The Nashville Predators have traded two-time NHL All-Star goalie Juuse Saros to fill in the blank for fill in the blank.

Don't count on seeing that sentence on or before the March 8 trade deadline.

Unless, of course, some desperate team is willing to go to some overly desperate measure that would leave Predators general manager Barry Trotz no choice but to trade Saros, who has one year at $5 million remaining on the four-year, $20 million contract he signed in 2020.

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If the Predators were intent on dealing Saros, it would have made more sense during the offseason, when he had two full years left at $5 million per.

Besides, Yaroslav Askarov isn't NHL-ready yet and the Predators are competing for a playoff spot and the same principals apply to him as to Saros when it comes to trading him.

Though Trotz (and former GM David Poile) wasn't shy about unloading at last year's deadline, I'd guess the Predators won't be big buyers or big sellers, but mostly sit-stillers, leading up to this one.

That in mind, here are a six sentences we could be reading in the next six weeks or so:

The Predators have traded Tyson Barrie

This has been festering since early December, when one Barry (Barry Trotz) made it clear another Barrie (Tyson Barrie) doesn't fit into the team's future, or present.

The 32-year-old defenseman has made it no secret the feeling is mutual. He wants out of Nashville, something that came to light in wake of the first of many his healthy scratches.

Only a handful of teams can take on the prorated portion of his $4.5 million cap hit. That means the Predators may have to eat some of that money. That would put them at the three-retained-salaries maximum for the rest of the season and at the mercy of the team willing to take Barrie.

The Predators have traded Tommy Novak

Before anyone does a double take, consider this: The Predators have nine players who are set to become unrestricted free agents after this season, Tommy Novak's name chief among them.

Oh, and three more players are set to be restricted free agents.

Someone has to go, and Novak has the most value. He also will be due at least something of a raise from his $800,000 salary, and the Predators have a few prospects who likely will need roles and roster spots sooner rather than later. Think Egor Afanasyev or Joakim Kemell.

Novak wants to stay. But will he?

The Predators have traded Yakov Trenin

Trading Novak and Yakov Trenin seems unlikely. But if Trotz is going to do some dealing, Trenin, another 27-year-old unrestricted-free-agent-to-be, makes sense.

He's a $1.7 million cap hit and with seven goals and two assists in 44 games and doesn't figure to merit much of a raise. So the Predators could opt to trade Trenin and keep Novak for around the same price.

The Predators have traded Dante Fabbro

Trade rumors have swirled around the 25-year-old defenseman for a lot of the season.

He will be a restricted free agent, which will up his value a bit. He's currently a $2.5 million cap hit and could bring back some value in return.

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The Predators have traded Alexandre Carrier

The 27-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and, like Fabbro, is a $2.5 million cap hit.

Carrier and Jeremy Lauzon, locker neighbors and BFFs, have proven to be a reliable pair on defense for the Predators.

If anything, it's seems likely the Predators would trade one but not both out of Carrier and Fabbro.

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The Predators have traded Kevin Lankinen

Another unrestricted-free-agent-to-be, the 28-year-old could be an attractive option for contenders looking for a solid No. 2. He is a $2 million cap hit.

This one is intriguing because moving Lankinen would allow the Predators to call up Askarov sooner than expected.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Nashville Predators trade at NHL deadline? 6 possibilities