The Rangers and Židlický could not agree on contract terms and he stayed in Finland for a year to play with the HIFK. On December 12, 2002, he was traded along with Rem Murray and Tomáš Klouček to the Nashville Predators for Mike Dunham. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he returned to Finland and returned to play for HIFK. He signed a four-year contract worth $13.5 million with the Predators on May 8, 2006.