5 Roman Josi Offseason Trade Landing Spots Amid NHL Rumors

With the Nashville Predators looking like they are about to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive year, and with a new general manager set to arrive at the start of the 2026-27 season, it could be a major offseason of change for the franchise.

Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Ryan O'Reilly could all be on the move. In most of those cases, they probably should be on the move. But there is another big name in Nashville that could also be shopped as part of an inevitable rebuild, and it is longtime standout defenseman, Roman Josi.

Josi has spent his entire career with the Predators to this point and still has two years remaining on his current contract, just a little over $9 million per season against the salary cap. It is an expensive contract, and he will be 36 next season, but he remains a legitimate top-pairing defenseman and could be an attractive player for potential contenders. He could also be an intriguing trade chip for the Predators if they decide to fully commit to a rebuild.

So let's take a look at five potential trade landing spots should it come to that, and if he were to be willing to waive his no-movement clause. We are mostly just looking for teams that would make sense from a hockey standpoint and teams that could be a good match.

Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Blue Jackets have quickly become an intriguing team, and not just for this season. Their long-term outlook is also outstanding.

They have an entirely different look under new head coach Rick Bowness, a strong collection of young talent to build around (and use as trade bait), some current high-end players on the roster, and they are absolutely loaded with salary cap space going into the offseason. Given their cap space, potential trade assets, and full allotment of first-round picks, they could be an attractive trade partner for a soon-to-be rebuilding team, Nashville.

The team's rise into contention could also make them an attractive option for Josi.

He would give them a potentially dominant 1-2 punch on defense alongside Zach Werenski and could help turn what looks to be a playoff team into a serious contender.

Anaheim Ducks

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Another young, up-and-coming team is the Anaheim Ducks, and they also look like a playoff team this season. Even if they are a very flawed playoff team. Anaheim's biggest issue in the short-term (and long-term) is its defensive play and power play, and they attempted to address that at the trade deadline by acquiring another big-name veteran defenseman in John Carlson from the Washington Capitals.

While that is a big move for the stretch run of this season and the playoffs, Carlson is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and there is no guarantee he returns to Anaheim in the offseason.

He is not the only defenseman in that situation for the Ducks.

As of this moment, Anaheim has just two defensemen under contract for next season, as Carlson, Jacob Trouba, and Radko Gudas are all set to be unrestricted free agents after this season. They also have three pending restricted free agents who will need new contracts.

They not only have a big need for a defensive upgrade, but they also simply need people to fill out their defense. Josi would be a big-time upgrade across the board, while also bringing some serious leadership and experience to a young team that needs a little bit of both.

Seattle Kraken

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The Kraken are a very fringe playoff team that needs more help offensively and something that at least resembles an impact player. That player could be a forward. A defenseman. Somebody who can make an impact.

They just do not have anywhere near enough of those players to make a difference. Josi may not be the ideal long-term fit given his age, and he may not get them a Stanley Cup right away, but he could at least help make them a formidable team and perhaps get them over the hump into the playoffs.

Seattle has very little scoring punch from its defense, and Josi, even at age 35, can still bring a lot of it.

The biggest question would be about Josi's willingness to go to a Seattle team that is not a guaranteed contender.

San Jose Sharks

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The Sharks have taken a nice step forward this season and have at least become a competitive hockey team. They are on the fringes of playoff contention and are loaded with elite young talent that should be the foundation of a contending team for the next decade. They just need something that can help them bring it all together.

A veteran defenseman like Josi could be that sort of player.

They need more immediate help on defense, especially in producing offense. Their leading scorers from the blue line this season are Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg, and neither one of them has topped 30 points yet. They are the only two defensemen on the roster who even have a chance to reach that mark.

Josi already has 45 points in only 56 games.

They have one of the best players in Macklin Celebrini, who has not even started to reach his prime years yet. The window for contention is still opening. They need to make a big effort to start adding more immediate help around him.

Florida Panthers

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This is one of those situations that makes sense from a hockey standpoint but would be really difficult to actually pull off. But you can never rule out a team like Florida making a big move like this in the offseason.

There is no way they are going to accept a down year like this without some kind of major change.

Aleksander Barkov will be back healthy.

Matthew Tkachuk should be there for a full season.

There is every reason to believe they can get back to being a Stanley Cup-contending team with some better injury luck and a fresh start. But even with all of that, they could still use an upgrade to the left side of their defense, and Josi would be the type of big-name and big-talent that could (and should) appeal to them.

The salary cap would be an obstable.

They do not have a lot of trade capital.

But there are always ways around that and ways to create salary cap space and acquire more tradable assets. It would also probably not take much to convince Josi to go there and make a serious run at the Stanley Cup, which is the one big thing his career resume is still missing at this point.