It's officially trade season for the Nashville Predators.

With the news yesterday from Frank Seravalli that David Poile is "ready to consider" trading Mattias Ekholm, added to the quiet rumors that Nashville might deal pending RFA Dante Fabbro before the deadline, it's time to stoke the fires of speculation once again.

Who might the Predators consider trading away at the deadline? What might they get in return? Do they even have enough leverage to get a deal done?

Let's dive in to the latest rumors involved Ekholm and Fabbro.

Dante Fabbro on the move?

Rumors that Dante Fabbro might be a trade piece for David Poile have been popping up since the beginning of the season. The 24-year-old defenseman is currently in the 2nd year of a two-year, $4.8 million deal he signed in the summer of 2021. He was an RFA then, and he will remain an RFA upon the expiration of this contract in 2023.

As far as why Poile might feel comfortable trading Fabbro, there's a few reasons. One is that Fabbro's qualifying offer for his next contract might be too high a price to pay. The Predators are up against the salary cap and have a number of important pieces (Cody Glass, Tanner Jeannot, Alex Carrier, among others) that they need to keep. Fabbro's minimum qualifying offer would be at the same $2.4 million AAV he is currently being paid.

Is he worth that? Hard to say.

Fabbro has been used in a top four role frequently, and he had a career season last year with 24 points in 66 games. But he's also been scratched from playoff games and was recently a healthy scratch in favor of AHL defenseman Roland McKeown. It seems like the current coaching staff isn't entirely convinced of his skills and might be willing to move on.

The other reason he might be traded is the Preds might have cheaper options in house. Jordan Gross has shown signs of promise in his 10 games with the Preds this season. He's older, but a lot less expensive. Then there's Spencer Stastney and Jack Matier, both recent draft picks, that have had good seasons in the AHL and OHL.

Also consider that Alex Carrier is also an RFA in 2023 and his qualifying offer is much lower than Fabbro's. With Carrier seeing much more action (he's averaging about two minutes more per game than Fabbro), the Preds could be in a "pick one, but not both" situation with the two young defensemen.

What could the Preds get for Fabbro?

Finding similar trades for this is difficult. Not many restricted free agent defensemen come available during the season, so it's tough to judge the market.

Ethan Bear, once seen as a promising blueliner, was traded twice recently: once in the summer of 2021, when Bear went from Edmonton to Carolina straight up for Warren Foegele. Then Carolina sent Bear to Vancouver for a 5th round pick in what was essentially a cap dump.

Then there is Philippe Myers. Though Myers is hardly the same player as Fabbro, Myers was a part of two trades while an RFA, once to Nashville in the Ryan Ellis deal, then again to Tampa in the Ryan McDonagh deal. But honestly, the two players are just so different (Fabbro is a much, much better prospect and player than Myers) that it's probably not fair to compare.

Adam Boqvist was a part of the massive deal between Columbus and Chicago that sent Seth Jones to the Blackhawks. But Boqvist has a higher ceiling than Fabbro and, honestly, that deal was so complicated and way more about Jones than Boqvist.

The only other similar trade that comes to mind is Ryan Murray back in 2018. He was sent to New Jersey from Columbus for a 5th round pick. In exchange, New Jersey took on his awful $4.6 million cap hit. Another cap dump.

So this is difficult to judge, but given that Fabbro's usage is down, and that the Preds don't have much leverage in a deal, I can't see them getting anything higher than a 3rd round pick for Fabbro. Taking on Fabbro's salary and QO might take some convincing for competing teams who might only see him as a depth option.

What about Mattias Ekholm?

When news dropped yesterday that Ekholm might be on the trade block, many were surprised. David Poile spent so much work getting Ekholm signed to an extension, would he really trade him away now? Would he really trade away another high priced defenseman?

But trading Ekholm isn't so far fetched.

For one, he has a lot of value right now as a bonafide top four defenseman that plays in all situations. He has a good track record as an offensive defenseman (five 30-plus point outputs in seven full seasons) and he's the perfect blend of size, physicality, and speed for a Cup-contending team looking for more beef in their game.

Let's look at some comparisons.

In January 2019, the Kings traded Jake Muzzin to the Leafs for two prospects (Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi) and a first round pick. Muzzin then signed an extension with Toronto at a $5.6 million AAV for four years. 

Not a perfect comparison, but close. Muzzin was a top defenseman for Los Angeles with great offensive numbers. The biggest difference is he was seen as a rental with option to sign and Ekholm is already signed through 2026, albeit at a higher price. 

In February 2020, Alec Martinez was traded from Los Angeles to Vegas for two 2nd round picks. At the time, Martinez had one more year on his contract worth $4 million per year. The Golden Knights then signed Martinez to a three year extension at $5.25 million per year. 

This is probably a better comparison. Martinez was exactly the same age then (32) that Ekholm is now. Plus he played as a top four defenseman for years in L.A. and had some offense in his game (though Ekholm has been more consistent).

Finally, Hampus Lindholm was traded from the Ducks to the Bruins in March 2022 for two players (John Moore, Urho Vaakanainen), a 1st round pick, and two 2nd round picks. At the time, Lindholm was a rental. Then Boston signed him to a surprising eight-year, $56 million deal at an $6.5 million AAV. 

Lindholm is younger than Ekholm, plus has a higher ceiling. His AAV is probably too high, but Boston got their guy to replace Zdeno Chara and didn't mind overpaying. Ekholm won't get the same return that Lindholm got.

What could the Preds get for Ekholm?

Given all this, the return for Ekholm would not be meager. His cap hit is high, but he brings so much to the table it would be hard for GMs to pass on him. Negotiating will be frenzied, with many teams jumping in, driving the price up.

If they trade Ekholm, I would expect the Nashville Predators to get either: one 1st round pick and a high end prospect OR two 2nd round picks and a high end prospect.

— Featured image via Perry Nelson/USA TODAY Sports —