The Nashville Predators‘ busy summer has left them with a math problem: 26 players on the projected NHL roster and a league maximum of 23 by opening night. Lyle Richardson of Spector’s Hockey wrote Monday that Ilya Lyubushkin, Jonathan Marchessault and Joakim Kemell are the likeliest candidates to be moved as general manager Chris MacFarland trims the group.
The crunch is a direct product of the front office’s aggressive July. Nashville acquired Mavrik Bourque and Lyubushkin from Dallas on July 1, then signed Bourque to a six-year, $33 million extension within the week, and added veteran forward Alex Kerfoot in free agency. Bringing in three roster players without sending three out means someone has to go, and Richardson’s reporting sketches how the front office may see the pecking order.
Per Richardson, Lyubushkin is doubted to ever play a game for the Predators — his inclusion was largely a mechanism to complete the Bourque trade — and could be dealt during training camp to a team needing blueline depth. Marchessault is a harder case: the 35-year-old winger’s production has declined across his two seasons in Nashville, and his $5.5 million cap hit runs through 2028-29, which limits the market unless the Predators retain salary or take a contract back. Kemell, the 22-year-old former first-round pick, could also be moved, with Richardson noting his development at the AHL level has stalled.
Trades are not the only path — waiver-exempt players can be assigned to Milwaukee — but the specific names here suggest the roster decisions have hardened into asset decisions. My read: a Lyubushkin deal in September is close to a formality, while Marchessault is the one to watch, because moving that contract would tell us Nashville is prioritizing cap flexibility for the next move rather than veteran insurance for this season.
For fantasy managers, the actionable name is Kemell. He carries no redraft value in Nashville’s current logjam, but a trade would be a meaningful dynasty signal — a change of scenery with NHL opportunity attached is the classic reset for a stalled former first-rounder. Marchessault is droppable in all but the deepest leagues unless he lands somewhere with top-six minutes and power-play time.
