The Predators have added their third forward to the roster in two days, trading for Arizona’s Jason Zucker.
In exchange, Nashville sent a 2024 sixth-round draft pick to the Coyotes. The Predators also reportedly picked up all $5.3 million of Zucker’s contract this season. Zucker will be a free agent after this season.
The deal happened just a few hours before the NHL’s 2 p.m. trade deadline on March 8.
A 13-year pro, the 32-year-old Zucker has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 51 games for Arizona this season.
But he has posted six seasons with at least 20 goals, including the 2022-23 season, when Zucker scored 27 goals and added 21 assists while playing for Pittsburgh. A California native, Zucker also adds postseason experience, as he has appeared in 46 playoff games, totaling eight goals and seven assists.
The deal will require the Predators to make a roster move, as the team is already at its limit of 23.
On Thursday, the Predators added forward Anthony Beauvillier via trade, sending a fifth-round pick to Chicago for him. In addition, Nashville claimed former Los Angeles Kings forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan off waivers. The Predators also traded forward Yakov Trenin to Colorado as part of a deal that brought a 2025 third-round pick in return.
A few weeks ago, a struggling Predators team looked poised to sell at the deadline, but a string of eight straight wins — and a record of 9-0-1 in the last 10 games — changed everything. Nashville, currently in a playoff position, became a buyer and also signed center Tommy Novak, whose name had surfaced in trade speculation, to a three-year, $10.5 million contract.
This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.
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