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Nashville Predators awards for a bumpy month of February

By Steve Cook |
NASHVILLE, TN - JANUARY 19: Roman Josi #59 gives direction to Colin Blackwell #42 of the Nashville Predators during his NHL debut against the Florida Panthers at Bridgestone Arena on January 19, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - JANUARY 19: Roman Josi #59 gives direction to Colin Blackwell #42 of the Nashville Predators during his NHL debut against the Florida Panthers at Bridgestone Arena on January 19, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
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The Nashville Predators end February on top of the Central Division. Barely. We look back at the best & worst of the shortest month of the year.

The Nashville Predators end the month of February on top of the Central Division by one point. It’s mostly by default though, as the Winnipeg Jets have played three fewer games overall and managed to have a worse February than Nashville did. The Jets went 4-6-2 while Nashville went 7-6-1.

Another team in the Central went 12-1-1 and is only five points behind Nashville right now. We’ll get to them in a little bit. It’s time to bust out the monthly Nashville Predators awards!

Best Performance in the last seconds before the Trade Deadline: David Poile

There’s nothing like a Trade Deadline to ramp up the drama in a sport. Usually, all that drama is for naught. You get your hopes up for big things, and they don’t happen. Anybody that watched the Nashville Predators the weeks heading into the deadline knew that something needed to happen. As the roster stood, they weren’t going to get past Winnipeg in the Conference Semi-Final, and sure as heck wouldn’t get past whoever in the Conference Final and Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Final.

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David Poile was in a really tough spot. Either he would do nothing and write off this season, or he would give up too much and hurt the franchise in years going forward. It didn’t seem like there was a middle ground. As the hours went by, we all got more impatient. Other teams were doing things while the Predators weren’t mentioned. We were all waiting for some kind of move.

We got it, finally, 15 minutes before the deadline. A rare 1 for 1 deal, with Mikael Granlund & Kevin Fiala trading places on Central Division rivals. Sounded pretty good, though TSN TradeCentre couldn’t spend much time on it since Vegas traded for Mark Stone a couple minutes later. Stone was the main trade piece that day so it was tough to blame them.

Then, after the deadline, we found out that Nashville had worked a trade for Wayne Simmonds, one of the other top pieces considered available. Vintage David Poile, working deals when nobody expects it. Through the process, the Predators gave up Fiala & Ryan Hartman, two fan favorites. Few would argue that Granlund & Simmonds aren’t upgrades on them.

ST. LOUIS, MO – FEBRUARY 26: St. Louis Blues’ Mackenzie MacEachern, left, throws a punch at Nashville Predators’ P.K. Subban, bottom right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators on February 26, 2019, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Tim Spyers/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – FEBRUARY 26: St. Louis Blues’ Mackenzie MacEachern, left, throws a punch at Nashville Predators’ P.K. Subban, bottom right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators on February 26, 2019, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Tim Spyers/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Biggest Surprise: The St. Louis Blues sweep Nashville in February games

We’ve all assumed that the Central Division championship would be decided between the Nashville Predators and the Winnipeg Jets. No disrespect to the other teams in the division, but Nashville & Winnipeg were thought to be a level above the rest this season. This seemed to be the case up until January 23.

Just before the All-Star Break, the St. Louis Blues finished their January with a road win over the lowly Anaheim Ducks. It was the beginning of an eleven-game winning streak that lasted most of February, the span of which included a back to back with our beloved Predators. Nashville wasn’t done losing to the Blues in February, as they ended the month getting shutout in St. Louis.

What’s happening in St. Louis? It’s a team effort, but two players’ effort stood out this month. Vladimir Tarasenko went off with ten goals & twelve assists in February. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that three of his goals powered the Blues to a 5-4 OT win in Nashville. The Blues’ MVP this season has to be rookie goalie Jordan Binnington, who went 10-1 with 4 shutouts & a 1.44 GAA in February. I, for one, am glad I picked him up for my fantasy team a couple of months ago when he started turning heads.

St. Louis certainly has Nashville’s number right now. A first-round meeting could prove problematic.

Most Useless Return: Cody McLeod

It breaks my heart to present this award. It wasn’t terribly long ago in the grand scheme of things that I wrote a column on this website to defend McLeod to the heathens that wanted him in a jail cell or something. I always love an underdog, and McLeod definitely fits that role.

I was even ok with bringing him back. Locker room presence and all that. But there comes a time where you have to look at the stats. I’m not even talking about advanced statistics. I’m talking about playing in games, and minutes played in those games. It’s the simplest thing in the NHL. Since McLeod returned to the Predators he’s played in six out of eleven games and averaged 7:27 of ice time per game. This stat is somewhat inflated by the 8:45 he got against St. Louis Tuesday night.

Like…why even bother? If you’re not even going to play the guy most games, and can’t trust him on the ice for more than five minutes when you do, why make the trade? I would say LOCKER ROOM CHEMISTRY, but it’s not like the Nashville Predators have won a ton of games since he arrived and provided that good feeling in the locker room. I want to like him so much, but I haven’t seen any reason to yet. It’s like when you’re fixed up with somebody and really want it to work, but they do all the wrong things. What can you do with that?

NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 12: P.K. Subban #76 celebrates his goal with Filip Forsberg #9 and Ryan Johansen #92 of the Nashville Predators against the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena on February 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 12: P.K. Subban #76 celebrates his goal with Filip Forsberg #9 and Ryan Johansen #92 of the Nashville Predators against the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena on February 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Best Predators GIF: Forsberg will score one of these eventually

I love it every time Filip Forsberg tries this shot:

He hasn’t hit it yet, but practice makes perfect. Perhaps he can go to his new teammate Mikael Granlund for some advice…

https://twitter.com/Ba5tu/status/1098090748577226753

If the Nashville Predators can get that shot going they got a good chance of getting past Winnipeg is all I’m saying.

Most Romantic Predator: P.K. Subban

Now, I have no doubt that the majority of Nashville Predators are good to their ladies. We all know that hockey players have a certain appeal to the opposite sex. But it’s going to be hard for any Nashville player, or anybody in the NHL period, to compete with P.K. Subban’s efforts in his romance with the GOAT alpine ski racer, Lindsey Vonn.

https://twitter.com/PKSubban1/status/1095383459483340800

I realize that public displays like this are a large part of the reason most hockey people will never support Subban. Hockey people believe that players should only focus on the ice. And the last thing hockey people want to hear about is what players do off the ice. The idea of a player making his life public or having his own reality show is insane to hockey people. They can’t handle the idea that players can have social lives and also focus on their craft.

Yes, P.K. has a focus on the romance game right now. But just like anybody else that has a job, he can compartmentalize. Way too many people don’t understand this idea.

NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 14: Roman Josi #59 congratulates Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators on a 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bridgestone Arena on February 14, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 14: Roman Josi #59 congratulates Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators on a 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bridgestone Arena on February 14, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Best Predators Performance: 3-1 win over Montreal, February 14

Valentine’s Day marked the first time that Shea Weber & P.K. Subban had both been healthy for a meeting between the Canadiens & Predators in Nashville since the trade. It was Weber’s 900th NHL game. The Nashville Predators were on a three-game losing streak. Talk about a must-win situation for the Predators.

That’s exactly what happened. The Predators dominated play early and eventually cashed in with a goal in the second period, but the Canadiens mounted a comeback in the third. Brian Boyle scored his first goal as a Predator at a very opportune time & Nashville got back on the smiling side of the scoreboard.

Worst Predators Performance: 5-0 loss to Colorado, February 23

Hockey Fights Cancer Night is a big deal wherever you go in the NHL. We’ve all been touched by cancer in one way or another, and the part where a young kid fighting disease comes out to drop the puck never leaves a dry eye in the house. Adding in the fact that Nashville’s meeting with Colorado was the last before the trade deadline made this one of the most critical games of the regular season.

The Nashville Predators laid an egg. You know it’s bad when Roman Josi has to mention how hard everybody’s trying in the post-game interview. The effort may have been there, but the talent certainly wasn’t. The Predators couldn’t get anything done on offense or defense while the Avalanche were having a field day with Pekka Rinne. Colorado’s season to this point has been disappointing, but wins like this make them believe they have a shot at big things with a wild card slot.

It was also a clear sign that something needed to be done before the trade deadline.

Most Valuable Predator: Roman Josi

Some months there just aren’t a lot of candidates for this award. The Captain stood out from the pack of Nashville Predators this month. He had the most points with fifteen, including the most assists with nine. He was on the ice the most with an average of 24:58. He had the best shot percentage & the most game winning goals.

dark. Next. Grading the Wayne Simmonds trade

He also had the most penalty minutes, which is amazing considering they brought back Cody McLeod. (Sorry guys, I had to do it one more time.)

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