Trotz: 'No chance' Predators trade Stamkos
Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz shut down rumors that Steven Stamkos could be on the move less than a year into his tenure with the club.
"There's no chance," Trotz told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "I believe that you have to have good players that compete in this league. This league is too good. You need the veteran players to carry the way. They have to carry a good piece of the load so that your young guys can be slotted correctly and have success and grow."
The Predators signed Stamkos to a four-year deal July 1. The team also inked Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in free agency, but the big-ticket additions haven't yielded any success, as Nashville sits last in the NHL through 32 games.
Trotz said in November that he'd begin the club's rebuild plan if the Predators don't start winning. However, the idea appears to be smaller moves with an eye for the future rather than orchestrating a seismic trade.
"It's not a rebuild," Trotz said. "I'm not in the business of not winning. I'm in the business of trying to win. We're not selling off. We are resetting. We know where we are. It's not where we thought we would be."
The Predators have already traded away Scott Wedgewood, Philip Tomasino, and Alexandre Carrier this season. There doesn't appear to be any more moves on the horizon in Music City.
"Unless there's something that knocks my socks off, I'm going to be pretty quiet now," Trotz said. "I've done a lot of business."
Nashville is 12 points back of a wild-card spot at 9-17-6.