Why Nashville Predators fans should hope Vegas beats Anaheim in the playoffs

Alex Daugherty, Nashville TennesseanMon, May 11, 2026 at 2:13 PM UTC

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Why Nashville Predators fans should hope Vegas beats Anaheim in the playoffs

Rooting against the Anaheim Ducks comes natural for Nashville Predators fans.

Rivals for well over a decade, Nashville and Anaheim have had several postseason standoffs, starting with the Predators' first-ever playoff series win in 2011, then peaking with the Predators' memorable Western Conference Final victory in 2017.

Now, with the Ducks facing the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Predators have a new reason to hope the Ducks lose.

Why the Predators want the Golden Knights to beat the Ducks

Last June, the Predators traded Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon to the Golden Knights in exchange for Nicolas Hague and a conditional 2027 third-round pick.

As part of the condition, that third-round pick becomes a second-round pick if the Golden Knights win at least two rounds in the 2026 playoffs.

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Vegas already beat the Utah Mammoth in six games to win in the first round. Now in a tight matchup against Anaheim, the series heads back to Vegas tied 2-2 after the Ducks won Game 4 on May 10. Game 5 is on May 12 (8:30 p.m. CT) and Game 6 is on May 14 (8:30 p.m. CT).

If Vegas pulls through and beats Anaheim, the Predators would gain a second-round pick, improving their already impressive draft pick haul for 2026 and 2027. Here's Nashville's total number of draft picks per round over the next two drafts:

Two 1st-round picks (1 in 2026, 1 in 2027)

Three 2nd-round picks (2 in 2026, 1 in 2027, pending Vegas vs Anaheim result)

Six 3rd-round picks (2 in 2026, 4 in 2027, pending Vegas vs Anaheim result)

Four 4th-round picks (2 in 2026, 2 in 2027)

Five 5th-round picks (3 in 2026, 2 in 2027)

Two 6th-round picks (1 in 2026, 1 in 2027)

Two 7th-round picks (1 in 2026, 1 in 2027)

Following the NHL's draft lottery, the Predators will pick at No. 10 overall in the 2026 draft. This will be Nashville's ninth top-10 pick in franchise history and one year after taking Brady Martin at No. 5 overall.

OPTIONS: Who will the Nashville Predators take at No. 10? Four options at the 2026 NHL Draft

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why the Predators need Golden Knights to win playoff series vs Ducks

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