NHL Rumors: Insider Pierre LeBrun claims blockbuster trade involving $6,370,000 Nashville Predators forward and Minnesota Wild could be imminent

NHL insider Pierre LeBrun took to X on Saturday to address the rumor of Nashville Predators forward Gustav Nyquist possibly heading to the Minnesota Wild. LeBrun suggested that a trade could be close, but there might be a "complication" keeping it from being agreed:

“Nashville and Minnesota are talking about a potential Gustav Nyquist trade, per sources, which is why he's being held out today. But the trade is still not done. Could be a complication. Let's see where it goes.” LeBrun’s post read.

Other analysts also shared that Nyquist would be a healthy scratch to maintain his fitness for a potential trade. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on X:

“Hearing Gustav Nyquist will not play this afternoon for Nashville on Long Island. Health protection for trade.”

If the rumored trade goes through, it will mean a return to familiar territory for the Swedish center. The Columbus Blue Jackets had traded Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild in Feb. 2023. He later signed a two-year, $6.37 million contract with the Nashville Predators in July 2023, which is expiring at the end of this season.

The 35-year-old has nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 57 games this season. The NHL trade deadline on Mar. 7 means that franchises in the running for a playoff spot will be looking to shore up their roster, while teams at the bottom of the league, like the Predators, will be looking to offload some of their surplus players and start to rebuild.

Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild have contrasting plans for trade deadline

The Predators and Wild are in the same division but are amid widely divergent seasons. While Minnesota is well on course to make the playoffs with a 34-22-4 record and 72 points from 60 games, the Predators are languishing among the bottom teams of the NHL. With 49 points from 58 games and a 21-30-7 record, the franchise’s playoff hopes are almost non-existent.

Experts stated that the Predators are looking more and more like active sellers this season. NHL reporter Max Greenberg had on Jan. 30 opined that the only player who “should be untouchable is Filip Forsberg.”

“He (Forsberg) is clearly the best forward on the Predators and has many years left on his contract. He does so much offensively, as even when he was in a goal-scoring drought weeks ago, he was still pulling his weight as a distributor and playmaker,” Greenberg said via predlines.com.

In contrast, NHL insiders have pointed to the Wild being interested in acquiring players in preparation for a deep playoff run and to cover the gaps left by injuries to star players Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek.