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The Nashville Predators went big in NHL Free Agency this summer. Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault signed with the Predators to headline their massive haul once the market opened on July 1. However, things have not gone well for Nashville to this point. Stamkos had his debut spoiled by the Dallas Stars, and Nashville is still without a single point in 2024-25.
The Predators put in a fine effort against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday afternoon. Stamkos even scored his first goal as a member of the Nashville organization. However, they could not overcome Detroit, falling 5-2. After the game, Nashville's marquee free-agent signing opened up about the current state of his new team.
“It's tough sledding, for sure,” Stamkos said, via the Predators' official website. “We can't just keep saying the same things over and over in terms of, ‘OK, the effort was there, OK, we had a lot of shots, we had a lot of looks.’ At some point, we’ve got to go do it… It’s certainly not fun when you're not winning, and it's a tough League to win in, no question about it. But, we're a better group than what we're showing right now.”
Predators ‘frustrated' with winless start of the season
Signing Steven Stamkos certainly raises expectations for your team heading into a new season. Signing Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei in one offseason raises those expectations even further. The Predators have playoff ambition for the 2024-25 year, making this the worst possible start the team could get off to.
The Predators know they are better than this. And they proved they can play at a high level. Look at their Saturday loss to the Red Wings. Nashville opened the scoring in that game, and had a second goal as well. However, the second goal was disallowed. Detroit tied the game later in the first period, and ended up taking the lead.
Stamkos brought the Predators level with his first goal for the team in the third period. However, Detroit took the lead three minutes later before eventually adding two goals on an empty net. Nashville had their chances to beat the Red Wings, who dropped three of their first four games to start the year. In the end, they kept allowing Detroit back into the contest.
“[We had] really positive energy compared to the last two games…but it's kind of been the inconsistency in our game right now at key moments,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said, via the team's official website. “And I think individually, we don't have a lot of guys going. I think they're frustrated, and it's a hard game to play when you’re frustrated.”
Nashville certainly has to get things in gear sooner rather than later. Teams cannot make the playoffs with a great start in October or November. However, a poor start early on can certainly sink your playoff chances. The Predators will once again seek their first win of the year on Tuesday when they play host to the Boston Bruins.
