Nashville Predators: Ellis Ready to be Predators’ Next Great Leader

2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The fans that follow the Nashville Predators have known about Ryan Ellis’ talents for a long time. However, it was not until the Stanley Cup Playoffs where Ellis began to receive the attention from a national audience. Before that, everyone’s focus was primarily on P.K. Subban or Roman Josi, and deservedly so. But when the time came in the playoffs for someone to step up and lead by example, Ellis welcomed the opportunity.

There is no doubting how important Ellis was to Nashville throughout the playoffs but his biggest moment came against St. Louis in game four. Ellis had already been dubbed the hottest player on Nashville at the time, and game four justified his role as a rising leader on the team even more. With the game still tied at zero in the third period, Ellis blasted home a rebound to put the Predators on the board. This was such a huge moment. It seemed all night that nobody was able to get one past the Blues’ goaltender, Allen, but when the Predators needed someone to step up Ellis was there.

Ellis continued his fine play for the duration of the playoffs despite battling an injury towards the Finals. He scored five goals and 13 points, good enough to tie for third on the team. Ellis has been a fan favorite to Nashville Predators’ fans for some time now. And his performance in the playoffs last season made him even more beloved. He proved he will go to hell and back for this team, and he is only just getting started.