Getty

Ross Colton of the Colorado Avalanche.

The Nashville Predators have been stuck in the middle of the Western Conference for a number of years now, and while they’ve had some good seasons, they’ve never truly been an elite team in the Central Division.

That run continued through the 2025/26 campaign, and while the team took a major step forward from the season prior, they still finished 38-34-10, good for sixth place in arguably the NHL’s best division. Their lack of success led to the departure of Barry Trotz as General Manager, and with an ageing core, the outlook of the organization moving forward was certainly up in the air.

As a result, the team head into this summer looking to make some major changes, and already they’ve done that, as the Predators poached General Manager Chris MacFarland from the division rival Colorado Avalanche, a man that was instrumental in helping them to the Stanley Cup back in 2022.

Predators Swing a Surprise Trade With the Colorado Avalanche

GettyRoss Colton of the Colorado Avalanche.

Just a matter of days into his reign in the role, MacFarland has already swung a deal with his former team, as Elliotte Friedman first reported on Tuesday that the Predators have acquired 29-year-old forward Ross Colton in a deal with the Avalanche.

In exchange for Colton, the Avalanche will acquire goaltending prospect Magnus Chrona, along with two third-round draft picks, one in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft and the other, originally belonging to Colorado before being transferred to Nashville in the 2027 draft. Alongside Colton will be 24-year-old goaltender Isak Posch, who spent the 2025/26 campaign split between the ECHL and AHL, appearing in 28 games for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in that time.

Chris MacFarland Wastes no Time in Upgrading his Roster

While Colton may not be a household name, the 29-year-old has been a measure of consistency for the Avalanche over the past few seasons, posting point totals of 39, 32, 40, 29 and 24 over the last five seasons, with his role changing significantly throughout that stretch. With a career high +9 differential in 2025/26, Colton showed his value as a versatile forward in the bottom-six, and although he’s not going to play a much bigger role with the Predators, he’s going to be a very good player for a team that needs physical, experienced depth in their forward group.

From the Avalanche’s perspective, this deal frees them up some salary cap space, as the Predators will be taking on the remaining season on his current contract that sees him owed $4 million for the 2026/27 season. This won’t be the last move that Colorado make either, as they went all in for a Stanley Cup in 2026, so expect them to continue being aggressive as they look to capitalize on the prime of both Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Ultimately, this trade looks to be a fairly even one for both Central Division rivals, accomplishing a goal that each had coming into the off-season, with both teams getting very fair value out of their assets as they look to head into 2026/27 to find much more success than they did during this past season.