Nashville Predators: If Players Were Pokemon

The Nashville Predators have players with a wide range of talents and abilities.

The Nashville Predators have some unique characters on the team. With the recent craze of Pokemon Go taking over the world, we wondered – what if they players were Pokemon? We take a look at some of the Preds players and the characteristics that they might have as a creature in the game.

Before we miss out on the game that has captivated so many recently, let’s grab our Poke balls and head down to the Bridgestone Arena to see what we find.

Next: Story Continued: The Thief

Pekka Rinne

Thief: An attack that may steal the target’s held item.

Barrier: The user throws up a sturdy wall that sharply raises its Defense stat.

Rinne’s job is simple. Keep the puck out of the net. With a move like thief, Rinne steals the opponent’s held item (the puck) and prevents a goal from being scored. Whether it’s a flashy glove save or snagging the puck as it floats across the crease, Rinne steals the show.

When he can’t physically steal the puck from an opponent, he can act as a wall to prevent goals from being scored. With barrier, Rinne stands his ground against powerful slapshots from the blue line or tricky wristers to deflect the puck to the safe zone.

Next: Story Continued: The Speedy One

Roman Josi

Extreme Speed:  The user charges the target at blinding speed.

Whirlpool: Traps foes in a violent swirling whirlpool.

It’s no secret that Josi is FAST. His use of extreme speed helps him blow by defending opponents and drive the puck to the net. It feels like every game that we see Josi take the puck in the defensive zone and take it 200 feet the other way. No real surprise why he was the second on the team in total points.

Josi just doesn’t have North-South speed, he also has East-West speed. Using his whirlpool move, Josi maneuvers around opponents in all directions with such ease they are often seen spinning around trying to catch up to him. His puck moving ability is truly one of his greatest assets.

Next: Story Continued: The Flashy One

P.K. Subban

Rock Blast: The user hurls hard rocks at the target. Two to five rocks are launched in quick succession.

Swagger: The user enrages and confuses the target.

Among all of Subban’s attributes, the guy knows how to shoot the puck and shoot it hard. With rock blast, Subban bombards the opposing goalie with hard rubber at high velocity and in rapid succession. You won’t go long without seeing a Subban rocket from the blue line scream past the goalie.

Along with his offensive skill, his defensive game is strong as well. Not only from batting the puck away from oncoming forwards, but he can get under the skin of opposing players  easily. Subban uses swagger to agitate his opponent and throw them off their game. It won’t be long before you see opposing players in the box.

Next: Story Continued: The Bold One

James Neal

Shockwave: The user strikes the target with a quick jolt of electricity.

Close combat: The user fights the target up close without guarding itself.

There isn’t enough good that can be said about Neal. His offensive game is top-tier and he brings it every game. Using shock wave, the puck jumps off Neal’s stick like a bolt of lightning sometimes so fast the goalie doesn’t even move. It’s this kind of accuracy and speed that has made him one of the top forwards in the league.

While Neal does a lot of scoring, he is a grinder too. A true power forward, Neal uses close combat to get in the face of opposing players to disrupt their progress. Whether throwing his weight into a player on the boards or muscling for position in front of the net, Neal makes his presence known and does it full force.

Next: Story Continued: The Animal

Gnash

Hyper fang: The user bites hard on the target with its sharp front fangs.

Lucky chant: The user chants an incantation toward the sky, preventing the foe from landing critical hits.

I know, not a real player, but you won’t find anyone with more charisma and energy than the mascot. While Gnash doesn’t go around physically attacking anybody, it seemed obvious that he would have hyper fang as an ability for two large reasons. If you ever encounter a wild Gnash, just say “Go Preds!” and give a high-five.

One of the most important things Gnash does for the Predators is getting the crowd into the battle on the ice. Using lucky chant, Gnash uses his drum to get the crowd to echo “Let’s, Go, Preds!” We know how much the crowd helps the players and we like to think that Gnash is a vital part of that.

Next: Story Continued: Back to the Real World