NHL Trade Rumors: Predators' Moving On From Jonathan Marchessault

It's sounding more and more like Jonathan Marchessault's days as a Nashville Predator are coming to an end.

After signing a lucrative long-term contract with the Preds a couple of summers ago, the speedy winger hasn't been able to reach the expectations that were placed on him once he signed his deal, alongside several other vets, and now the Preds are going to retool on the fly. Marchessault is a prime trade candidate heading into the offseason.

The 35-year-old winger scored 12 goals in 62 games last season, and chipped in with 31 points, while averaging just under 17 minutes of ice-time per game. Marchessault's making $5.5 million AAV for three more seasons and owns a full no-movement clause.

Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin has Marchessault very high on his current offseason trade board as the Stanley Cup Playoffs are wrapping up:

Is Marchessault worth taking on for three more seasons? Was his 42-goal campaign at 33 years old an extreme outlier a couple seasons back? Given his competitiveness and playoff success, he’d still be a pretty nice depth add if the Predators retained some money. They don’t have a GM yet, but the organizational thinking suggests Marchessault is the most likely veteran on the team to get dealt this offseason, Di Marco reported earlier this month.

The Predators are going to be a team to watch once they get their front office in place, as ownership wants their roster retooled on the fly, and don't be surprised to see a few Predators shipped out of town, including Marchessault, as likely the first target. There was a lot of talk about Patrik Laine for Marchessault ahead of the trade deadline, but trade talks fizzled out. 

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