SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 01: Cody McLeod #55 of the Nashville Predators looks on during the game against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on November 1, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)

At almost 35 years old, Nashville Predators forward Cody McLeod finds himself heading into free agency on July 1st, but his future in the NHL is murky.

Cody McLeod is undoubtedly one of the best enforcers to play in the NHL as he holds the Colorado Avalanche‘s all-time penalty minutes record and has a career 1,630 penalty minutes. Although he played for the Avalanche for 10 seasons, it seems that McLeod has begun to find his groove with the Nashville Predators in the back half of his career.

After playing two seasons with Nashville from 2016-2018, he was a fan favorite that protected his teammates and helped pave the way for the Predators to reach the Stanley Cup in the 2016-17 season.

When he joined the Predators in the 2016-17 season, McLeod was a workhorse in the playoffs where he battled bruising enforcers like Jared Boll and Ryan Reaves. By dropping the gloves and being a physical presence, McLeod gave his teammates comfort and room to work.

After being claimed off of waivers in 2018, he briefly played with the New York Rangers for over a season before being traded back to Nashville before the 2018-19 trade deadline.

With Nashville in the 2018-19 season, McLeod only played seven games where he registered seven penalty minutes.

Although he was brought back to be a physical presence in the playoffs, he was a healthy scratch every game in the series (a series in which Nashville lost to Dallas in six games).

McLeod is about to head into NHL free agency with 776 NHL games played, 72 career goals, 52 career assists and 1,630 penalty minutes.

In a league where the enforcer role is being diminished, it is hard to see McLeod getting a lot of offers. However, he is still one of the toughest guys in the NHL and would be serviceable to a team lacking grit.

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It would not be surprising if the Predators re-sign McLeod on a small scale deal. The Predators have no physical presence in their lineup and need somebody to help protect their skill players. Given the circumstances, there is no better enforcer to protect the Predators’ star players than McLeod.