Predators Season Preview: Last season's high hopes dashed, Nashville eyes long playoff run
After missing the postseason for two straight years, the Nashville Predators rebounded in a big way last season.
The team finished with 104 points, second in the Central Division and third best in the Western Conference. The Predators looked ready for a long spring, but a first-round matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks was just too much.
Though they fell to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions in six games, president Sean Henry felt the team could have gone further.
"This is the first year I remember where all of our fans were so disappointed in how it ended," Henry said this offseason. "To me, that’s the best thing to happen. For people to expect us to go further and for all of us to say the same thing, ‘We should’ve gone further, what are we going to do to get there?’ and that’s exciting."
The Predators had the third most shots for last season, but finished 14th in goals. They also boasted the sixth-worst power play, connecting on just 16.2 percent of chances.
Meanwhile, they continued to play stingy defense, even without former head coach Barry Trotz behind the bench. The Predators gave up just 28.3 shots per game, good enough for sixth lowest, making goaltender Pekka Rinne's job even easier.
If the question surrounding the Predators is, "What are we going to do to get there?" Taking advantage of opportunities and continuing to make the job of opposing offenses difficult is a good place to start.
Projected Depth Chart
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Filip Forsberg | Mike Ribeiro | James Neal |
| Colin Wilson | Mike Fisher | Craig Smith |
| Kevin Fiala | Calle Jarnkrok | Cody Hodgson |
| Gabriel Bourque | Paul Gaustad | Eric Nystrom |
| Steve Moses |
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Roman Josi | Shea Weber |
| Mattias Ekholm | Seth Jones |
| Barret Jackman | Ryan Ellis |
| Victor Bartley |
| G |
|---|
| Pekka Rinne |
| Carter Hutton |
X-Factor
At times during the regular season, it looked as though forward Filip Forsberg was going to run away with the Calder Trophy. Though a slight decline in production down the stretch - while other youngsters turned it on - left him without the hardware, the 21-year-old still had a very bright season.
Forsberg led the Predators in goals (26) and points (63), and his six game-winning goals were tied with forward James Neal for the team lead.
The 6-foot-1 winger also added six points in six postseason games and was their most dangerous forward all year. The only thing to worry about is the omnipresent sophomore slump.
On a team that relies so heavily on strong defensive play, the offensive contributors have to do their part often. Forsberg has quickly become both the present and future of the team, and the Predators will need him to remain dangerous.
Player to Watch
Though captain Shea Weber might get the majority of the spotlight on the Predators' defensive corps, keep your eyes on Roman Josi.
The 25-year-old is quickly becoming one of the NHL's more reliable defenders. Josi finished tied for fifth in defenseman scoring with 55 points (more than Weber) and tied for sixth with 15 goals (12 at even strength) last season.
Josi led the team, averaging 26:28 of ice time during the regular season, which jumped to an NHL-leading 31:37 in the postseason (though the sample size - six games - was small).
He also led the team with 209 blocked shots during the regular season.
Josi can do it all on both sides of the ice and finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting. He's still very young, but could soon be included among the upper echelon of defensemen in the league.