10 Nashville Predators Players Crack The Fantasy Hockey Top 250

When you’re drafting your fantasy hockey team this year, chances are you’re going to draft at least one player from the Nashville Predators.

This year, the Nashville Predators have ten players included in NHL.com’s top 250 fantasy hockey players list, including five forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.

In this slideshow, we will be going through each of the Nashville Predators players on the list and giving you an explanation as to why you should draft each of these players. (You’re welcome fantasy hockey players.)

With factors like a new and improved power play and the addition of Matt Duchene (who I will be getting to later) now is the perfect time to jump on the Nashville Predators hype train, as point production should be through the roof this year.

This could cause an uptick in fantasy production from everyone throughout the roster, so it’s time to buy into these ten Predators players.

35. Roman Josi

If you’re looking for point production from a defenseman, Roman Josi could very well be your best option this year.

Josi comes in as the sixth-ranked defenseman on the list and has the upside to have the best season out of anyone in that group.

With P.K. Subban gone, Roman Josi now takes the role as the power play quarterback and combine that with the fact he is headed into a contract season means he will be a shoo-in for a stellar season.

Josi has also been consistent for years, placing third in points from a defenseman since the 2014-15 season, so you know what you’re going to get when drafting him.

Roman Josi is a viable option to be the best defenseman on your team, and with all of the factors working in his favor, it’s a no brainer to use your third-round pick on him in your 10-12 man league.

44. Pekka Rinne

Pekka Rinne has been among the best goaltenders in the league for years now, so there is no surprise that he is early on this list.

With the team playing in front of him, Pekka Rinne could end up leading the league in wins this year, which makes drafting him as the best goaltender on your team a solid move.

Rinne has also been one of the most stable goaltenders in the league over the course of his career, as he ranks fourth in wins out of any active goaltender and is still going strong at the age of 36.

Regression shouldn’t be an issue for Pekka Rinne either, as he ranked in the top 10 in wins, save percentage and goals-against average last season and could very well do it again this season.

It should be a no brainer to select Rinne if he’s available in the fourth or fifth round of your draft, he won’t disappoint you.

59. Filip Forsberg

Need a good scoring winger in the middle of your draft? Filip Forsberg is the perfect option for your team.

Filip Forsberg has been a reliable 30 goal scorer for the past five seasons, so you know what you’re going to get with him.

Since the 2015-16 campaign, Forsberg ranks 16th in goals, ranking ahead of players who are ahead of him on the fantasy hockey rankings such as David Pastrnak and Johnny Gaudreau.

The upside is there for Forsberg to have another stellar season and he has been a reliable option for years now, so it is safe to say that he should be a good option for your team in the fifth or sixth round of your draft.

84. Viktor Arvidsson

When you think of sleeper picks, the first one that should come to mind should be Viktor Arvidsson.

Arvidsson is coming off of a season where he broke the Nashville Predators single-season goal record despite missing more than 20 games, so it comes as a surprise that he comes so low on this list.

He, like Forsberg, has also been one of the most reliable goal scorers in the NHL for the past three years, ranking 19th in the NHL in goals, which makes him a steal this late in your fantasy draft.

He is good for 30 goals a season and in a season where the Predators are going to place a heavy focus on goal-scoring, Arvidsson should be the sleeper pick you need to kickstart your team.

Arvidsson could very well break the single-season goal record again this year with the cards he’s been dealt this season, so he could be a solid 8th-9th round selection.

148 and 149. Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm

These two players will be grouped together because well, they are very similar when it comes to fantasy hockey (which is why they are also ranked back to back on NHL.com’s list).

They are solid two-way defensemen that can give you all of the little things you need in fantasy hockey- blocked shots, hits, assists, and occasionally goals.

They both had around 40 points last season, which makes either of them a good choice to bolster your defense this season.

Ekholm most likely has more point upside this year as he will likely be the one producing more offense with his offensive defense partner P.K. Subban gone and being replaced with a more defense-oriented Dante Fabbro, but both should be solid options.

They both should be available past the 10th round of the draft, which is great value for the defense position, as that’s where things start to get slim.

Ekholm and Ellis should be great options later in the draft if you decide to stockpile on forwards earlier on.

168. Ryan Johansen

Ryan Johansen could very well end up being the steal of your draft, as his ranking seems way too low for him considering what he did last season.

Johansen led the Nashville Predators in points with 64, adding 50 assists. Sure, his goal total wasn’t that high, but if the Preds end up splitting up the JOFA line and putting Kyle Turris on his wing, that goal total could go up.

Johansen has been a solid 50-60 point player since his arrival to Nashville in the 2015-16 season and there is no reason why his production should halt this season.

He could benefit from the Predators new-look power play as well, as the first unit which includes Forsberg, himself, Arvidsson, Duchene and Josi looked stellar this preseason.

If he’s available in the 16th-17th round, you gotta take him, he might just be the steal of the draft.

169. Mikael Granlund

Mikael Granlund is in a very similar spot as Ryan Johansen, as both of them have huge assist upside this season in the very late rounds of the draft.

Granlund will also benefit from his linemates this season, as he will have a complete upgrade from his first run with the Nashville Predators, as he will now be playing with Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg.

Granlund has also been a reliable 50 point scorer, and that number should increase next season with the number of assists he could collect from playing on such a good line.

This will also be his first full season under Peter Laviolette‘s system, so he will be more adjusted to it than he was during his stint with the Preds at the end of last season.

Granlund’s contract is also set to expire at the end of the season, so he will likely be working hard to get that point total up to secure a new contract.

Like Johansen, if you’re looking for scoring in the late rounds of your draft, pick up Granlund, he will absolutely be a steal.

193. Juuse Saros

Still need an extra goaltender in the late rounds of the draft? Take a flier on Juuse Saros, it may pay off for you.

Saros could potentially take some starts away from Pekka Rinne, as he turns 37 years old in November, so Saros will likely benefit from load management.

The 24-year-old isn’t shabby either. In 27 starts last season, Saros went 17-10-2 with three shutouts and boasted a .915 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average.

Those numbers are starter quality numbers, so picking him this late in the draft could very well benefit your team, especially considering he may get more starts this season.

Saros is the Nashville Predators goaltender of the future, so it is important to start keeping tabs on him now.

If he’s available in the 20th-22nd round of the draft and you’re still in need of a goaltender, you could very well take a chance on him, it might pay off.