The Dallas Stars have traded restricted free agent Mavrik Bourque to the Nashville Predators.
The Predators sent their own 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-rounder from the Vegas Golden Knights, acquired earlier this year for forward Cole Smith.
Along with the rights to Bourque, the Stars traded veteran defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to Nashville. Lyubushkin has one more season left on his deal ($3.25 million cap hit) before hitting unrestricted free agency next summer.
Bourque, 24, made $950,000 on a one-year contract last season with Dallas. He had 20 goals and 21 assists in 82 games during his second full NHL season, averaging 15:29 in ice time per game.
The Plessisville, Quebec, native was drafted at No. 30 overall in 2020 by Dallas. He is a restricted free agent who is arbitration eligible.
It's the biggest swing for new Predators general manager Chris MacFarland, who came over from the Colorado Avalanche. He has also added forwards Ross Colton and Jack Drury from the Avalanche, center Adam Edstrom from the New York Rangers and forward Nils Hoglander from the Canucks.
For Dallas, it's another young forward out the door, having previously traded center Logan Stankoven to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025 Mikko Rantanen trade.
Stars GM Jim Nill has had a frustrating offseason. There's a sizable gap between the team and restricted free agent winger Jason Robertson on a new contract, and he turned down a trade to the Seattle Kraken this week. On Tuesday, the Stars found out that their proposed deal for Norris Trophy winning defenseman Zach Werenski of the Blue Jackets, which would have sent defenseman Thomas Harley to Columbus, was vetoed by Werenski's no-movement clause.
