Jonathan Marchessault and the Nashville Predators appear headed for a parting, but he holds the final call on where he lands.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Nashville's forward group looks nothing like the one Marchessault walked into a few years back.
General manager Barry Trotz has stacked the bottom six with Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Mavrik Bourque and Nils Hoglander.
All four make far less than Marchessault's $5.5 million cap hit, and all four skew younger.
Alexander Kerfoot and Adam Edstrom add even more traffic up front, and something in that group has to give.
That leaves Marchessault fighting for minutes behind Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Evangelista on the scoring lines.
Paying a 35-year-old top dollar to play limited third-line shifts is not how a retooling team spends its cap space.
A 30 percent scoring drop is hurting his trade market
Marchessault posted 12 goals, 19 assists and 31 points over 62 games this past season, a scoring rate barely above half a point a game.
That is a real drop from his first year in Nashville, when he hit 21 goals and 56 points across 78 games.
His contract runs through the 2028-29 season and carries full no-movement protection.
Nashville cannot ship him anywhere without his signature. That single clause changes everything about how this plays out.
It is a little like handing someone a moving truck and telling them they can only drive it to addresses they personally approve first.
So where would Marchessault actually say yes? NHL Trade Rumors laid out the four markets worth watching right now.
Montreal stands out. He is from Quebec, the Canadiens have circled him before, and they project to have roughly $9.8 million in cap room.
Philadelphia has more than $20 million to work with and could absorb his full deal without asking Nashville to retain a dollar.
Seattle sits close behind at an estimated $18.4 million in space, offering real minutes without forcing any retention on Nashville's end.
Chicago is the easiest fit financially, with roughly $29.3 million open, but sending him there reads like a bad match for what he has earned.
A guy chasing one more parade does not sign off on a stopover in a youth movement, no matter the term left on the deal.
New Jersey and Los Angeles were floated earlier and could resurface if Nashville agrees to retain a piece of his salary.
Nashville does not need to attach an asset just to make this go away. A modest retention could open the market without gutting the return.
Whether Marchessault actually waives his protection before training camp opens is still the only question that matters here.
Should Jonathan Marchessault be allowed to block a trade to a non-contender like Chicago?
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