The Nashville Predators have been one of the worst teams in the NHL this season, but it’s been confirmed that they won’t be selling on top veteran Steven Stamkos.

This summer, the Nashville Predators won the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes, landing the former Tampa Bay Lightning star alongside Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in free agency.

This led many to believe that they’d be a Stanley Cup contender in the wide open Western Conference, but at this point of the season they sit in last place in the West with an 8-17-6 record through 31 games played.

Now, rumours have begun surfacing that GM Barry Trotz could push for a rebuild after their failed start, with the veteran Stamkos the ideal trade candidate, but one insider has now shut down that rumour.

According to Marco D’Amico, not only are the Predators not looking to move Stamkos, but in fact they are actively pushing to land young forward Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabers to give them some further depth down the middle.

If that is the case, Nashville join a lengthy list of teams chasing the 23-year old centre, and if they could somehow pull it off, it could be the move to spark their struggling season.

In 31 games this season, Stamkos has not looked like the star we’ve seen in recent years, posting just 8 goals and 16 points in 31 games played, and with no one but Roman Josi playing at their best level, it’s no wonder why they’ve struggled so much.

Ultimately, there’s no right answer to fix what’s been happening in Nashville this season, but with Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly the only established centre’s on the roster, if they do intend on pushing for a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot, adding to that depth down the middle and keeping them both makes sense.