Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2024-25 season! As the regular season approaches, we at Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2024-25 edition of the Nashville Predators.
2024-25 Nashville Predators
A Review of Their 2023-24 Season
Credit to Andrew Brunette for getting this roster into a playoff spot. The Predators played with good structure and were a strong team during five on five play. They got another stellar year out of Norris Trophy calibre defenceman Roman Josi. Also, Filip Forsberg went on to have a career year. This team has the perfect blend of youth and veteran presence that buys into the system. With another year of growth and promise, this team can continue the trend of being a contender in the Western Conference.
Recapping the 2023-24 Off-Season
General manager Barry Trotz wasted no time getting to work. He saw a team that qualified for the playoffs and used the money at his disposal. Trotz did trade Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning in order to free up more space. Let the spending spree begin.
Coming to town is former Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. Also, Trotz did bring in defenceman Brady Skjei and forward Jonathan Marchessault. One of the bigger moves of the off-season was regarding the goalie position.
Trotz gave Juuse Saros an extension, solidifying the goalie of the present and future. However, he did part ways with Yaroslav Askarov in a deal with the San Jose Sharks. It was a busy offseason for the Predators and exciting times to come.
Projected Lineup
Forwards
Forsberg-O’Reilly-Nyquist
Stamkos-Novak-Marchessault
Jankowski-Sissons-Evangelista
Smith-McCarron-Parssinen
Top Six
This top six unit is deep and has the makings of being lethal. Forsberg is coming off a phenomenal season with 48 goals and 94 points. O’Reilly is a reliable, two-way centre who also thrived alongside Forsberg. Furthermore, Gustav Nyquist went on to prove he was worth the signing and now the team gets much deeper.
Adding a player of Stamkos’ stature is enormous. He has shown to have plenty of good hockey in the tank. Stamkos will bring an extra layer of depth scoring and will be a huge presence on the power play. Moreover, Tommy Novak is a reliable, two-way centre like O’Reilly and being flanked by Stamkos and Marchessault is huge for him. Marchessault is coming off a season where he was a point-per-game player and brings that to the Predators. You have to love what this team is doing and what they are building.
Bottom Six
This will be a year to see if Evangelista goes on to take the next steps. He went on to have 39 points in 80 games, which was good for sixth on the roster. Sissons was another key contributor and this team has three lines that they can count on for goals. The bottom line has a blend of physicality but also offensive presence. It is the perfect blend of depth and it’ll be great to see how this team thrives up front.
Defence
Skjei-Josi
Lauzon-Carrier
Stastney-Schenn
Top Four
This top four got much deeper with the presence of Skjei. Skjei was an anchor on the Carolina Hurricanes second pair and was a key cog on the Hurricanes’ power play units. He will bring another element of offence to the backend. The Predators now have a lethal first pair with Skjei and Josi.
Jeremy Lauzon is not known for his offensive side, but his physicality and shutdown ability. Lauzon went on to finish the year with 383 hits and 111 blocked shots. Being alongside Carrier helps give the team a pair they can rely on for neutral zone starts and primarily on the defensive zone. Having good shutdown ability is key and that’s what that pair can do.
Bottom Pair
Spencer Stastney only played 20 games during the 2023-24 season and will get more of a full time look. He went on to finish with two goals and four points. He will play alongside Schenn, who is a veteran presence on the backend. Schenn is a physical player as well, logging 202 hits. The Predators having a well rounded backend, with a blend of offensive presence but also physicality and defensive ability.
Goaltending
- Saros
- Wedgewood
The option of Askarov playing is no longer a thing and Saros officially has the keys to the crease. Saros had another strong season for the Predators, with a 2.86 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. The team was fortunate to have Kevin Lankinen, who was very strong in the 24 games he played. Goaltending was instrumental to them reaching the playoffs.
Scott Wedgewood is an extremely reliable backup goalie and has been with the Stars for the last few seasons. Wedgewood had a similar goals against average to Saros (2.85), but his save percentage was below .900. This will be a good strong tandem behind a good defensive unit.
Player to Watch
Brady Skjei
Skjei is going to log bigger minutes for the Predators this season. He will likely be on the top pair alongside Josi. He is also not shy to logging big minutes, as he has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time. Skjei will also be a key factor with the man advantage, as he has shown that with Carolina.
The Predators power play was middle of the pack this past season, finishing with a 21.6% success rate. Obviously adding Stamkos helps it a ton, but having Skjei anchor a unit could have enormous dividends. Landing Skjei gives the team another element on the backend and a strong presence as well. He will be a player to watch, especially after landing the gigantic contract.
Prediction for the 2024-25 Predators
The 2024-25 Predators are better this season than they were last season. As a team they went on to make the playoffs and were riding career years from numerous players. Now with a much deeper unit, this team has the makings to be more of a fierce competitor and challenge for the Central Division crown.
Prediction: Third in the Central Division
Main Photo: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
