Predators Trade Rumors: Steven Stamkos Heading Back to Tampa Bay?

The Nashville Predators are open for business, and veteran forward Steven Stamkos is starting to draw a ton of attention on the trade market. The only issue is, Stamkos owns a full no-movement clause, and has all the say in the matter, and he's apparently not interested in very many teams outside of Nashville.

Rumor has it, Stamkos would prefer to stay in Nashville and work himself out of this hole with his current teammates, or, he'd like to return to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Yes, it was quite the low-ball offer the Lightning provided to him before he decided to jump ship to the Predators, but time heals, and with the Lightning on top of the Atlantic Division, adding Stamkos to the mix could make them a serious Stanley Cup contender.

Stamkos earns $8 million AAV for two more seasons, and so far through 23 games, has scored five times and added two assists. The Predators are going to have to retain some money on any Stamkos trade, and if it's Tampa Bay, that will be no different. The Lightning don't have very much cap space, so they'll need to get creative, and get a third team involved to lessen the money winding up on their cap.

TSN's Darren Dreger reported the Predators are indeed listening to offers on Stamkos, and Jonathan Marchessault recently. Daily Faceoff released their new trade board, and Stamkos was ranked 3rd on the board, and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman also thinks it's a matter of when, and not if.

Stamkos is inching toward the twilight seasons of his Hall of Fame career. He’s not the superstar he was in his Tampa Bay Lightning glory days. But couldn’t he still help a contender as a cog in a high-functioning machine who assists the power play with his one-timer? Picture late-career Brett Hull as a Detroit Red Wing. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested on Morning Cuppa Hockey earlier this month, it’s a matter of finding a team with the right Stamkos-facilitating playmaker.

Keep an eye on the Predators. The trade talks are active as they've been all season, and with the team not meeting expectations, GM Barry Trotz will need to throw the towel in on this season, and reset his franchise.

Photo credit:  Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images