It wasn't too long ago when Barry Trotz said he was "on the fence" about buying or selling as general manager of the Nashville Predators at the NHL trade deadline.

Now the Predators' recent surge has him choosing a side.

"I'm probably more on the buying side now," Barry Trotz told the Tennessean on Tuesday. "Or at least on the hold side."

As recently as February, the Predators were mentioned in trade rumors involving goaltender Juuse Saros and forward Tommy Novak. Then, in the last week, Trotz all but pulled Saros's name off the trading block and signed Novak to a three-year deal.

"What I'm finding out in this job is it changes daily," Trotz said. "A couple weeks ago, I was saying it looks like we're gonna be sellers unless we do something. Then we did something."

What the Predators did was win eight straight games, moving from four points out of the playoff race to six points up. The winning streak, which ended Tuesday against Montreal, not only shifted Trotz away from selling Saros and Novak, it's piqued his interest in buying at the deadline.

Who Barry Trotz might buy at the deadline

This year's deadline includes some names familiar to Predators fans.

First, there's Jake Guentzel, whose lethal goal scoring while playing for Pittsburgh tormented Nashville in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. There's also former St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who now plays for the Ottawa Senators.

Both are unrestricted free agents this summer and likely to be moved at the deadline.

Trotz told the Tennessean he has inquired about Guentzel and Tarasenko, along with other available top players.

"I'm looking at all the names," Trotz said. "Because I have to get the prices for them. We're one of the few teams that have cap space."

"Getting prices" for these players is important for teams like Nashville that can weaponize their cap space to make it benefit their needs. He mentioned the idea of "using cap space" with Guentzel specifically.

"If Jake Guentzel is not someone we want long term," Trotz said, "I might be able to facilitate something so that money goes somewhere else. As long as it makes it worth our while, it's got to be worth it."

When asked about Tarasenko, Trotz seemed hesitant about the fit in Nashville, though he has talked to Ottawa about the possibility.

"It's really important that you get the right fit," Trotz said. "Whose place is he taking? Is he a depth piece? The piece that you get, does he fit your style?"

In approaching this trade deadline, Trotz mentioned salary cap advantage, roster management, and "team fit" as the most important things to consider when looking at trades.

And he's not just talking to teams at the top and bottom of the standings either.

"I've talked to all 31 teams," Trotz, when asked who he's talking to at the deadline. "I'm even talking to myself, so make that 32."

Barry Trotz: 'Just hang on for the ride'

During a radio segment with on 102.5 The Game on Tuesday, Trotz said "prices were ridiculous" at this year's deadline.

Trotz thinks last year's haul the Predators received for Tanner Jeannot might be the reason.

"All the teams that have been in the playoffs the last number of years, they've all gone for it and gone for it," Trotz said. "They're a little tapped out. And also their eyes are opened to a trade that was made last year with Tanner Jeannot."

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NHL teams out of playoff reach realize they have leverage over the few teams at the top. They also know teams are always willing to pay for a big name at the deadline, something Trotz thinks is a mistake.

"Getting big names, that's a mistake I've seen in the past," Trotz said. "Why did they get that guy? Why did they do that? They have such great chemistry, and then he doesn't even play. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's important."

With Friday's deadline looming, Trotz knows a lot can change. He admitted the likelihood he pulls off a blockbuster trade at the deadline is "slim," but he also echoed something he's told Predators fans all season.

"I can't tell you how this is going to go," Trotz said. "Just hang on for the ride."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators: Why Barry Trotz is looking to buy at deadline