Offseason Review: As Nashville Predators Retool, Their Direction Is Unclear
Don’t call it a rebuild. It’s more of a retool.
The Nashville Predators were involved in one of the biggest trades in the offseason in a massive three-way blockbuster between them, the Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights.
It marked a big part of a retool for a franchise in need of some fresh faces after getting knocked out in the first round.
What happened in 2021?
The 2020-21 campaign had its highs and lows for the Predators, who found themselves sneaking into the playoffs with a 31-23-2 record. They scored the 20th most goals in the league, but allowed just the ninth least amount of goals.
They met the Carolina Hurricanes in an exciting round one series, but fell short in six games.
The biggest issue all year for the Preds was their lack of offensive production. Their top scorer was defenseman Roman Josi, who scored eight goals and 33 points in 48 games and that was an issue.
The best forwards scoring-wise were Filip Forsberg (12-20 in 39 GP), Calle Jarnkrok (13-15—28 in 49 GP), Mikael Granlund (13-14—27 in 51 GP and Viktor Arvidsson (10-15—25 in 50 GP). The biggest problem now? Both Jarnkrok and Arvidsson are gone.
In net, they relied on a breakout season from goaltender Juuse Saros (21-11-1, .927 sv%, 20.9 GSAA) who helped lead the charge in a big, big way for the team.
What did they do in the offseason?
Notable Additions: Cody Glass, Philippe Myers, David Rittich
Notable Subtractions: Ryan Ellis, Calle Jarnkrok, Erik Haula, Viktor Arvidsson
What to expect in 2021-22?
The Predators outlook on the season isn’t great in my eyes. They downgraded on offense while not really bringing in anyone to help replace it. Cody Glass is a fine young player and could be in line for a breakout season, but he’s still only 22 years old with well under a full season of NHL games under his belt.
Losing Ryan Ellis off the backend is a move that I don’t foresee helping the club, either. He’s been a key piece that made the Predators backend a force for years, and I’m not high on Myers as an NHL’er.
What they need is a resurgence from not only Matt Duchene, but Ryan Johansen, too. Both of their games have trended in the wrong direction after inking massive $8-million deals. On top of that, if the Predators have any hope of making the playoffs, they need Saros to have another world-class level season as he did last year.
Being in a stacked division doesn’t help, either. Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis and Winnipeg are near locks for the playoffs.
One bold prediction…
Not only do the Nashville Predators miss the playoffs, but they finish as one of the 10 worst teams in the league securing an early draft pick in the 2022 class.
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