In the 16th of a 32 part series leading up to the start of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, we will look at the key off-season transactions made by all NHL organizations with an overall grade. Here are the Nashville Predators.
The Predators acquired one new forward and two new defensemen expected to crack the roster on opening night. They are forward Erik Haula of Pori, Finland, defenseman Nicolas Hague of Kitchener, Ontario and defenseman Nick Perbix of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hague and Perbix are expected to be the Predators’s third defensive pairing.
Erik Haula
Haula is returning to the Predators after playing the 2020-21 NHL season there. He was traded on June 18 by the New Jersey Devils to the Predators for defenseman Jeremy Hanzel of Coquitlam, British Columbia and a fourth round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The Devils selected goaltender Trenten Bennett of Kitchener, Ontario. This season Haula is expected to be on the Predators’s third line alongside Michael Bunting and Zachary L’Heureux. He has also played with the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins.
In 69 games, Haula had 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points. He was a -6 with 39 penalty minutes, five power-play points, one game-winning goal, 110 shots on goal, 378 faceoff wins, 35 blocked shots, 101 hits, 14 takeaways, and 44 giveaways. Haula’s game-winning goal came in a 3-1 Devils win over the Philadelphia Flyers on March 9. Haula scored from Canadian defensemen Jonathan Kovacevic and Brendan Dillon at 5:39 of the second period, and put the Devils up 2-0 at the time.
Nicolas Hague
Hague was traded from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Predators on June 30 with a third round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft for forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. Everybody in the world and their dog knew why the Golden Knights made the deal–so they had cap space to acquire Mitch Marner. After acquiring Hague, Nashville signed him to a four year contract worth $22 million.
Hague has spent the last six seasons in Vegas and won a Stanley Cup in 2023. In 68 games in 2024-25, he had five goals and seven assists for 12 points. Hague was a -2 with 40 penalty minutes, one game-winning goal, 74 shots on goal, 74 blocked shots, 82 hits, 18 takeaways, and 56 giveaways. Hague’s game winner came on December 21 in a 6-2 Vegas win over the Seattle Kraken. Hague scored from veteran forwards Mark Stone and Jack Eichel with two minutes and 12 seconds left in the first period to put the Golden Knights up 3-1 at the time.
Nick Perbix
Perbix signed a two-year deal worth $5.5 million with the Predators on Canada Day. He had played the last three seasons with the Lightning. In 2024-25, Perbix scored six goals and had 13 assists for 19 points. He was a +8 with 20 penalty minutes, one game-winning goal, 66 shots on goal, 67 blocked shots, 50 hits, 21 takeaways, and 62 giveaways. Perbix’s game-winning goal came on December 19 in a 3-1 Lightning win over the St. Louis Blues. Perbix scored from Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point at 3:42 of the second period and put Tampa up 2-0 at the time.
Projected Grade
The Predators were very active in the offseason a year ago and the transactions made did not lead to positive results. They were expected to be in contention for a Stanley Cup, and they were not even remotely close. Nashville was 28 points out of a playoff spot. You would think the Predators would make wholesale changes, but GM Barry Trotz has stayed status quo, believing in the veteran corps (Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, Jonathan Marchessault, Roman Josi and Juuse Saros). It is a good thing someone believes in the Predators. I do not. The Predators offseason grade is a F.
