The Nashville Predators traded the rights to Sutter Muzzatti to the Detroit Red Wings on August 20, 2026, and Detroit signed him to a two-year, entry-level contract soon after. Nashville received future considerations in return, a move that gave up the unsigned forward before the Predators would have lost his signing rights.
Muzzatti, a 6-foot-6 winger, spent last season with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after four years at RPI and wrapped up his fifth and final year of college hockey with 13 goals and 32 points in 37 games. He finished second on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in both goals and points, a strong line that helped make him a useful option even as his play away from the puck came with drawbacks.
The deal matters now because the clock on Nashville’s control of Muzzatti was running out after the 2023 draft pick went unsigned. By moving him before the regular season, the Predators avoided losing him for nothing, while Detroit turned a late-blooming college scorer into a contract it can shape at its own pace.
There is still one detail left out of the transaction that matters in its own way: the future considerations heading back to Nashville were not specified. What is clear is where Detroit appears to see him next. He is likely to begin with the Grand Rapids Griffins in a bottom-six role next season, a reasonable landing spot for a player whose production was on the rise but whose two-way game still needed work.
Muzzatti’s path to this point was built over time. He totaled 50 points in 78 games at RPI, then led the Austin Bruins with 46 points in 50 games during the 2021-22 NAHL season before his final college surge. Detroit is betting that the offense is real. The next test is whether that scoring can carry over once the games start for good.
