Oh, what a time it was to be a Nashville Predators fan during the 2017-18 season. After years of being an the scrappy wild-card team, the Nashville Predators supplanted themselves among the NHL’s elite. The Preds cruised to 53-18-11 record and earning 117 points on the season. That was good enough for the team to earn its first President’s Cup in franchise history. With perhaps the deepest and most talented D-core in the NHL, budding stars in Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson firing from the wings, and Pekka Rinne having the best year of his 12-year career, the Predators seemed to be sure bet to win their second consecutive Campbell Bowl (Western Conference Champions) and even bring home Lord Stanley to Nashville. The season, however, ended much earlier than anyone was wanting or expected. In one of the best second round matchups the NHL has seen in a long time, the Winnipeg Jets eliminated Nashville in a winner take all game 7. It was a heartbreaking end to an incredible season. It’s important that Predators fans look back and remember what a fun ride it was, though, before the loss because it was a season for the record books. It’s also easier to swallow that loss when you look to the future. The same core that won the President’s Cup is back and better than ever. Buckle up Preds fans, this season is going to be a fun ride.
Wingers
Name # Position: 2017 stats
Filip Forsberg #9- LW: 67 GP 26 G 38 A 64 P 27 +/-
Viktor Arvidsson #-33 RW: 78 GP 29 G 32 A 61 P 20 +/-
Kevin Fiala #22- LW: 80 GP 23 G 25 A 48 P 20 +/-
Craig Smith #15- RW: 79 GP 25 G 26 A 51 P 20 +/-
Eeli Tolvanen #11- LW: 3 GP 0 G 0 A 0 P 0 +/-
Colton Sissons #10- RW: 81 GP 9 G 18 A 27 P 2 +/-
Miikka Salomaki #20- LW: 58 GP 2 G 6 A 8 P -8 +/-
Ryan Hartman #38- RW: 21 GP 3 G 3 A 6 P -4 +/-
Austin Watson #51- RW: 76 GP 14 G 5 A 19 P 2 +/-
Rocco Grimaldi #23- LW: 6 GP 1 G 2 A 3 P 0 +/-
This position group has the most upside of anybody else on the roster. We mostly know what kind of production we’re going to get out of the defensemen and centermen, but the wings are the ones we are most uncertain about. We know about the talents of Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. They will headline this position group once again. I believe with a healthy that Filip Forsberg will take the leap into the league’s best players. Viktor Arvidsson keeps proving people wrong and at this point I’m not going to bet against him anymore. I expect more Arvy-hustle goals this year. Craig Smith had a bounce back year and the team needs him to produce those same number if not better for him to be an effective second liner. Kevin Fiala finally started to show the immense potential that he possesses and I expect him to build off of a solid year. The wild-card in this lineup is Eeli Tolvanen. The uber-talented youngster played only 3 games for the Preds after he came over from tearing it up in Russia. He didn’t have much of an impact, but that’s understandable for an 18-year-old who had already played a full season in a foreign country. I expect him to have a much bigger impact this year. He has slick handles and a wicked wrist shot that could quickly become one of the best in the league. He’ll still need some time to mature and get used to the North American game, but once he does he will take this offense to the next level. There is a lot of depth from top to bottom at this position. The top liners need a little more help, but other than that this a great group. I’m expecting big things from the wingers this year.
Centers
Ryan Johansen #92: 79 GP 15 G 39 A 54 P 13 +/-
Kyle Turris #8: 65 GP 13 G 29 A 42 P 22 +/-
Nick Bonino #13: 71 GP 12 G 13 A 25 P 4 +/-
Calle Jarnkrok #19: 68 GP 16 G 19 A 35 P 20 +/-
Frederick Gaudreau #89: 20 GP 0 G 3 A 3 P 0 +/-
What used to be the greatest weakness of almost every Nashville squad finally became a position of strength in 2018. Ryan Johansen has become the number 1 centerman that this franchise has always lacked. I’m looking for him to take the next step and become one of the best centers in the league. He showed that he has elite passing vision and can shut down other front-line centers in the playoffs, but I want to see more goals out of him this year. If he does that, this offense can take it to the next level. Kyle Turris came during the middle of the year and immediately elevated the play of Craig Smith and Kevin Fiala. Hopefully, Turris can make the same impact he did last year and bounce back after a tough postseason performance. Nick Bonino should put up much better analytical stats this year now that he is in his natural role as third-line center. Calle Jarnkrok is the teams Swiss Army Knife and will fill whatever role is asked of him this season. The team can get away with a below-average center play during the regular season, but in order to make a deep playoff run the centers will need to step up.
Defensemen
Roman Josi #59: 75 GP 14 G 39 A 53 P 24 +/-
Ryan Ellis #4: 44 GP 9 G 23 A 32 P 26 +/-
Mattias Ekholm #14: 81 GP 10 G 24 A 34 P 25 +/-
P.K. Subban #76: 82 GP 16 G 43 A 59 P 18 +/-
Dan Hamhuis #5: 80 GP 3 G 21 A 24 P -6 +/-
Yannick Weber #7: 47 GP 2 G 3 A 5 P 2 +/-
Matt Irwin #52: 50 GP 2 G 6 A 8 P 2 +/-
Defensemen have been the Predators calling card for a few years now. You could argue that all four top defensemen could be top 10 at their position. Roman Josi is the steady captain that never makes the wrong play. P.K. Subban is our flare and always takes on the toughest challenges. Ryan Ellis looks primed for another career year after he has had a healthy offseason. Mattias Ekholm is probably the most underrated player in the league. Dan Hamhuis makes his return to Nashville to bring great depth to the position, and Yannick Weber and Matt Irwin are solid back-end players. There’s not much that needs to said about this group. This a game changing unit and give us our best shot to win the Cup.
Goalies
Pekka Rinne #35: 59 GP 42 W 13 L 4 OT 2.31 GAA .927 SV% 8 SO
Juuse Saros #74: 26 GP 11 W 5 L 7 OT 2.44 GAA .925 SV% 3 SO
Pekka Rinne finally won the Vezina Trophy. After years of being snubbed for years, he made sure the NHL couldn’t possibly get it wrong. He posted career best numbers. He’ll be turning 36 during the season, however, and he has a lot of tread on his tires. I’m wondering how much longer he can perform at an elite level. No need to fear, though, because the heir apparent is waiting in the wings. Juuse Saros took another step in his development to take over as the eventual starting netminder. He couldn’t more opposite of Rinne, who uses his 6’5” frame and length to make acrobatic saves. Saros stands at about 5’11” and uses quickness and reaction time to make calculated saves. I expect the workload to be much more even this year which will help both of them in the stages of their careers. The Preds need elite goaltending from both players to bring the cup home to Nashville.
I have very high hopes for this Nashville Predators team. It will be hard to replicate the success from last season, but this team is bringing back all the same pieces and even added a few. The pieces are there for another great run in Smashville. While I don’t think the Predators will have the most points in the NHL again, I expect them to be a top-5 team. Catch up on your sleep now Preds fans because I think we’ll be staying up late rocking Bridgestone until early June.
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