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The Nashville Predators won the offseason. Their free-agent signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei were widely celebrated. And then, they traded goalie prospect Yaroslav Askaraov to the Sharks and signed Juuse Saros to a long-term extension. After a playoff berth last season, Nashville was seen as a contender in the West. Nothing has gone right and outside of Juuse Saros, the Predators have plenty of reasons for concern in 2024-25.
The chief reason for concern is the play of those free-agent additions. Through 25 games, Stamkos leads the trio with seven goals and 13 points. The Tampa Bay Lightning legend is one of the greatest goal-scorers of his generation but has not found the knack with his new team. It was a rough start for the future Hall of Famer, scoring just one goal in October. He turned it on in early November but enters Monday's action on a four-game goalless streak.
Marchessault signed with the Predators after a successful run with the Vegas Golden Knights. He was taken in the expansion draft from the Florida Panthers and was key to the Golden Misfit squad which went to the 2017 Cup Final. Then, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP after the 2023 championship. This season, he has only four goals over a quarter of the way through the season.
No one is expecting Skjei to score and he has been solid in the defensive end. With Roman Josi dominating the assist game at even strength and on the powerplay, there aren't that many points up for grabs. That said, he is being paid to score despite Josi's presence. His two goals and seven assists are disappointing so far.
Predators still have a star goalie
General manager Barry Trotz went big-game hunting in free agency this summer. While the three big moves have been a disaster, there is one move that is working out well. Trotz chose eight more years of Juuse Saros instead of prospect Yaroslav Askarov. Despite leading the league in losses, Saros has a stellar 2.62 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
A great goaltender can buoy a poor team and even drag a team to the playoffs. Saros did that last year with the massive winning streak in late winter happening on his shoulders. Saros could do that again but he has faced more shots than any goalie in the league. It will be hard for him to bring this team to the postseason if they allow him to get shelled every game.
Askarov has only played two games for the Sharks but already looks like a superstar in his own right. His 1.96 goals-against average is a shocking number considering how poor San Jose has been this year. While he could be bringing a Western Conference team to glory, the Predators should still be happy with Saros.
Saros is the only reason for hope right now, as the way they made the postseason last year is not sustainable. After the front office canceled a team outing to the U2 concert in Vegas, they went on an 18-game point streak. Without that stretch, they would not have made the playoffs and without one this year, they will be on the golf course in April.
Nashville's murky future
The Predators need to turn it around this season and just get out of the Western Conference basement. They invested a lot of money in this team and the core will be there next year as well. Getting this crew on the right page and setting the foundation for next year is important for the entire organization, especially Andrew Brunette.
The coach was hired by the Predators after a one-year run with the Panthers. While he captained the ship in 2023-24, the 2024-25 Predators have been a disaster and his job could be on the line. If he wants to coach this core moving forward, this season must turn around soon.
