The Nashville Predators held forward Gustav Nyquist out of Saturday's clash against the New York Islanders to protect his health in the event of a trade, the team confirmed.

The Minnesota Wild and Predators are discussing a potential deal for the veteran, though the move is still not done, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Minnesota acquired Nyquist prior to the 2023 trade deadline, and he added five points in three regular-season games plus five assists in six playoff outings.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Nyquist has recorded nine goals - four of which have been empty-netters - and 21 points in 57 games this campaign for the struggling Predators. He notched a career-high 52 assists and 75 points in 81 outings in 2023-24.

Nyquist carries a cap hit of $3.185 million and his deal doesn't include any trade protection. He joined Nashville as a free agent in July 2023 after his stint with the Wild.

The 35-year-old represented Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, chipping in one goal against the United States.

Nyquist is in the midst of his 13th NHL season. He's amassed 207 goals and 524 points in 841 games split between the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Wild, and Predators.

Detroit selected him in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft.

Nashville entered Saturday's action in 30th place overall with a 21-30-7 record and virtually no chance of making the playoffs.