SUNDAY BEST: VULTURES SETTING THEIR SIGHTS ON NASHVILLE

TORONTO, ON — The Nashville Predators could look a lot different by the time the clock strikes 3PM ET on April 12. Despite a Saturday win that propelled them to 28th in the NHL standings, based on point percentage, the league-wide expectation is Nashville will continue to struggle this season, putting them in prime position to be sellers by this season’s trade deadline.

Contending teams are taking notice and keeping tabs on the Predators, who have multiple pieces to move – apparently, GM David Poile is willing to move just about everybody, minus three players, according to an Elliotte Friedman report Saturday night.

Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula will generate a ton of interest. Both can become unrestricted free agents this July and several teams pursued them as free agents last off-season. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins will be among the teams checking in on both of those veterans.

Mattias Ekholm produced a lot of buzz this week, and for good reason. He has one-year left on his contract after this season and comes with an attractively affordable $3.75 million cap hit. Playoff-bound teams will be lining up for his services and the price will hover around a first-round pick, a young asset and perhaps another piece.

What’s most intriguing to me is whether or not we’ll see the Predators move out one of their bigger pieces. If someone like Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene or Victor Arvidsson is dealt, that will likely come in the form of a juicy hockey trade, and those are always sexier than swapping someone out for future assets.

But Johansen has four years left on his contract after this season and Duchene has five – they both have an $8 million salary cap hit – and moving that kind of term with those dollars will be difficult considering how much these two have struggled lately.

Forsberg or Arvidsson, however, will be on a lot of radars and that beep beep sonar sound is going to get louder and louder as we approach the deadline.

Veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne is an interesting non-trade candidate. He owns a 10-team no-trade list as part of his no-movement clause, but given how much he means to the organization, I understand why the Predators don’t have a desire to move him. Plus, he’s playing well. But I’m curious if another team tries to press the issue later in the season.

It might be a moot issue, but as TFP Analyst Aaron Ward mentioned on Saturday’s “The Hot Stove” on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins could be potential fits if the Predators and Rinne change their minds.

QUIT DUCKING AROUND

Losers of three straight, the Anaheim Ducks are being reminded what a rebuild/retool actually feels like.

Ahead of just Ottawa, Detroit, Vancouver and Nashville in standings (based on point percentage), the growing pains for the Ducks are going to continue throughout the season. And as Max Comtois, Sam Steel, Troy Terry, Max Jones and Isac Lundestrom gain more NHL experience, they’re also going to learn how much losing sucks.

Management tried to send a message to the entire group by placing Adam Henrique on waivers Saturday – as expected, he cleared Sunday – but the Ducks lost 5-1 last night and the hole they’ve dug themselves in may be too deep to climb out of.

Henrique, who is in the second year of a five-year, $29.125 million contract, has struggled this season, registering just three goals and one assists in 16 games. Last season, he tallied 26 goals. The Ducks scratched him earlier this season, so maybe placing him on waivers ignites the fire the team knows is still within him. He was pretty ticked off about being put on waivers, according to a close source, so maybe this does the trick.

Anaheim GM Bob Murray has been actively searching for more fire power up front, but it doesn’t sound like a significant trade is on the horizon. The Ducks will get a look at Trevor Zegras, though, as both myself and Sportsnet’s Nick Alberga reported this morning. Zegras subsequently practiced with the team Sunday, so it looks like we see him make his NHL debut Monday against Arizona.

WHAT THE HALL?

Reports surfaced this week over the Buffalo Sabres and left wing Taylor Hall having mutual interest in exploring a contract extension at the same time another report suggested the Sabres could be willing to listen to trade calls on Jack Eichel. That combo doesn’t add up.

Eichel has been frustrated with the ongoing troubles in Buffalo. The team is last in the East Division and among one of the bottom feeders in the NHL. Again. The additions of Eric Staal and Hall haven’t propelled this team in the right direction, and their defensive deficiencies have, for the most part, outweighed their problems in net – goaltending isn’t the team’s biggest issue right now.

The Sabres are last in the NHL in even strength goals, yet they’re tied for second in the NHL in five-on-four goals – they’re third in the NHL in powerplay percentage.

For whatever the reason, this team can’t get it together and trading Eichel will only set them back that much more. But having a disgruntled captain is never a good thing. How much longer can the Sabres sell their plan before Eichel tells them to **** off? Maybe we find that out this off-season, and if we do, expect the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames, New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks to be among the teams in pursuit.

As for Hall, if the player wants to stay and the price makes sense – I don’t think an $8M AAV will be in the cards with just one goal on the season, so far – I can’t see how the Sabres shy away from making that happen.

If contract negotiations hit a snag, though, and a deal isn’t close by the April 12 trade deadline, the Sabres will have a decision to make.