Predators prepared for trades as deadline nears

If all goes according to precedent, Predators general manager David Poile will bite his lip, cross his fingers and pull the trigger on at least one significant deal sometime before the NHL's March 2 trade deadline.

Nashville after all, is atop the NHL standings and looking like a team that could make a serious run in the playoffs.

When similar scenarios existed in the past, Poile did not hesitate in attempts to bolster the roster for the postseason, acquiring the likes of Steve Sullivan, Peter Forsberg, Mike Fisher and Andrei Kostitsyn — among others — leading up to the trade deadline.

The price was always steep, however, as the Predators surrendered multiple early-round picks — including four first-rounders — over the past decade. And the reward is not always great, considering Nashville has never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs.

Still, Poile said if he finds a deal he thinks will make his team that much better, he'll do what he feels is right — even if it hurts.

"I've done it in the past. But it's painful. Only one team ends up winning it all," he said. "So at the end of the day, if you win the Stanley Cup or you win some playoff rounds, it doesn't matter whether you gave up the first pick or a lot of your picks. You're a happy camper. But when you lose out in the first round, it's like, 'Really?' "

The Predators were especially active trade-deadline dealers from 2010-12, adding defenseman Denis Grebeshkov, Fisher, defenseman Hal Gill, Kostitsyn and center Paul Gaustad.

But the price tags were predictably heavy, as Poile surrendered two first-round picks (2011 and 2012), three second-round picks (2010, 2012 and 2013) and one third-round pick (2012) in those deals. The Predators lost in the first round of the 2010 playoffs, and in the second round in 2011 and 2012.

If there was a silver lining to not making the playoffs the last two years, it was the fact that the organization held on to its early-round picks (even adding a 2014 second-rounder as part of the deal that sent David Legwand to Detroit), dealt veteran Marty Erat for Filip Forsberg, and made a combined 16 selections in the draft the past two years.

The future looks brighter thanks to those moves. The Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators' top minor-league affiliate, was 13-1-2 in its last 16 games heading into Friday night.

"The last two years haven't been fun from the standpoint that we haven't made the playoffs, but as an organization, we've moved in a direction that we wanted to," Poile said. "We've made a lot of changes and now we've brought the team back in a competitive situation. The cupboard is becoming more full in Milwaukee with prospects than it was when we lost out to Phoenix in the playoffs (in 2012)."

So what might interest the Predators over the next few weeks? Here are some positions and names that might make sense:

Defensive depth. The Predators have a very talented and offensive-minded defensive corps when everyone is healthy, but outside of Shea Weber, Roman Josi and Anton Volchenkov, there's not a lot of experience on the blueline.

Nashville would be well-served to add at least one quality defenseman, most likely a player with size who is good in his own end and can log a decent amount of minutes. Some players that might fit the bill are Ottawa's Marc Methot, Colorado's Jan Hejda, Carolina's Andrej Sekera and Arizona's Zbynek Michalek.

Center depth. The Predators have fared well offensively with their one-two punch of Mike Ribeiro and Fisher, but scoring becomes more challenging in the postseason and it would be good to have more options in the middle. Along the same lines, injuries have to be expected in the playoffs, another good reason more is better.

It would be pretty challenging to find a No. 1 center at the deadline. But some players that could supplement Ribeiro and Fisher are Arizona's Antoine Vermette, Colorado's Ryan O'Reilly (if he's on the market), Colorado's Daniel Briere and even former Predator Mike Santorelli, now with Toronto.

Scoring depth. The situation on the wings is similar to that at center. The Predators have very good combinations on their top two lines with Filip Forsberg, Craig Smith, Colin Wilson and James Neal. But then there's a drop-off, which could pose challenges if there are injuries or if the playoff foe is particularly stingy.

It also wouldn't hurt to add a little size and attitude, even if those players aren't on the top two lines.

Some wingers that might be of interest: Buffalo's Chris Stewart, Dallas' Erik Cole (who played for Predators coach Peter Laviolette in Carolina), Carolina's Jiri Tlusty and New Jersey's Jaromir Jagr.

"We're calling teams and letting them know that if they had certain (players) available, we'd be interested in talking — just planting the seeds," Poile said. "We'll explore a number of avenues and specific players. If we can acquire one of them, that would be great. If we can't … I think we're pretty happy with what we have here and the depth we have in our organization, both here and in Milwaukee."

Stalberg, Aronson switch: The Predators recalled forward Viktor Stalberg from Milwaukee on Friday and reassigned defenseman Taylor Aronson to Milwaukee.

Reach John Glennon at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @glennonsports.

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LONG-TERM IMPACTS

The Predators have added plenty of "rentals" at the trade deadline over the years, players who moved on after short stints in Nashville. But the Predators held on to some of their trade acquisitions as well. Here are three players who stuck around well after the initial season in which they arrived (*still with team):