Nashville Predators: Predicting the top five scorers on the Predators
The Nashville Predators are full of playmakers, but who will show up for them this season. There are quite a few candidates.
Two of the Nashville Predators top point leaders from last year aren’t on the team anymore. Mike Fisher was 5th on the team in points last season, as he had 42 points with 18 goals. James Neal was behind Fisher, as he was 6th on the team in points. Neal had 41 points, with 23 goals. Losing Fisher and Neal hurts but the Predators are a deep team. While some teams would look at those loses and think of the holes left in their scoring. The Nashville Predators see it as a chance for their young guys to get better ice time and opportunities.
Ryan Ellis would usually be on this list for the Predators, but with his injury sidelining him for the first couple months of the season. It’s safe to assume his numbers will be down. Although 20 points is not out of the question during half a season for Ellis.
Although the Predators are full of playmakers, there are a few players who stand out on the list. Here are my projections for the five scoring leaders, plus some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
These are players that have the chance to make the list during the season. These players are good depth scorers or prospects, and while they may be on the list for years to come. They aren’t ready just yet. But they still deserve a shoutout.
Craig Smith
I really wanted to put Craig Smith on the top 5, I really did, but looking at the rest of the scorers on this team.I couldn’t do it. He has always been a very consistent player for the Nashville Predators. If he stays healthy this year, I believe he can slide into the top 5, but it’ll require a lot of hard work and some luck. His numbers looked good earlier in his career in Nashville, especially in the 2013-2014 season. As he posted a respectable 52 points, with 24 goals. If he can produce those numbers again, he will be able to crack the top 5.
Nick Bonino
Nick Bonino is the new guy on the Nashville Predators. He has the chance to make some noise offensively. His stats have been consistent during his tenure in the NHL, with his best year coming in the 2013-2014 season, as he had 49 points, with 22 goals. If he can produce those numbers this season, he has the chance to crack this list.
Pontus Aberg
Pontus Aberg is a sleeper pick when you look at the rest of this list. I realize we only have a small sample size of what Aberg can do. But if he can do what he did throughout the playoffs, he has the opportunity to make this list. Aberg is definitely the wildcard out of the rest of these guys, but you have to wonder if he will produce this regular season like he did for the Nashville Predators in the playoffs.
#5: P.K. Subban
P.K. Subban has the chance to increase his numbers this year, as he most likely won’t take on the toughest opposition. Subban’s’ numbers from last season were a decrease from prior seasons, as he scored 40 points. In the three prior seasons, he had 53, 60 and 51, respectively.
Subban has been known primarily for his passing, as he’s averaged around 35 assists a year over a span of seven years. Look for his assists to rise around the same level this year. Subban could easily rise to the occasion in Ellis’ place. As Subban get’s easier minutes against weaker competition, his points will rise.
He hasn’t really been known for his goal scoring, but all of us would like to see those numbers go up. We all love to see his slapshot, as he has one of the fiercest in the game. Subban was seventh on the team in points last year. He could easily slide up the rankings with the loss of Fisher and Neak though.
It’ll be interesting to see if Subban can stay healthy this year. His minutes might go up early with Ryan Ellis being out. If Subban can stay healthy with a good amount of playing time, his numbers should be up from last year. And hopefully be like his numbers in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons.
#4: Roman Josi
Roman Josi has always been a solid contributor for the Predators. We have always seen that Josi is a leader on this team, and that shows with receiving the captaincy this offseason. You always want a captain that not only has a good voice and is a leader on the team but who will always be a solid contributor.
Last season, Josi’s numbers were just a bit lower than in years past. He finished last year with 49 points, and 12 goals. His best season, points-wise was the 2015-2016 season, as he posted 61 points with 14 goals. I believe Josi will step into this captain role perfectly. He’s a great leader and is a very consistent player. Like Ryan Ellis, he is a player who will go all out for the team.
I personally think that Josis’ numbers will go up this year. Josi has the chance to be higher on this list, but it was hard to put him above playmakers like Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson. Josi produced more shots on goal last year than he has throughout the rest of his career, and I expect to see the same thing this year, especially with Ellis being out early.
#3: Ryan Johansen
Ryan Johansen deserves the huge paycheck he received this past offseason. Johansen has always been a consistent player throughout his career in the NHL, but especially during his two years here in Nashville.
Johansen is a player that the Predators can lean on in a situation where they need a score or a stop. He was a great contributor for the Predators in the playoffs last year, before he suffered a gruesome leg injury during Game four of the Western Conference Finals. Although players stepped up throughout the Stanley Cup Finals, you could tell we looked like we were missing Johansen’s playmaking ability.
Last season, Johansen had one of his best seasons throughout his career, as he had 61 points with 14 goals. His best season yet was the 2014-2015 season when he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, as he had 71 points and 26 goals.
Anyone on this list is a tossup, but it’s hard to choose who will lead the team in points between Johansen, Forsberg and Arvidsson. We all know that the JOFA line is one of the best lines in hockey, and that shows as they were top 3 in points last year for the Nashville Predators.
#2: Viktor Arvidsson
Viktor Arvidsson hasn’t been in the league for long, but he has been a consistent player for the Nashville Predators. His consistency helped him ink a seven year, $29.75 million dollar deal this offseason.
Arvidsson had a breakout season last year for the Nashville Predators, as he led the team in scoring. He broke out and had 61 points, with 31 goals, which not many people had seen coming. He also stepped up huge for the Predators during the playoffs last year as well, as he had 13 points and three goals.
Arvidsson, personally, is one of my favorite players to watch. He is a smaller skater, but he will go out and give his all despite his size. He is very quick, which can lead to opportunities for him to score or pass the puck off. With him being just 24 years old, he has time to build on any weaknesses he might have. He has many years to improve and show how dominant of a player that he can be.
If Arvidsson can continue to dominate like he did last season, he has the opportunity to be on this list for many years to come. The Nashville Predators struck gold with him.
#1: Filip Forsberg
Filip Forsberg has been a fan favorite among many Predators fans ever since he arrived. Like many players on this roster, he is a guy that the Predators can trust to score a clutch goal, and is someone they can lean on in a tough situation.
Forsberg has played in every regular season game since the 2014-2015 season, so if he can continue that, his numbers will be around the same as they’ve been in years prior.
Forsberg has been a goal scorer that the Predators can trust on, such as when he had back to back hat tricks during the latter half of season. He has either tied or been the team leader in goals scored over the past three seasons. In those seasons, he’s scored 26, 33 and 31 goals. He came up big for the Predators during the playoffs, as he had a great Western Conference Finals, as he had five goals and two assists.
Next: Three Unlikely Potential Breakout Players
Forsberg has been around the top or at the top of this list for the last three seasons, so it’s hard to not see him to be around the top of this list again. Forsberg has many playmakers around him, especially with the JOFA line, so he should be able to get many opportunities this season to score or rack up some assists.