashville could be that spot again for the 31-year-old, but only for potentially 3-5 years.

Tier 2 - Depth Pieces

It's less of a need for the Predators to bring in an external depth piece with all of the talent the organization has. There's pending free agents that the Predators know and contributed, while there's also some young players who rightfully deserve a good look to make the team next season.

There are four former players I categorize as depth pieces. They include Craig Smith, Nick Cousins, Yakov Trenin, and Colin Blackwell.

Smith had the best years of his career for the Predators, but he is aging and a fourth line player at best at this point. Even though the Predators' bottom-6 veterans aren't as old at Smith, they are still present and don't need any more.

Related: Predators Have to Move or Lose One of Tomasino, Parssinen, or Afanasyev

Cousins is a great player to get under the opponents' skin and he has been healthy scratched for the Florida Panthers as of late, but again, the Panthers would be electing to bring in a 30-year-old who hasn't played a ton in favor of younger players the team might lose if they don't make the NHL squad next season.

Trenin is a recent departure, being moved at the trade deadline to the Colorado Avalanche. Even though he was a decent player, the Predators moved on from him for a reason. They believed there was an upgrade and even though Nashville was in a playoff spot, deciding Trenin wasn't the player to help with the run.

Colin Blackwell may very well re-sign with the Chicago Blackhawks, but nothing is set at this point. He started his NHL career in Nashville and is nothing special. He would likely also not make the team in Nashville either as he's arguably the worst of these depth players even though his numbers aren't bad.

Tier 3 - Organizational Depth

This final tier consists of players who should be seen as organizational depth. They may get in some NHL games, but the best place for them is in the AHL serving as veterans who could be called up if there's injuries or needs.

Austin Watson played for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season and got into 33 games, averaging just 7:15 of ice time. The Lightning were very tight on cap and needed players on league minimum deals to step up. Watson didn't really do that.

Jarred Tinordi played for the Blackhawks this season and part of the prior one after being claimed on waivers. The Blackhawks aren't a very good team and Tinordi was just a veteran piece to eat up games while the great defensive prospect pool develops. He won't return, but there's also not many places he would get any time in the NHL anymore either, especially not on a playoff contender like the Predators.

Philippe Myers also played for the Lightning this season, getting into just five games this season and averaging less than 12 minutes per game. He played just 27 games for the Predators and was nothing special. He has become an AHL defenseman at this point.

Rem Pitlick also played for the Blackhawks this season. Even though he was much more of an AHL player also, he did very well, producing 57 points in 59 games. With the graduation of a few of the forward prospects to the NHL next season, he could be a depth possibility to keep doing what he's been doing at that level and maybe get a few games in at the NHL level for the Predators.

John Leonard is very much an AHL player and that isn't going to change. He's played 12 total games in the NHL over the past two seasons, six coming on the Predators in 2022-23. He's a solid AHL player to have and did put up 44 points for the Milwaukee Admirals the year he was with the organization, so I could see Nashville showing some interest there.

In general, I think it may be best for the Predators to think big rather than going back to past players besides a possible few mentioned. Nashville has to get better and not many former players who will likely be free agents can help the team get better. That or the wounds haven't healed.

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