5 Landing Spots and Trade Ideas for Nashville Predators Winger Filip Forsberg

On Feb. 23, Bally Sports Midwest's Andy Strickland took to Twitter to report that the Nashville Predators were "actively shopping" Filip Forsberg. The 27-year-old left winger is completing a six-year contract worth $6 million per season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Two days later, Predators general manager David Poile denied Strickland's report when speaking to The Athletic's Jeff Rexrode, claiming the goal remained to sign Forsberg to a contract extension. Strickland told Rexrode he stood by his sources but acknowledged "due diligence" would have been a better phrase. Meanwhile, Robby Stanley of Nashville's 102.5 The Game tweeted that he had been told Forsberg hadn't requested a trade.

Forsberg leads the Predators in goals this season with 27 and sits third among their scorers with 45 points. Poile appears determined to get him under contract before the March 21 trade deadline. However, the Predators GM could be gauging the winger's value in the trade market in case an agreement on a deal cannot be reached before deadline day.

That would be an unusual move for a club holding a wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Teams in that situation usually retain their pending UFAs for the playoffs despite the risk of losing them for nothing in the offseason. Poile, however, could prefer to trade Forsberg for future assets instead of possibly seeing him walk away this summer.

It will be interesting to see what teams express an interest in acquiring Forsberg's services if he hits the trade block. It could be a Stanley Cup contender such as the Colorado Avalanche seeing a rental left wing scorer Perhaps a rebuilding club with lots of cap space and trade assets could be interested if Poile gives them permission to talk to Forsberg's camp about a new contract.

Here's a look at five potential landing spots for Forsberg before the trade deadline and what it might cost to acquire him from the Predators. Feel free to voice your thoughts on this topic in the comments section.

Colorado Avalanche

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The top team in the NHL's overall standings, the Colorado Avalanche can be considered among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season. They have been linked to Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux, but perhaps they could give consideration to Filip Forsberg as a playoff rental.

Giroux, 34, is a versatile two-way player who plays all three forward positions. He's an impending UFA like Forsberg but carries a cap hit of $8.275 million for this season. Forsberg is a more offensive-minded left winger, but his $6 million cap hit is more affordable. Giroux is the better all-around player, but Forsberg provides more speed and scoring punch.

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is the team's only pure scorer at left wing. Forsberg could mesh well on the second line alongside center Nazem Kadri, who's enjoying a career-best performance in his contract year. Add Andre Burakovsky at right wing, and the Avs would boast two lethal forward lines.

With $3.9 million in projected trade deadline cap space, the Avs have some wiggle room to add the remainder of Forsberg's cap hit. They could also ask the Predators to retain some of his cap hit. Colorado also lacks first and second-round picks in this year's draft. The Avalanche might have to part with a couple of quality prospects such as Oskar Olausson and Justin Barron as part of the return.

Detroit Red Wings

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings have made a substantial improvement this season, thanks in part to rising young stars Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. While they are expected to fall short of reaching the playoffs this season—they are 13 points off a wild-card spot—this club has a promising future, one that could be reached sooner with the addition of an experienced goalscorer such as Forsberg.

Scoring has been thin on left wing for the Red Wings this season. Jakub Vrana has yet to suit up after undergoing shoulder surgery in September. Filip Zadina, a first-round pick in 2018, is struggling to establish himself as a top-six forward with the Wings, while versatile forward Vladislav Namestnikov could depart this summer via free agency.

Forsberg could provide a welcome long-term boost to their offense if he would be willing to sign a contract extension. He could seek more than $8.5 million per season, but the Wings can afford it with just $44.1 million invested in 14 active roster players for 2022-23 and all their core players under contract.

General manager Steve Yzerman could package his 2022 first-rounder along with a prospect such as William Wallinder and perhaps Zadina, who might benefit from a change of scenery. Yzerman has carefully built this team with youth, but it might be time to make a big move that accelerates the process and turns them into genuine playoff contenders.

Los Angeles Kings

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Jockeying for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings could benefit from the addition of an experienced sniper such as Forsberg. Only the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers have a lower goals-per-game average than the Kings (2.96) among the 16 teams holding playoff spots as of Monday.

The Kings have just one sniper in their ranks in Adrian Kempe, who has a team-leading 25 goals this season. Forsberg could skate on the top line alongside Kempe and center Anze Kopitar or he could play on the second line with center Phillip Danault and former Predators linemate Viktor Arvidsson.

Depending on what Forsberg seeks on a new contract, he wouldn't have to be a rental player for the Kings. They have $57.9 million invested in 12 active roster players for 2022-23, with Kempe and aging winger Dustin Brown being their most notable free agents. Forsberg could prove a worthwhile long-term addition if he fits in well on their roster.

The Kings also have $7.9 million in projected trade deadline cap room to take on the remainder of Forsberg's contract, though they could still request the Predators retain some of it. They possess plenty of promising young players, such as Alex Turcotte, Gabriel Vilardi, Francesco Pinelli and Jordan Spence, to dangle as trade bait.

New Jersey Devils

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald showed his willingness to make bold moves when he signed defenseman Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year, $63 million contract last summer. Perhaps he will consider another by making a pitch for Forsberg.

The Devils have improved offensively this season, as their 3.00 goals-per-game ranks 15th overall. However, they are lacking a skilled scoring winger to skate alongside talented young center Jack Hughes on their top line or with captain Nico Hischier on the second line. Adding someone like Forsberg, especially if he's willing to sign an extension, would go a long way to addressing that issue.

With $58 million committed to 14 active players for 2022-23, the Devils have the cap space to sign Forsberg to a lucrative long-term deal while leaving enough room to re-sign key players such as Jesper Bratt and Miles Wood to new contracts.

Former first-round pick Pavel Zacha could be an interesting trade chip. He's a restricted free agent with arbitration rights who hasn't blossomed into the scorer he was expected to be and might benefit from a trade. Fitzgerald could afford to part with his first-round pick given his club's depth in promising youngsters. He could also include a prospect such as Nolan Foote or a young player like Tyce Thompson.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Sitting fourth in the league with a 3.65 goals-per-game average, the Toronto Maple Leafs initially don't appear to need a scorer such as Forsberg. However, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Tuesday that they would like to add a top-six forward to complement their second line.

The Leafs seem content with late-blooming rookie Michael Bunting on their top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. They have used Ondrej Kase on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander. However, Kase has a long injury history, so the Leafs could use someone with more durability and skill on that line.

Forsberg could address that issue. They could also shift him to the top line and drop Bunting to the second line. With the Leafs desperate to prove themselves as a true Cup contender, having not made it past the opening series of the playoffs since 2003-04, adding Forsberg as a rental could help them finally get over the hump. They could offer up a promising youngster such as Nick Robertson, Matthew Knies or Topi Niemela as part of the return.

The Leafs have $4.5 million in projected trade deadline cap space after placing defenseman Jake Muzzin on long-term injured reserve. However, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that they won't hold him out of the lineup if he's able to return before the end of the regular season. Toronto GM Kyle Dubas would have to get creative, perhaps bringing in a third team to spread around the cap dollars, to add Forsberg.

Stats (as of Feb. 28, 2022) via NHL.com. Salary info via CapFriendly.