Nashville Predators Hierarchy of Importance in the Lineup
. . Matt Duchene. 5. player. 151.
To be clear, this isn’t necessarily ranking each player based on talent, but also about how critical they are the team’s current success and success moving forward.
When it comes to Matt Duchene, his first season with the Nashville Predators went off without much of a bang. Perhaps he gets a chance to change that outlook in some sort of a playoff format later this summer, but as of now it’s short of the mark.
Duchene was brought in to transform the top-six. He’s an incredibly talented puck handler, sees the ice astoundingly well and should be producing around 50-60 points per season right now in his prime.
The reason why I have Duchene narrowly cracking this list over a few other options is the huge contract the Predators signed him to over the offseason, and just his important to make the Predators’ top-six one of the best in the NHL.
For the Predators to return to being one of the top teams to beat in the Western Conference, they need Duchene to be one of the most productive players on the team. With the way he plays the game, he makes players around him so much better.
Duchene can also help make Filip Forsberg into an elite goal scorer that can produce upwards of 40 goals per season if he’s playing at his top level. This is why I have Duchene in this hierarchy of importance on the Predators roster.
. Ryan Ellis. 4. player. 151. .
If you had questions about Ryan Ellis’ importance to the Nashville Predators at this time last year, then all you need it Exhibit A of the Winter Classic injury to change your mind on that.
Ellis went down with an unfortunate and controversial head injury in the Winter Classic at the hands of Dallas’ Corey Perry, and it absolutely impacted the Predators in a very negative way.
The defense for the Predators was largely a train wreck for a large portion of the season, and it got so much worse when Ellis was out. This forced the Predators to shift their defensive pairings around, and it was never really the same.
Ellis is just such a smart player. He knows what defensive position to be in to make important plays to slow down an offensive attack, while he also brings his own offensive punch that rivals Roman Josi‘s abilities.
Even after missing 20 games, Ellis still put up very respectable season totals in key statistical categories. With 20 extra games being played, you can even argue that he would’ve been in the Norris Trophy conversations along with Josi.
It really is a shame that Ellis got the opportunity robbed from him on a dirty hit, but it also reaffirms that the best might still be to come for the 29-year-old.
Ellis’ continued improvement into one of the better all-around defenseman in the NHL is massively important to the Nashville Predators remaining a regular playoff participant and going deep in those appearances.
. . Filip Forsberg. 3. player. 151.
Arguably one of the best pure goal scorers in Predators franchise history is Filip Forsberg. There are others you can bring into the discussion, but that’s a debate for another day.
When it comes to the current day and beyond, Forsberg is a player who can without question achieve elite status for the Predators.
There’s only two more seasons left on Forsberg’s contract, and the thought it that GM David Poile will do everything he can to pay up to keep him. But at the same time, Forsberg needs to make that next big jump.
Forsberg has always been good for 30-plus goals and plenty of highlight plays to make the late-night sports shows. But he really hasn’t shown any big jumps since 2015-16. That’s somewhat concerning.
One thing that’s working against Forsberg is he burst onto the scene so rapidly that now he appears complacent in his production. He’s still a very great player, but now we want the ascension to the next tier of elite players.
Forsberg is very important to the Predators for many obvious reasons. He’s a player that can change games all on his own, commands a lot of attention from the defense and is still in his prime.
If Forsberg stays on the same scoring pace he’s been on for virtually his entire career, the Predators will have a tough decision to make on how much they want to pay him in just two more offseasons.
151. . . . Roman Josi. 2. player
Not only is Roman Josi my undisputed best player on the Nashville Predators, but he’s also one of the most important in the hierarchy of the lineup.
That’s probably not to any surprise to anyone reading this. Josi is the main reason why the Predators didn’t finish in last place in the division this season.
How can one player be the difference between being a last-place team and actually being in a playoff spot? For starters, there’s usually a lot of teams clustered up trying to make a wildcard spot as the season winds down.
This season was no different, and the Predators were right in the thick of it. Without Josi’s stellar and reliable play, the Predators would be hanging out down in the cellar with the LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks.
Josi covers up a lot of deficiencies that the Predators have. He takes over plays all by himself and often times creates high-danger scoring chances. His elite skating ability and skill level forces multiple defenders to chase him around, and that usually opens up opportunities for other players.
If you take Josi suddenly out of the Predators lineup, they’re a very ordinary team offensively, and they’re an absolute mess on defense. Quite frankly they already are a mess on defense even with Josi, but so much worse without him.
151. . . . Juuse Saros. 1. player
This may seem like an obvious choice, and it’s because you can never discount how critical steady goaltending is. Just look at the tailspin the Predators went through from November through January.
It wasn’t all on the goaltending when the Predators were getting mowed down, but they also didn’t see enough of those gems from the likes of Juuse Saros and Pekka Rinne.
Need more proof? The Nashville Predators have always had moderately good fortunes at having solid goaltending. A big reason why they became a mainstay in the playoffs and elevated into a top-tier team is due to Rinne.
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But Rinne can’t remain the man forever, and now it’s time for Juuse Saros to take over. If Saros drastically falls off, then the Predators will suffer a major setback that will force them to scramble.
Saros struggled at the start of the season, and this brought up questions of if he’s really ready to take over for Rinne. Futhermore, Rinne was blazing out of the gate so the focus was taken off of Saros’ lackluster play early on.
But eventually Saros seized control and started stringing together several strong starts in a row to help surge the Predators into a playoff spot. If the Predators are fortunate enough to go from Rinne to Saros as their top goaltenders, then that means Saros can’t drop off into an ordinary backup goaltender.
The Predators are also in flux on the defensive side of things right now. Josi and Ellis are studs, but there are some concerns after that. Mattias Ekholm is a quality player, but he had a setback this season. Then you have the young Dante Fabbro, who the jury is still out on.
The point being is that the Predators really need Saros to seize control of the top spot between the pipes from Rinne and bring in the future of the position for the franchise.
The Predators don’t have that same stout defense to hide average goaltending. They need top-quality goaltending play, and Saros has to be the guy. It’s no longer on Rinne’s shoulders as presumably the backup for one more year.
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There’s no argument to be made that Saros is the most important player on the Predators hierarchy if they’re going to keep making the playoffs and get that first Stanley Cup anytime soon.