Predators Acquire Bancroft, Rizzo from Bruins in Three-Player Forward Swap

Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz sent forward Navrin Mutter to the Boston Bruins on March 12 in exchange for forwards Dalton Bancroft and Massimo Rizzo, completing an organizational-level swap that reshapes depth pieces on both AHL rosters. Because the deal was finalized after the NHL trade deadline, all three players are ineligible for NHL recall for the remainder of the season and will report to their new AHL affiliates.

The most closely watched piece of the transaction is Rizzo, who had already been moved once in the span of a week. Boston acquired the 24-year-old center from Philadelphia on NHL deadline day, and he logged exactly one game with the Providence Bruins before Nashville claimed him. A seventh-round pick by Carolina in the 2019 draft, Rizzo spent three seasons at the University of Denver before turning pro, totaling 49 points in his collegiate career with the Pioneers. His professional numbers have been uneven: he posted 16 points in 48 AHL games for Philadelphia's affiliate last season, then spent the entirety of this year in the ECHL, where he produced 22 points (6 goals, 16 assists) with a plus-10 rating across 29 games for the Reading Royals. The Predators are hoping he can find his footing in Milwaukee over the final weeks of the season before deciding whether to issue a qualifying offer. Rizzo is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Bancroft, 25, arrives from Providence as a player still finding his pro legs after a productive college career at Cornell. The Madoc, Ontario native recorded 79 points in 103 NCAA games with the Big Red from 2022 to 2025, including 15 goals and 27 points in his final season. Boston signed him as an undrafted free agent in April 2025, and he has managed two points (one goal, one assist) and 30 penalty minutes across 34 games with Providence this season. His career AHL total stands at three points in 39 games, with his only prior professional appearances being a five-game stint with Providence last season in which he scored once.

Moving in the other direction, Mutter gave Nashville four seasons of physical depth. The 6-foot-3, 212-pound winger from Lucan, Ontario played 146 games with the Milwaukee Admirals and three more with the Stockton Heat, accumulating 20 career AHL points against 299 penalty minutes. This season he had one assist, a minus-10 rating, and 72 penalty minutes in 27 games, the third-highest PIM total on the Admirals before the deal. The Predators signed Mutter to a three-year entry-level contract in March 2022 and extended him for an additional season last April, but he will exit as a Group-6 unrestricted free agent at season's end.

Bruins GM Don Sweeney announced the acquisition of Mutter from Boston's side. For Providence, Mutter's 72 penalty minutes would have ranked second on the P-Bruins roster, signaling the role Boston envisions for him as the team pushes through its AHL schedule.

With the AHL trade and loan deadline arriving the day after the NHL announcement, all three players were processed for movement at the minor-league level, ensuring they land with their new affiliates for the stretch run.