The Dallas Stars traded restricted free agent forward Mavrik Bourque and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to the Nashville Predators on Wednesday for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick. Bourque, 24, scored 20 goals and added 21 assists in 82 games with Dallas last season.

The move comes as Bourque was drawing interest as a potential offer sheet target from other teams, with Dallas up against the salary cap and reportedly concerned about losing him for even less in return.

Why Dallas moved first

Bourque made just $950,000 last season on a one-year deal, a number that was never going to hold given his production. As a restricted free agent coming off a 20-goal season, he was in line for a raise Dallas wasn’t positioned to offer without cap consequences elsewhere.

An offer sheet from another team would have let a rival set Bourque’s price and forced Dallas to either match an inflated number or lose him for draft compensation set by a formula, not a negotiation. Trading him now let the Stars control the return instead.

Two draft picks isn’t a huge haul for a 20-goal scorer, but it’s a return Dallas chose on its own terms rather than one dictated by an outside offer sheet.

What Nashville is getting

The Predators are working toward a contract extension with Bourque now that he’s on their roster, according to reporting on the trade. Landing a 24-year-old with a 20-goal season already on his resume, for a modest draft-pick price, is exactly the kind of buy-low move rebuilding franchises look for.

Lyubushkin adds a veteran, physical presence on the back end, giving Nashville two roster upgrades in a single trade rather than committing future assets to a single player.

A cap-driven trade, not a hockey trade

This wasn’t about Dallas souring on Bourque’s game. It was about salary cap math and the risk of an offer sheet. Teams around the league had reportedly discussed Bourque as an offer sheet candidate, which usually forces the incumbent team’s hand one way or another.

Dallas chose to move first rather than wait and see what number a rival might put in front of Bourque.

Bourque scored 20 goals on a $950,000 contract. Dallas didn’t wait around to find out what he’d cost on his next one.