Nashville Predators Filip Forsberg Could Have a Monster Year

The Nashville Predators are looking for extra scoring from their forwards this season.

The Nashville Predators may have some of that scoring without adding anyone or bringing anyone in from Milwaukee.  It very well could come from Filip Forsberg.

Fresh off a new contract worth $36 million over six years, the 21-year old still has a tremendous upside.  He is flourishing in Coach Peter Laviolette‘s system that is still a work in progress.  So is Filip Forsberg.

He has been the top scorer for the Nashville Predators for the past two seasons. We believe that he could actually make a big jump this season in scoring.  There are several reasons for this and we will break it down and show you why.

Last season, young Prince Filip tied Jason Arnott‘s team record with 33 goals on the season.  There are several factors that could help him obliterate that record this season.

Let’s take a look:

Next: The Maturity Factor

Forsberg is Still Growing

Last season it was evident how Filip Forsberg was filling out and becoming stronger.  He was even better fighting off players when he has the puck.  He is able to shoot the puck with one hand while fending off a defender.

Those were all wonderful and he should continue to mature physically and become stronger, but last year he added something unique to his arsenal.  The Forsberg Butt-Check.  It is something that when seen, can’t help but make you smile.

It is a little hard to explain, you almost have to see it to believe it.  He has this sense when someone is coming at him and he just kind of turns and throws his back end or shoulder into the player.  He stays up and the attacking player generally falls down with arms and stick flailing.

He has different versions.  Sometimes he runs into the player and turns with the butt-check, sometimes he seems to be standing there with the puck and it appears that a player just bounces off of him.  Here is a different version:

Regardless, the Butt-Check is one of the things that shows how much stronger and physically mature Forsberg was last season over the previous year.  It should be even better this season.

Next: The Tarasenko Comparison

Looking like Vladimir

It’s almost uncanny when you compare the trend of Filip Forsberg and Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues.  Tarasenko is a season ahead of Forsberg and nearly three years older but their goal scoring stats have traveled the same path.

So in his first year Tarasenko scored 21 goals in only 64 games and Forsberg had 26.  In their second season, Tarasenko 37 and Forsberg 33.  Last year in Tarasenko’s third season, he had 40 goals.  Forsberg could be on his way to that.

If we look at the following comparison it is even more telling:

In this case, it shows that although Tarasenko may still be forecast to score a little more, Forsberg is much better in Possession and Shot Suppression numbers.  It also points to more shots for Forsberg.  All of it looks like Forsberg could be having a year like Tarasenko did last season at the very least and could very well score 40 goals or more.

They are similar types of players.  They both can carry the puck, be creative with lethally accurate shots that they can snap off quickly and through traffic

Vladimir Tarasenko was voted on the Cover of NHL 17 this season.  Filip Forsberg could very well become that kind of player.

Next: The Subban Effect

A Full Year of Filip

In the two seasons that Filip Forsberg has played for the Nashville Predators, he had a pretty big slump for part of the season.  Now, there may be pretty good reasons for that.

In his first year, he was not only the Top Rookie for the first three-quarters of the season, he was one or the top players in the league.   He tailed off in March considerably, kind of hitting that rookie wall.

From February 21st of 2015- March 21st, a span of 15 games, Forsberg has exactly two goals.  He just couldn’t hit the back of the net.  He finished the season with goals in three of his last four games but he had that long stretch of no goals.

More from Predlines

• Nashville Predators 2023 Training Camp Spotlight: Kiefer Sherwood
• Captain Candidates if Nashville Predators Didn’t Have Roman Josi
• The All-Time 25 Games or Less Nashville Predators Lineup
• Nashville Predators 2023 Training Camp Spotlight: Cody Glass
• Joakim Kemell Flashes his Offense in Nashville Predators Loss to Tampa

Last season, it was the opposite.  After scoring in two of the first four games, he went on a streak of 17 straight games without a goal.  By November 26th, he had only two goals on the season and the dreaded Sophomore Slump was being pronounced as alive and well with Forsberg.

He started scoring a little better and after the Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen trade in early January, the other teams couldn’t just key on Forsberg and he took off.  The rest, as they say, is history. He went on to score Hat Tricks in two of three games in February and tied Jason Arnott’s record with 33 goals on the year.

If he can put a full season together without a 15 or so game slump he will re-write the Nashville Predators Record Book.  He averages a goal every third game right now, so that would be another five goals without everything else we’ve talked about.

It could be quite a year for Filip Forsberg.  It could be a monster year.  He could be the kind of player that takes a team and carries it to new heights.  Higher than ever before.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.   Here is a video with every goal by Filip Forsberg from last season.  Enjoy:

Next: Confessions of a Female Preds Fan

Filip Forsberg will be playing for Sweden in the World Cup of Hockey right before the season starts.  Hopefully, that can jump start him to a fantastic season for the Nashville Predators.