Should The Nashville Predators Pursue Kevin Shattenkirk?

The New York Rangers decided to buy out Kevin Shatternkirk’s contract on Thursday, but should the Nashville Predators take a look at adding him to their already stacked defensive core?

He honestly could be a good fit for the team, as he is a power play wizard, which could most definitely help a Nashville Predators team that struggled (for lack of a better word) on the power play last season.

Predators fans saw how good of a power play defenseman Shattenkirk was with his time with the St. Louis Blues, where he consistently put up at least 20 power play points per season up until 2017, when he joined the New York Rangers.

He started to drop off a bit after signing his 4 year deal worth $6.65 Million per year, but he still wasn’t bad, putting up over 20 points in both seasons, but it could’ve been a product of the poor Rangers teams he had to play for.

He’s also solid in his own zone and is a huge upgrade over Dan Hamhuis or Matt Irwin, so the Nashville Predators could definitely pounce at the opportunity of adding Kevin Shattenkirk to the roster.

Also, with the buyout, Kevin Shattenkirk could take less money than he would typically take to play for a contender like the Nashville Predators because the New York Rangers will be paying him for the next few years because of the buyout.

With the exit of P.K. Subban, the Nashville Predators could use a new power play quarterback on defense, and if they don’t trust Dante Fabbro enough to step into that position, Kevin Shattenkirk could do a more than fine job at being the man for the job.

Shattenkirk is 30 years old, so he can definitely have a resurgence if he finds the right fit and Nashville could be the perfect fit for him.

He won’t have the pressure of playing for his home town Rangers in such a big city like New York, and being a third pairing guy would allow him to ease into his role with the Predators and help the team win a championship.

He has been on countless playoff rosters and he knows what it takes to win, so adding him to the Predators locker room will definitely not hurt the team’s effort to win a Stanley Cup.

Shattenkirk is also a very charitable player, as he, like New York Islanders captain Anders Lee, is involved in the Jam Kancer In The Kan Foundation, where he holds a Kan Jam tournament to raise money for cancer research.

For a minimal price, Shattenkirk could be the glue guy and third pairing anchor the Nashville Predators need to become a prime contender for the Stanley Cup.