2023 has come to a close and what a year it was for the Nashville Predators. Changes from the ownership suite all the way down to the team on the ice brought curiosity, excitement and plenty of questions for how the year would play out. With the 2023-24 NHL season well underway the time seemed right to check in on the fan perspective of how the Nashville Predators are trending heading into 2024. I ran a series of polls on X (still weird) to see how the Predators fanbase views the progress from all the changes. Scroll on down to see the results and my takes on where the Nashville Predators are at the start of a new year.
Boyd: With all the changes it is easy to forget that the Predators roster is still largely staffed by veteran players, especially at the core spots in the lineup. It is reasonable to expect that the Predators would remain competitive. Being in a playoff spot at this point in the season is a little better than I would have expected but that’s also buoyed by some other teams underperforming early on. Outside of the standings, the team is playing a much more entertaining brand of hockey (though stressful could also be used to describe it given the volume of blown leads) and is a more enjoyable product to watch. So in my opinion the Predators aren’t surprisingly better than expectations but are certainly performing well.
Boyd: No question Filip Forsberg has been the Predators’ best player. He is generating offense at a career best level and the goal scoring has been picking up, especially at even strength.
Credit must be given to Ryan O’Reilly for his impact on the ice and in the locker room. He has been a fantastic addition to the Predators lineup and one could rightly assume that Forsberg’s increased production is at least somewhat tied to playing with O’Reilly (and by extension Gustav Nyquist).
Boyd: As much as it has been easy to dunk on Luke Schenn early in the season (though he has been improving of late), the obvious answer is Cody Glass. Injuries have played a role for sure but the pace and impact just hasn’t been there in his game. It is clear that Andrew Brunette and the Predators believe Glass belongs at the NHL level seeing as they haven’t attempted to move him through waivers. I really like what he can do and want him to find his spot in the Predators lineup but he has to find another gear and purpose to his game on the ice.
My take: While I won’t argue with the choice of Nyquist, I’m not shocked that a veteran offensive winger would find success with other talented forwards. In my opinion, Jeremy Lauzon has been a revelation. He leads the NHL in hits but the purpose in the physicality has been much more prominent. The recent game vs Chicago was a perfect example. Lauzon was skating alongside Bedard who was carrying the puck. He wasn’t overly aggressive and stayed with him right until the puck got away just a bit and that’s when Lauzon made his move to finish the check on Bedard and fully separate him from the puck. Also Lauzon’s comfort level handling the puck has been greatly improved which has allowed him to play across the lineup and more on the penalty kill.
Boyd: Of course it’s Joakim Kemell, who continues to show his promise as a goal scoring threat but I definitely want to give some kudos for the other three players on this list. Fedor Svechkov has improved tremendously since seeing him back in development camp. He’s found his role as a top 6 center for Milwaukee and the production has consistently increased. Recent suspension aside (please stop doing dumb things, Zach), L’Heureux has also displayed a pro-ready game and come up in big moments for the Admirals. And Egor Afanasyev is looking like he’s taken another step in his game as well. One of the biggest criticisms I have seen is that for such a big skater he plays a lot on the perimeter offensively and doesn’t really use his size defensively. Both of those areas look to have improved and is certainly reflected in his goal scoring production. It is hard to project if we will see any of these four at the NHL level this season but it is certainly a positive sign for the near future that they are all showing well in Milwaukee.
Boyd: Early on it does appear that the Predators have found the right coach in Andrew Brunette. Are there some lineup decisions I haven’t agreed with (i.e. scratching Dante Fabbro)? Sure. But the Predators are playing a modern, attacking style that so far has yielded results across the lineup. I also have some real appreciation for the honesty Brunette displays when discussing players. I do not get the sense that what he is saying to the media is any different than what is being communicated to the players behind closed doors. The next step will be to see how Brunette handles things when the expectations increase but early on the returns are positive.
Boyd: Similar to the assessment of Andrew Brunette, the early returns on Barry Trotz’s tenure have largely been positive. While it may never be fully known just how involved Trotz was in the trade deadline sell-off of 2023 it is not a reach to assume he was at minimum providing significant perspective on the moves he wanted. I will freely admit, and my X/Twitter history will show, I was not in favor of the veteran free agent signings at the time. I will also freely admit that I may have been dead wrong in my assessment (though I still think Luke Schenn was an unnecessary signing) as especially Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist have been significant contributors. Also similar to Brunette, I appreciate Barry Trotz’s honesty in the media about the state of the team and the players. While it makes covering the team easier and more interesting, it is also just refreshing to get a real opinion that doesn’t appear to be covered in GM speak. Trotz’s next big test will be how this roster takes another step forward. There are a lot of upcoming free agents after this season and it will be interesting to see how aggressive Trotz will be either bringing in high end players or further collecting future assets.
Boyd: I think let it ride is probably the easiest choice and certainly would make sense in this scenario though I think a number of small moves could make sense. Tyson Barrie, Denis Gurianov and Mark Jankowski could all have some value as lower cost playoff depth to teams further up the standings. A significant addition probably doesn’t make sense at the trade deadline in this scenario as that would be more of an offseason move. The selling question really only applies to one player, and that is Juuse Saros. If a team at the top of the standings makes a huge offer, would Barry Trotz pull the trigger? If the Predators are sitting outside looking in at the end of February there could be a lot of intrigue.
Boyd: I actually really appreciated the spread of responses to this question. Given the depth of established NHL talent defensively I would agree another top level goal scorer is a priority. If you’re Barry Trotz and the Predators you’re certainly hoping one of Joakim Kemell or Matthew Wood becomes that kind of player but you have to keep your options open to who might come available in the trade or free agent markets. That being said, rounding out the go-forward defense corps with a younger shutdown defenseman would also be a relevant maneuver. Similar to the forwards, maybe Luke Prokop or Jack Matier become that kind of player but they both have a ways to go to being regular NHL contributors. On the draft side, the Predators still have lots of draft pick depth and it is assumed they will get more depth through the 2024 trade deadline so continuing to find ways to acquire first or second round picks will continue to enhance the talent level of the prospect pool.
Boyd: On January 1st, 2023 the Predators were sitting 5 points out of a wild card spot and sported a -13 goal differential. On January 4th, 2024 the Predators are sitting in the first wild card spot with a +3 goal differential. So if nothing else there has been progress in performance. When you add in all the organizational changes, the roster turnover, and the prospect pool growth it is clear that the Predators have made pretty significant progress over the past year. There are still some muddy waters ahead to take the roster back to Stanley Cup contention the light at the end of the tunnel that was previously dim and flickering looks to have lit up once again.
Thanks again to everyone who participated in these polls. It was fun to put everything together and see the results shaking out in real time. I am really looking forward to revisiting them in another 4 months at the end of the season to see what has changed in how the Predators fanbase feels about the current and future state of the team.
