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Nashville Predators Only Get One Player in NHL Network’s Top 50

By Chad Minton

NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 20: Ryan Johansen #92 celebrates his goal with Filip Forsberg #9 and Roman Josi #59 of the Nashville Predators against the Dallas Stars in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on April 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 20: Ryan Johansen #92 celebrates his goal with Filip Forsberg #9 and Roman Josi #59 of the Nashville Predators against the Dallas Stars in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on April 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Nashville Predators could very well have a deep enough roster to win a Stanley Cup, but one list has just one player in their top 50.

The NHL Network has been ranking the NHL’s top players all offseason, and we’ve analyzed where the Nashville Predators players have ended up on these. There’s a lot of superstars and young talent in the league right now, but the Predators are doing it more with quality depth and not being a top-heavy roster.

Viktor Arvidsson led the Predators in goals last season with 34, good for just 25th in the NHL. On the other hand, Ryan Johansen had an amazing season distributing the puck with 50 assists, but that wasn’t even good enough to crack the top-30 in the league. The anchor of the team is obviously Pekka Rinne, who is just one season removed from winning his first Vezina Trophy.

The point is, the Predators don’t have one or two elite superstars like many other teams have. However, collectively from top to bottom they are a worthy Stanley Cup contender who can hang with any team in the seven-game series. They do have a couple players who could elevate their play this season and be in the NHL Network’s top 50 players at this time next year.

Roman Josi cracks the top 50

There was one Predators player who go into the top 50, and it was Roman Josi. He’s the closest we have to an elite superstar. Here’s the full list:

Josi is right on the fringe of becoming elite. I don’t use the word “elite” lightly in the sports world. You have to be a transcendent player who is capable of changing outcomes of games in solo fashion. Josi has done that before, and I believe is getting closer than he ever has to winning the Norris Trophy.

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Coming in at No.38 on this list, Josi comes ahead of other solid defenseman like Kris Letang (No.46) and Drew Doughty (No.39). I’m a little surprised Josi is this high. He’s one of the best offensive defenseman in the league, but he also takes big risks that compromises counter attacks. He’s also ranked right alongside players who put up 70 to 80 points last season like Claude Giroux and Mark Stone.

Other defensemen who come in right ahead of Josi are Morgan Rielly (No.37), John Carlson (No.36) and Seth Jones (No.31). I can’t argue with Rielly and Carlson being ahead of Josi, but Jones is a head-scratcher. He’s an excellent player, but I don’t think he’s on the level of Josi offensively.

Josi has 50 or more points in four of the last five seasons. He’s just 28-years-old and quite possibly hasn’t hit his peak yet. He’s going into his second season as captain of the Nashville Predators. In the Norris Trophy voting he’s come in seventh in voting for two years in a row. In regards to the top-50 players list, his ranking is pretty fair, if not a little generous.

Pekka Rinne left off

This is one that’s surprising to me, and a little infuriating. Rinne is just one season removed from being crowned the best goaltender in the NHL. How does he go from that enormous honor to being completely snubbed from the top-50?

Rinne’s numbers didn’t dip all that much last season. They weren’t as great as the previous season, but he held his own with a .918 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against average. Not a big dip from his Vezina season numbers. He also performed well in high-danger situations with a save percentage of .857, which is at the top of the league when you consider how many starts he made.

To be fair, there weren’t a whole lot of goaltenders in general to make the top-50. None were ranked higher than Sergei Bobrovsky at No.30. Other goaltenders to crack the list are Marc-Andre Fleury (No.45), Tuukka Rask (No.44) and Ben Bishop (No.33). Move Rinne into Rasks’ spot and I’m fine with it. But to completely omit Rinne from this list is asinine.

I’m interested to see that if Filip Forsberg can manage a full slate of games, will he be able to ascend himself into top-50 consideration? He has all of the skills to be a great goal scorer and set new franchise records for the Predators. He’s missed 33 games over the last two seasons after playing in 82 games for three-straight seasons. If he plays in all 82 games then he’s definitely scoring over 40 goals in the near future.

Next. Who Will Make Up the Bottom Defensive Pairing for the Predators?. dark

Matt Duchene and Arvidsson are the other two players who could elevate their games this season and push for the top-50 if they decide to compile this list again. Duchene is the most complete player on the team and has put up 70-plus points before in his career. Arvidsson has to become more than just a goal scorer to move into an elite tier of the NHL. We could see all of these guys’ offensive numbers blossom if the last-place Predators power play decides to show big improvement.

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