The Nashville Predators landed Ross Colton and Isak Posch from the Colorado Avalanche on June 16, sending two third-round draft picks and Magnus Chrona back the other way. It was the kind of deal that changes a roster now and rearranges future assets at the same time.
Colton gives Nashville a proven forward. In 73 games for Colorado in 2025-26, he had 24 points, including nine goals and 15 assists, a plus-9 rating and 153 shots. He also led with force, finishing with 159 hits, third on the Avalanche. For the Predators, that matters because they are not getting a project; they are getting a player who has already done the job in the League and in the postseason.
That resume is part of why the move stands out. Colton has 89 goals in six seasons, reached the postseason in each of his six NHL campaigns and has 28 points in 75 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. He was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, debuted on Feb. 24, 2021 and scored the game-winning goal in a 3-0 win over Carolina. He won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in the 2020-21 season, when he put up six points in 23 playoff games.
Colorado’s decision to move him with a young goaltender is the part that invites the most scrutiny. The Avalanche described Colton as a productive, versatile winger and said he would bring sandpaper and grit to a middle-six role, yet still chose to move him for draft picks and a goalie. That suggests the trade was built less around current scoring alone than around the balance of the roster, the value of the picks and the need to reshape the depth chart now rather than later.
Posch is part of that logic. He spent parts of the past two seasons with the Colorado Eagles and posted a 15-8-4 record with two shutouts, a 2.78 goals-against average and an.891 save percentage in 2025-26. He was also named to the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic for the Pacific Division, which explains why Nashville would view him as more than a throw-in. Colorado, meanwhile, turned that young goaltender into future picks and a different roster piece in Magnus Chrona, making the deal a broader exchange of timing, depth and control.
For Nashville, the immediate question is not whether Colton can play. It is how quickly he fits. The Predators have a forward who has already produced, absorbed heavy minutes and carried playoff experience into six straight seasons. What remains is the first look in Nashville colors, and the trade leaves that as the next thing to watch.
