Nashville Predators: Top 5 Reasons the Predators will Struggle in 2017-18
#5 Young, Inexperienced Talent
The same reason that the Predators might find success with their new young talent, is also a reason for why they might struggle in 2017-18. Nashville will be forced to play quite a few young players this season. Many of whom spent the majority of their time in Milwaukee last year. While these players are expected to be successful in some capacity, there will still be growing pains along the way.
No team in the NHL is going to be full of nothing but veterans. The Predators, however, will have considerably less on their roster, especially on the offensive side. Nashville lost a lot of their veteran leadership this offseason. Former captain Mike Fisher recently announced his retirement, and James Neal was lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. Colin Wilson, Vernon Fiddler, and P.A. Parenteau will also not be returning.
As for the young guys who will help fill the open roster spots, there will be a lot of pressure on them to perform well. Considering the way many of them played in the playoffs this is not too far of a stretch, either. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that this is a young, mostly inexperienced group of players getting their opportunity. I fully expect them to shine over time, but there will definitely be some struggles along the way.
#4 Expectations
When the Predators started their playoff run last season against the Blackhawks there weren’t too many who expected Nashville to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Heck, most people were not even expecting them to come out victorious against Chicago. But they did, and for the most part did it in convincing fashion. It is pretty safe to say that expectations entering the playoffs were not very high. Now, it will be a completely different story come October 5th when Nashville travels to Boston for their first game of the season.
Expectations for Nashville are at an all-time high. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily a good thing. If at any point the Predators struggle to win on a consistent basis it will likely be blown way out of proportion, due to the expectations. Nashville made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last season and now there are many who expect that to happen again this year. This is just not practical, though. Expectations are a great thing to have, but they should also be reasonable.
#3 Lack of Quality Depth
When it comes to depth, the Nashville Predators will not have as much as they are normally used to. This does not really apply to the defense, as the addition of Alexei Emelin has added some more depth to that unit. No longer will Bitetto be the only option as a reserve. As for the offense, though; that is a different story.
Last season when the Predators needed players to step up and fill spots players like Sissons and Fiala jumped at the opportunity. There were others who played more minor roles as backups, but this season, along with Sissons and Fiala, they are expected to start in the NHL. Pontus Aberg, Frederick Gaudreau, and Vladislav Kamenev will all likely be on the Predators’ roster when the season starts. Obviously, they won’t all get to play immediately, instead they will become the depth for the roster.
Other players who will be fighting for a starting spot will be Cody McLeod and Miikka Salomaki. McLeod will likely see more game action just due to his physicality, but will still spend plenty of time as reserve, as well. However, for the most part, everyone who can be considered part of the depth of the team is unproven. Players will get hurt, it will happen to every team. The way the young depth performs when needed will determine how much the Predators will struggle this season.
#2 Overtime Woes
One of the biggest ailments for the Nashville Predators last season was their play in games that went to overtime. Out of the 18 overtime games the Predators played in, they lost 12 of them. There were only four teams in the NHL that had more overtime loses last season. Just imagine, if Nashville would have won just half of the 12 overtime games they lost they would have finished third in the division.
While we would all like to see this stat improve next season, the numbers just do not support it. For the past three seasons, Nashville has consistently been near the top of the league in overtime loses. In 2014 they had 10, 2015 they had 14, and last year they had 12. If Nashville can find a way to improve in overtime games, their chances of winning the division will drastically improve. However, for now, I expect this to be one of the struggles the Predators will face in 2017-18.
#1 Loss of James Neal
The number one reason for why the Predators will struggle in 2017-18 is because of the loss of James Neal. But more specifically, because the Predators did not replace Neal. Sure, Nashville has one of the best first lines in all of hockey, but after that there is no true scorer on the team. There are players who can become this, such as Fiala, Aberg, and even Smith, but as for now there is still no true scorer after the first line.
Nashville has brought in new players to the team, but they will likely not be able to match what Neal brought to the table. Nick Bonino is going to come and fill his role as a center, but I will be extremely shocked if he surpasses 20 goals or 40 points on the season. Scott Hartnell, on the other hand, definitely has the ability to replicate Neal’s numbers, the question is if his body can handle it. Hartnell’s age is not doing him any favors, and he will likely get his minutes limited to that of a third liner.
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One thing that will help ease the blow of losing Neal is the amount of offense Nashville gets from its defense. Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, and Ryan Ellis will always be a threat to score. That is what makes this Nashville team so unique. Regardless, not having that solid scoring option past the first line will likely hurt Nashville at some point. If Nashville does not make a move before the season starts, I would fully expect Poile to be a buyer at the trade deadline.