The trade talk is loud across the NHL right now. But in Nashville, one star made his position very clear. Steven Stamkos said there is “zero” chance he will waive his full no movement clause. Speaking to The Tennessean, the 36-year-old forward shut down any rumor about a possible move. “I haven’t talked to (GM Barry Trotz) at all about that,” Steven Stamkos said. He added, “Obviously there’s stuff that gets reported. But what I’ll say, with this group, we want to be together. I can only control what I can control, but I love being here. ”
The Nashville Predators were last in the NHL on Dec. 1 with an 8-13-4 record.
Now they are 27-24-7 and sit fifth in the Central Division. They are just two points behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card in the Western Conference. Stamkos has 45 points, including 29 goals, in 58 games. He signed a four-year, $32 million contract on July 1, 2024, and has two seasons left after this year. Meanwhile, other teams are also shaping their trade plans.
Bruins, Flyers, Maple Leafs and Wild shape NHL trade buzz before Deadline
In Boston, Morgan Geekie believes the Bruins could be buyers.
After missing the playoffs last season, the Bruins are now 33-20-5 and hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are two points behind the Montreal Canadiens and two ahead of the Washington Capitals. Speaking to NESN. com, Geekie said, “It kind of feels polar opposite, to be honest. I think this group’s done a great job of kind of putting ourselves in the position to stand pat or add guys. ” Geekie leads Boston with 33 goals and has 55 points in 57 games.
Over in Philadelphia, Rasmus Ristolainen knows his name is again in trade rumors. The 31-year-old defenseman told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Yeah, obviously, those are things that you really can’t control. You obviously try to do your part, get better every day, and what happens, happens.” He has six points in 21 games and recently posted a plus-nine rating for Finland at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, where Finland won bronze.
In Toronto, Scott Laughton wants to stay. “I want to be in the fight with these guys,” he told reporters. The Maple Leafs are 27-23-9 and last in the Atlantic Division, eight points behind Boston for a wild card spot.
In Minnesota, Wild GM Bill Guerin told KFAN 100.3 there was little trade talk during the Olympics. “We were so focused on what was going on,” he said. The Wild already made a big move by trading for Quinn Hughes on Dec. 12. Minnesota is 35-15-10, second in the Central Division.
The NHL trade buzz is building. But for now, some players want to stay, some teams want to add, and the race for playoff spots keeps getting tighter.
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