Nashville Predators: March Awards for Predators

Best Defensive Predator: Ryan Ellis

The fact that the Predators did pretty well for the first couple of months without Ryan Ellis made some think that perhaps the associate captain wasn’t that important to the team. Since his return on January 2, the Predators are 27-7-6. Is that good? I feel like that’s pretty good.

Ellis was the squad’s top-scoring defenseman this month by a pretty wide margin with five goals & eight assists. He only had a negative plus/minus rating twice during March. I know people hate that stat, but it bears noting because Nashville lost both of those games.

Another statistic that annoys people is clutch, and Ellis certainly produces in those situations. Six of his nine goals this season have tied games, while two have won them. When the chips are down, you want Number Four out there.

Most Valuable Predator: Viktor Arvidsson

I think we can say that the man affectionately referred to as “Arvi” (or is it “Arvy”?) has proven the doubters wrong this season. The littlest Nashville Predator has been packing the biggest punch, leading the team in goals & points. March was the most productive month for him yet, as he contributed seven goals & nine assists to the cause. It was the most points he’s had in a month his entire career.

He also contributes far more than mere goals & assists.

Next: Power play may be Achilles’ Heel for Preds

Going into the season, I was one that had concern about Arvidsson wearing down as the season went on. I was wrong. He keeps going & going like the Energizer Bunny. The Nashville Predators will need a ton of energy here in the next few weeks.