We have arrived in 2024 and the new era of the Nashville Predators is well underway. In somewhat surprising fashion the Predators find themselves in a wild card playoff spot. But while there have been more wins than losses the performances have swung widely from good to downright puzzling. With the Predators hitting the stretch run leading up to All Star weekend and the trade deadline it is a good time to take a look back at the goals set out before the season got underway to see how they’re doing and how expectations may have changed over the first half. Click below to revisit the preseason goals then read on for the update!
Barry Trotz – Find a Superstar Forward
I owe Filip Forsberg an apology. In my preseason write-up for this goal I mentioned a number of prospects but nothing about Forsberg. Simply put, Filip Forsberg has been incredible and is unquestionably playing the best hockey of his career. He’s top 20 in goals and top 10 in shots on goal while trending towards another 40/40 season. But Forsberg has also been more consistent creating offense night in and night out. Combine that with repeatedly coming up big with game winning goals (he has 6 already) and Forsberg’s impact really shines. Forsberg has been so good that Dimitri Filipovic dedicated an entire episode of the excellent PDOCast podcast to him.
From a future view, Barry Trotz and the Predators will still need at least one more forward to reach 70+ point production but Filip Forsberg has cemented himself back among the elite wingers in the NHL.
Andrew Brunette – Make Diamonds Out of Coal
While none of the Predators players have ascended from just a guy to superstar, there are a couple who have flourished early in Andrew Brunette’s tenure. First is Colton Sissons. He has always been the consummate pro hockey player. A guy who can do it all on the ice, even if he doesn’t stand out in any one area. Now at age 30 Sissons has found another gear. He is on pace to score career highs by a pretty wide margin while playing on the top power play and top penalty kill units. Another is Jeremy Lauzon, who has flourished under Andrew Brunette. Always a physical player, Lauzon currently leads the NHL in hits but more importantly he has found a way to make that physicality purposeful. He’s not chasing hits but using his aggression to separate players from the puck. Also Lauzon’s skating and puck skills have improved and his offensive contributions are more noticeable. An honorable mention goes to Gustav Nyquist as well as his work alongside O’Reilly and Forsberg has formed a truly productive and dependable top forward line. So far, the returns on Andrew Brunette bringing the best out of players have been positive.
Ryan O’Reilly – Top Gun: Maverick
How great has Ryan O’Reilly been? He has come to Nashville and immediately established himself as both a leader and a highly productive player. In just 45 games he’s logged 17 goals, including 11 on the power play which as of Jan. 20th is 3rd in the NHL, and 40 points which is second on the Predators to Forsberg. Plus he is forechecking and killing penalties with a consistent focus on the details of the game. Not to be undersold but O’Reilly walked into the Predators’ top forward line and instantly Filip Forsberg’s game rose to a new level. A lot of people, myself included, questioned the signing at the top but Ryan O’Reilly has been everything the Predators could have asked for.
Glass / Tomasino / Novak / Evangelista – Prove It
Boy is this one all over the map. Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista are both producing at about a half point per game which is close to expectations though the Predators will need them both to increase down the stretch as secondary scoring has been an issue. From an eye test perspective Tommy Novak looks much quicker this season and Evangelista is noticeably stronger in his puck battles. When paired together, they have been very effective at controlling possession and creating more chances than they allow.
Philip Tomasino remains a bit of an enigma as he is certainly capable of stringing together strong performances but it has not translated into an increased role game to game. Part of that is bad luck as good things happen when he’s on the ice without him being rewarded but you’d also like to see Tomasino be a bit selfish and shoot the puck more. It is well documented the struggles Cody Glass has had so far this season. Multiple injuries, a loss of confidence and minimal production have all contributed to a pretty unfortunate first half where Glass has only skated in 18 games. The skillset is still there but Glass needs to put more purpose in his game to start making things happen more consistently. The Predators will need all four of these young forwards but there is more work to do to prove their place both now and in the future.
Fabbro / Carrier / Lauzon – Stake Your Claim
These three younger defensemen have all been solid. As I wrote above, Jeremy Lauzon has clearly taken the biggest step in his game. Fabbro and Carrier have been as advertised,steady defensemen who can eat minutes, enable possession and play all situations. Interestingly, opposite to their narrative player types their relative deployment has turned Fabbro into a more offensive player and Carrier in more of a shutdown role. Questions remain about who will stick around long term as both Fabbro and Carrier are on one year contracts and players like Spencer Stastney are pushing up from Milwaukee.
Nashville Predators Organization – Recapture the Vibes
It’s still a work in progress. Of course, winning makes a pretty big difference and it’s being reflected in some of the crowds showing up to games. For example the Forsberg OT winner vs Pittsburgh had a serious pop from the home faithful. However the Predators have been pretty mid at home and as such Bridgestone Arena isn’t yet back to being a nightly home ice advantage. Success on the ice is a good starting point and will bring more casual fans back into the fold. The Predators organization still has some work to do to modernize the gameday experience and make Bridgestone Arena a destination beyond just the game itself. More focus on local brands and retailers would be a good starting point. A strong second half to the season and continued engagement of the local fanbase will return Nashville to its place among the elite hockey experiences.
At the beginning of the ’23-24 season I asked two questions: Are the Nashville Predators a team led by veteran stars that can contend for a playoff run? Or, are the Predators just treading water in relative relevance until the next wave of talent takes over? So far it is more to the former as the Predators enter the second half of the season in a wild card spot. The veterans at the top of the lineup have all performed well and continue to pull a younger rest of the lineup along. But there is also promise emerging in the youthful talent in Nashville, Milwaukee and other leagues which point to a bright future. The second half of the Predators season could see a lot of high stakes hockey, a potential playoff berth, more roster clearing trades, and a continued rebirth of hockey as the prominent sport in Nashville.
Statistics courtesy of the NHL and Natural Stat Trick
