Predators Stanley Cup Window Still Wide Open for Near Future

This so-called “Stanley Cup window” hasn’t shut yet for the Nashville Predators, and it isn’t even close. This team can still achieve the top goal.

Due to the November slump fans have every right to be upset and worried about the current state of the Nashville Predators. Losing is never fun, especially in the way that the Predators have been losing lately.

With that being said, a lot of teams go through these kinds of droughts throughout an 82-game schedule. Some never recover, but others construct winning streaks to offset whatever slide they were previously on and get back into the playoff conversation.

The point being is that the Predators need to make the playoffs, obviously. All bets are off once the Predators miss the playoffs. But it goes beyond that. For me to be anywhere near satisfied with how the season will end, they’ll have to at least make the second round and put up a good effort. Even then, that will be short of expectations, but at least we’ll be able to say they improved over last year.

What’s the root of the problem?

Many want to point to the coaching staff and head coach Peter Laviolette for the reason the Predators are performing way under expectations. You can certainly take that stance and make a solid argument. There’s no denying the talent on the roster, but yet they’re one point out of last place in the Central Division currently.

Whether you make a coaching change midseason or wait until the end to see the how it plays out, either way the Predators still have the players to get hot at the right time. Just like they did in 2017 when they barely crept into the playoffs and came within two wins of winning it all. People were down on them then too and look what happened.

This is why I lean towards pumping the brakes on firing Laviolette right now. I might change my tune a month from now if the team is still in a tailspin. However, I just don’t see that happening. I feel that the talent will eventually rise to the top and some lucky bounces will start going the way of the Predators.

Another issue has obviously been defensively. They’ve shown mild improvement in this area as of late. Even last night’s demoralizing loss against Vancouver was the product of taking bad penalties and taking some unfortunate bounces. They didn’t surrender one goal at even strength, but they gifted the Canucks with six power play opportunities.

The penalty kill has been atrocious, and that’s no secret. These problems are correctable in my opinion. There things that can be fixed as we sit a quarter of the way through the regular season. I equate the Predators right now as a I would a struggling NFL team that’s started off 1-3.

Will they be contenders next year?

It’s hard to say right now, but they’re in good shape with most of their important players on their roster like Roman Josi, Juuse Saros, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Matt Duchene. We don’t know what moves will be made before the trade deadline to answer this question completely.

The unrestricted free agents they have coming up are depth players that mostly are replaceable or aren’t playing well for the Predators anyway this season. The top of that list for me is Mikael Granlund. He hasn’t lived up to what I thought we were getting in the trade for him last season when the Predators sent Kevin Fiala to the Wild.

I’m not going to be that upset if Granlund leaves after this season, unless of course I see a dramatic increase in production. At this point, losing Granlund next season has no effect on my thoughts if this team can remain a Stanley Cup contender.

Other unrestricted free agents coming up for 2020 are Craig Smith, Miikka Salomaki, Dan Hamhuis, Rocco Grimaldi, Matt Irwin and Yannick Weber. None of these players are going to make or break the Predators next season. They’re replaceable, outside of maybe Smith, who is also not having a great start to his season.

The Predators have a great foundation that’s not going anywhere next year. If a new head coach in needed after coming up short in the following months, then that newcomer could come in and inject new energy into an already solid foundation.

Another reason my faith remains strong that this team isn’t going into rebuild mode yet is that GM David Poile will make the roster moves necessary to keep this team contending. He’ll surround the top players with a better supporting cast than they may have right now.

A bad stretch of November hockey doesn’t have me ready to suddenly say their window has closed or will close after this season. This recent stretch hasn’t been fun, but let’s not start overreacting and jumping off a cliff until we see them make the playoffs for a sixth-straight season, and how far they go once they get in there.