Blade of Steel has no direct affiliation to the NHL or NHLPA
BLADE OF STEEL  |  NHL  |  TRADES

Top trade deadline targets reveals his preferred next destination


PUBLICATION
Austin Sabourin
February 27, 2026  (11:33)
SHARE THIS STORY

Hockey rink
Photo credit: Screenshot x

Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette might lose veteran center Steven Stamkos as the trade deadline rapidly approaches.

The future Hall of Famer currently holds an ironclad no-move clause built into his contract. He firmly dictates his own future.
Management is aggressively evaluating the entire roster after a remarkably inconsistent winter. The franchise sits just four points outside of a Western Conference wildcard spot right now.
His camp is being extremely proactive behind the scenes. The superstar forward already prepared a strict shortlist of acceptable landing spots.
He is officially willing to waive his protection for three specific franchises if Nashville decides to punt on the campaign.
A massive locker room shakeup feels inevitable if the losses keep piling up over the upcoming road trip.

Three teams Stamkos would go to

The Tampa Bay Lightning sit right at the absolute top of his personal wish list.
Returning to the organization where he spent 16 legendary seasons and hoisted two Stanley Cups is a massive storyline. The fans would erupt.
The Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild completely round out his extremely exclusive list of preferred destinations. Both rosters desperately need a proven clutch performer.
The New Jersey Devils are also loosely on his radar after they heavily pursued him in free agency two summers ago.
With 28 goals and 44 points already in the bank through 57 games, he is single-handedly carrying a massive chunk of the offensive output down in Smashville.
His current contract carries a hefty $8 million cap hit for another two seasons beyond this one.
That heavy financial commitment means a complex summer blockbuster is vastly more realistic than a chaotic mid-season scramble. Teams rarely have that kind of cap space lying around in March.
The front office must prepare for absolutely every possible scenario right now.
POLL
FEVRIER 27|96 ANSWERS
Top trade deadline targets reveals his preferred next destination

Should the Nashville Predators trade Steven Stamkos to Tampa Bay?

Yes5456.3 %
No4243.8 %
List of polls

BLADE OF STEEL
COPYRIGHT @2026 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TERMS OF SERVICE - PRIVACY POLICY - COOKIE POLICY
RSS FEED - SITEMAP - ROBOTS.TXT