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The Nashville Predators didn't make the postseason in 2022-2023, marking the first time in eight years. The team threw the towel at the trade deadline, trading away Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, Mattias Ekholm, and Tanner Jeannot. It seemed they were on the way to a rebuild, but the team went 13-9-2 to close the season and almost snuck into a playoff position. It was confirmed that the rebuild was paused by signing Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn in the offseason. Roman Josi was his usual superstar self last season, and the emergence of Tommy Novak and Cody Glass as contributors was a welcome addition. However, the team bought out their leading scorer amongst the forwards, as Matt Duchene found himself in Dallas.
The direction that Nashville intends to go is unclear. They were set up for a rebuild but put more veteran contracts on the books. The one clear thing is a team with Juuse Saros and Roman Josi as their anchors believe they still have a chance to contend. Let's look at the Nashville Predators storylines going into the 2023-2024 season.
Why did the Predators sign O'Reilly and Schenn?
The Predators came into the offseason with a plan to rebuild/retool their roster with prospects and cheaper contracts. They bought out Matt Duchene, a valued contributor to the team but on a contract worth a little too much money. They let aging star Ryan Johansen walk and settled in for a core of Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Juuse Saros. Philip Tomasino, Luke Evangelista, Cody Glass, and Dante Fabbro would step up to help the next era of Predators hockey. Then, the Predators inconceivably went out during the free agency period and signed Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn. The pair had previously played with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the speed of the playoffs was a problem for them in the Eastern Conference.
The Predators are now stuck with four years of O'Reilly and three years of Schenn. While they come in at a lower annual average salary, it is hard to understand why the Predators didn't opt to keep Duchene instead. The best explanation is that Barry Trotz comes to the team as a first-year general manager. David Poile was the team's general manager since they entered the league and finally retired after the 2023 season. His last duty as GM was the 2023 draft, and then handed the reins to Trotz. Trotz's first duty was the signing of O'Reilly and Schenn. While Poile may have had the vision of rebuilding the team, it's obvious that Trotz didn't. The Predators have been a contender for years, so Trotz is probably trying to avoid taking over the team and immediately struggling.
How Andrew Brunette changes the Predators
The Predators fired John Hynes in the offseason, replacing him with Andrew Brunette. Andrew Brunette has one season of head coaching experience under his belt. He was the interim head coach in Florida in 2021-2022 after Joel Quenneville resigned seven games into the season. Brunette led the team to a 51-18-6 record and the President's Trophy but was swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Many believed that the Panthers would name Brunette their head coach due to his success, but they hired Paul Maurice as their head coach instead.
The Predators offense was their biggest struggle in 2022-2023, notably their power play. Brunette will bring a new look to their offensive system, a welcome change from Hynes. While Hynes was more cautious in his approach, Brunette likes for his team to take more chances. It was evident in his first year as head coach when the Panthers were an offensive juggernaut, and many players had career years. Brunette doesn't have the same talent to work with in Nashville, but he can inject some new strategy. Young, skilled players like Evangelista and Tomasino will be chosen to have more prominent roles.
Filip Forsberg's return to form
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The Predators star forward received an eight-year contract that started last season. The deal holds an $8.5 million cap hit, which the club felt he earned with a productive 2021-2022 season. His first year with the new contract didn't turn out as he wanted when he missed half the season with a head injury. The Swede had 84 points in 69 games in 2021-2022 but only managed 42 points in 50 games last season. This may have been a product of Hynes' lack of an offensive system, as outlined earlier. Going into 2022-2023, Forsberg has no excuse for a lack of contribution. When Brunette took over the Panthers, 28-year-old Jonathan Huberdeau had a career year. He saw his numbers jump from 61 points his previous season to 115 in 80 games. I'm not saying Forsberg's numbers will increase that much, but it is a good comparison.
The Predators wish that Forsberg will have a career year, but they hope he can return to have an injury-free season. They need the offense, but he has to give them another seven good years on his contract. If he doesn't continue to produce, it will be another situation like Duchene.
Final projected roster
Forwards: Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, Cole Smith, Gustav Nyquist, Cody Glass, Denis Gurianov, Yakov Trenin, Colton Sissons, Luke Evangelista, Kiefer Sherwood, Thomas Novak, Phillip Tomasino, Juuso Parssinen
Defensemen: Roman Josi, Luke Schenn, Ryan McDonagh, Tyson Barrie, Alexandre Carrier, Dante Fabbro, Jeremy Lauzon
Goaltenders: Juuse Saros, Kevin Lankinen
