Nashville Predators: Should Miikka Salomaki have a starting role?

Miikka Salomaki impressed in his preseason return. But may have difficulty breaking into a talented Nashville Predators forward corps.

Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros are not the only Finns capable of clutch performances in Music City. On Tuesday night, Miikka Salomaki treated those who watched the Nashville Predators’ second preseason tilt to a two-goal snipe show. I can forgive newer fans for not recognizing the name; the 24-year old winger played only five games in an injury-ridden 2016-2017 season. Salomaki reminded spectators that he can compete for a starting role, as he demonstrated his abilities in his first preseason appearance.

Past performance

Salomaki recorded his most complete season with the Nashville Predators in 2015-2016 (61 games played) by a huge margin. If you’re tempted to look at his point production, I have a word of advice for you, don’t. He put up a pretty abysmal ten points (5G, 5A) during those appearances, good for just 0.16 points per game. Why would such a low scoring player receive such a high position in the line-up?

As always, a deeper look paints a better picture. During that season, he took the ice in the defensive zone 73.9% of the time. The odds are not in Salomaki’s favor.  Especially when you consider how most top six players get a 50/50 split. And he managed a Fenwick score of precisely 50%. Meaning that he generated exactly as many unblocked shots as he allowed. A player who puts up that score while given defensive zone starts almost 3/4 of the time is good in my book.

Linemates matter

It can be difficult for a talented winger to produce effectively with limited minutes. Especially when those minutes are spent alongside linemates who fail to complement a player’s abilities.

In the 2015-2016 season, Salomaki spent the majority of his ice time with center Paul Gaustad and winger Austin Watson. Gaustad, who retired at the conclusion of the season, posted extremely subpar numbers across almost all categories. Austin Watson, who has flashes of playmaking potential, is not exactly an all-star linemate. All in all, it was a difficult group to produce alongside.

Salomaki mostly played alongside center Frederick Gaudreau and winger Bobby Butler in game one of the pre-season. Gaudreau assisted on both goals by Salomaki in Tuesday’s game. The trio played as something of a first line, combining for 33 minutes 20 seconds of ice time. While Gaudreau is still relatively unproven at the NHL level, there is clearly chemistry between him and Salomaki. Which the Predators could use to their advantage.

Moving forward(s)

It is clear that Miikka Salomaki has the ability to occupy a starting role with the Nashville Predators. Especially with a 61-game regular season under his belt. The Predators have improved substantially in the past two seasons. Making a top-12 position much more competitive than it has been. If Salomaki can manage to stay healthy, I believe he can contribute meaningfully to the offensive corp in Smashville.

The Predators fourth line is begging for quality. And my suggestion is to hand it over to Frederick Gaudreau, Miikka Salomaki, and (mostly to keep opponents honest) Austin Watson. This group could inject some firepower to the weaker bottom-six. Furthermore, it would allow chemistry to build among younger players who will continue to develop. Eventually, this group could prove to be a difficult challenge for opponents to keep at bay.

Next: Forward Prospects Getting Talented Linemates

With his most recent performance providing no exception. Miikka Salomaki has shown that he can help solidify an already dominant offense.