Nashville Predators New Ideas For Line Combinations
The Nashville Predators look to have new faces on the ice with the additions of P.K. Subban and Yannick Weber.
It’s been almost three full days since the opening of free agency and Nashville made their splash on the blueline. The Predators traded away team Captain Shea Weber to Montreal for P.K. Subban which could be a make or break on the careers of both GM’s David Poile and Marc Bergevin. Nashville also added Yannick Weber which should be a nice addition as he is an old friend of Subban and Roman Josi‘s linemate in Switzerland.
Nashville also inked Matt Irwin (1 year), Harry Zolnierczyk (1 year) and Trevor Smith (2 years) to two-way contracts.
The forwards should not change too much, but here are a few ideas.
I.
C. Jarnkrok – R. Johansen – J. Neal
F. Forsberg – M. Ribeiro – C. Smith
C. Wilson – M. Fisher – V. Arvidsson
A. Watson – C. Sissons – M. Salomaki
This the same line used through the majority season, why fix it if it isn’t broke?
II.
C. Wilson – R. Johansen – J. Neal
F. Forsberg – M. Ribeiro – C. Smith
C. Jarnkrok – M. Fisher – V. Arvidsson
A. Watson – C. Sissons – M. Salomaki
Colin Wilson is too good a hockey player at his young age to be playing on the third line. The only issue is, Wilson only shows up during the playoffs. If Wilson can perform like he should, Nashville will have a solid top line.
III.
C. Jarnkrok – R. Johansen – J. Neal
F. Forsberg – M. Ribeiro – C. Smith
K. Fiala – M. Fisher – V. Arvidsson
A. Watson – C. Sissons – M. Salomaki
At the end of the 2016-17, every NHL team will need to select which skaters they want to protect to avoid the Expansion Draft. If Colin Wilson has another bad season he could either be shipped off to another team or could just ultimately lose his starting spot. Kevin Fiala is a young gun with a great shot that put on a show at the Predators Development Camp and could be the Arvidsson of 2016.
The defense is the side of the ice that will look completely different without #6 on the blueline
I.
R. Josi – P.K. Subban
M. Ekholm – R. Ellis
A. Bitetto – Y. Weber
Josi and Subban have a chance to become the top defensive pairing in the NHL season. Even though he is usually higher, Yannick Weber’s ability to slide in and take Barret Jackman‘s’ spot will add youth and depth to the defense.
II.
R. Josi – P.K. Subban
M. Ekholm – R. Ellis
A. Bitetto – P. Granberg
Even though Weber signed his contract, that does not guarantee a starting spot. Granberg did prove enough to make the Nashville roster so maybe he could overtake Weber.
III.
R. Josi – Y. Weber
M. Ekholm – P.K. Subban
A. Bitetto – R. Ellis
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Roman Josi and Yannick Weber played together in Switzerland so it could be a nice change to throw him onto the top line. This line has the ability to have at least one of the top four defensemen on the ice at all times.
Goaltending will stay the same with Pekka Rinne having the majority of the starts. The real key for concern is who the backup will be. It could either be Marek Mazanec or Juuse Saros. Saros, just like Fiala, has put on a show in the camp and could make his way to Nashville but probably needs another season in Milwaukee.
Next: Day Three of Free Agency for the Preds
There will probably still be a move or two coming too. Next season should be fun to watch all the new faces on the ice for your Nashville Predators!