Apr 13, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Erik Haula (56) passes the puck during the third period of their game against the San Jose Sharks at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
Apr 13, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Erik Haula (56) passes the puck during the third period of their game against the San Jose Sharks at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
The Nashville Predators signed forward Mavrik Bourque to a six-year deal worth $33 million on July 4. The deal gets him $5.5 million each year as Nashville continues to reshape its roster under its new general manager, Chris MacFarland.
Nashville acquired Bourque, along with its defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, from Dallas on July 1. In return, Dallas got a 2027 second-round pick, and Vegas got a 2028 third-round pick.
Bourque was set to become a restricted free agent, and other teams were interested in him. This was why Dallas mostly wanted to move him before someone could acquire him.
The trade happened just after an excellent season for Bourque. He held a record of scoring 20 goals, 21 assists, and 41 points in 82 games, plus 79 hits and 147 shots on goal.
His 20 goals were noted as the fourth-most in the team. He now holds 66 points on 31 goals and 35 assists across 156 career NHL games since he arrived in 2023-24.
Bourque, during his time in the AHL with the Texas Stars, piled up 129 points in 147 games. He led the whole league in 2023-24 with 77 points in 71 games.
He even earned himself the AHL's Most Valuable Player award. Bourque also played in 10 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring one goal.
Signing Bourque for six years instead of letting him reach restricted free agency shows that Nashville has some plan. They want to hold certainty over a player they see as part of their forward group in the long term.
Nashville's Trade Plan
Nashville acquiring Mavrik Bourque after MacFarland took over as general manager on June 2 is just one part of a whole rebuild.
On June 16, the Predators announced that they got forward Ross Colton and goaltender Isak Posch from Colorado for goalie Magnus Chrona and two draft picks. This was the new GM’s first move.
Nashville immediately continued and got forward Jack Drury, forward Chase Bradley, and a 2029 third-round pick from Colorado in exchange for forwards Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux.
They then signed Drury to a five-year, $22.5 million deal over a week later. The Predators also added forward Adam Edstrom from the New York Rangers and exchanged a 2026 fifth-round pick with Pittsburgh for a 2028 fifth-rounder during the draft that same day.
Two days after that, on June 29, Nashville got winger Nils Hoglander from Vancouver for a 2029 third-round pick. Even after all these new additions, Nashville signed forward Alexander Kerfoot to a two-year, $7 million deal on July 1.
The Predators ended with 38-34-10 in their last season and stood just four points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference. Due to that gap, they now continue to work on improving and rebuilding to do their best next season.
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Written by
Aadhya Nalla
Edited by
Yash Kotak