Nashville Predators: Top-Five Defenseman in Franchise History
5. Mattias Ekholm (2012-Current)
Mattias Ekholm begins our top-five list. The Predators selected Ekholm with the 102nd pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. Time really does fly by.
Ekholm, who has only played for the Predators in his NHL career, has racked up 196 points (45 goals, 151 assists) in 538 games. His career hits and blocks are 419 and 698, respectively. His teammates named him an alternate captain before the 2017-18 season.
Along with linemate Dante Fabbro, Ekholm leads the second defensive pairing and provides the Predators a solid defensive core and has a toughness factor to his game that’s hard to match.
While Ekholm did have a drop in production last season, he still held a Corsi rating of 50.4. Growing pains while acclimating to his new linemate in Fabbro may have contributed to his decline in numbers.
Ekholm is a tough defender and one of the few Predators who played a more physical game last season. At 30-years-old, he still has several years to continue to mold and shape his game, which is why he narrowly makes the top-five. More on that later.
Ekholm is on the cusp of regaining his form. Once next season starts and the Predators shift to a more defensive game, we’ll see Ekholm come into his own and have another strong season.
4. Kimmo Timonen (1998-2007)
Kimmo Timonen, a late-round pick by the LA Kings in the 1993 NHL Draft, spent eight seasons in Nashville. He was a major piece of the early days of the franchise when the expansion rules aren’t as kind as they are now.
Timonen joined the Predators for their inaugural season in 1998. The Predators named him captain before the 2006-07 season, which turned out to be his last year in Nashville. That was also the best season of his career.
It’s important to remember the early days of the Predators franchise when just making the playoffs was an enormous feat. The team didn’t have hardly any stars, but Timonen was certainly one of them.
Timonen scored 55 points (13 goals, 42 assists) in his final season with the Predators and finished 5th in the Norris Trophy voting that year in 2007.
This stat may surprise some of you, but Timonen still sits at No.2 on the Predators all-time list for power play goals with 46. But Filip Forsberg is about to pass him by on that one this upcoming season.
In 573 career games with Nashville, Timonen had 79 goals and 222 assists. You just can’t overlook his leadership on those early teams. Until Shea Weber arrived, Timonen was the franchise’s top defenseman.
Timonen, one of the Predators’ first defenseman, enjoyed a long career in the NHL, which also included a Stanley Cup win with the Chicago Blackhawks just before his retirement.
3. Ryan Ellis (2012-Current)
The Predators have one of the top defensive tandems in the NHL. It is easy to see why when watching Ryan Ellis. He just has to stay healthy going forward.
Ellis, another homegrown Predators defender, was the 11th-overall pick in the 2009 draft. He made his NHL debut during the 2011-12 season and arrived around the same time as Ekholm.
A nine-year veteran, Ellis has 252 career points (70 goals, 182 assists). His career blocks sit at 808, and he has 421 career hits. He has also served as an alternate captain since the 2017-18 season.
Ellis is already top-ten on the Predators all-time list for assists (182), points (252) and shots (988). He’s also at the top all-time for the franchise in Plus/Minus at Plus-113, which is just incredible to think about.
Since entering the league in 2011, Ellis’ Corsi rating has only dipped below 50 for one season, and even then, it was 49.3.
Last season, Ellis was on track to have a career year until he sustained an injury in the Winter Classic. Had he not been injured, he undoubtedly would’ve had his best year ever.
Ellis is one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, and the Predators are a better team when he’s on the ice. He is a smart and tough defender and don’t count him out for a Norris Trophy nomination before he’s finished.
2. Shea Weber (2006-2016)
Shea Weber had a long and productive career with the Predators. He spent 11 seasons in Nashville after being drafted by them in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Many have him firmly at the top as the best player in franchise history, with the exception of maybe Pekka Rinne.
Although Weber has never won the Norris Trophy, he has received votes 11 times over his career and finished second in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He could’ve easily taken home the hardware in those seasons, Nicklas Lidstrom and Erik Karlsson narrowly edging him out in both seasons.
Weber’s career stats feature an impressive 990 games and 570 points (218 goals, 352 assists). He’s comfortably at the to of the all-time franchise list for power play goals with 80, and top-five in many other important categories.
Weber, known for his hard shot and tough gameplay, has 1,508 blocked shots and 1,923 hits. His Corsi-for has only dipped below 50 three times in his 13-year career. Weber also still holds the franchise record with 2,052 shots. And getting in the way of a Weber one-timer required some serious guts.
Weber served as captain beginning in 2010. In 2011 he took on a protégé in rookie Roman Josi. During his Norris Trophy-winning acceptance speech, Josi credited Weber with helping mold his game into what it is today.
In 2016 a blockbuster trade sent Weber to the Montreal Canadiens for fellow defenseman P.K. Subban. Weber is still going strong with the Canadiens and remains a favorite with Predators fans everywhere.
1. Roman Josi (2011-Current)
Team captain, Norris Trophy Winner, all-around excellent human being, Roman Josi checks all of the boxes when looking at elite defensemen in the NHL.
Josi made his NHL debut in November 2011 at age 21 against the Detroit Red Wings. He came aboard with the Predators around the same time that Ekholm and Ellis did.
Originally drafted by Nashville, Josi was the 38th pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 52 games in his first season, and his ice time quickly grew as that season progressed. We knew instantly what special talent he was.
Josi’s statistics have improved almost every year during his nine seasons with Nashville. Last season, his best yet, saw him score 65 points (16goals, 49 assists) in only 69 games. He also had 108 blocked shots, 52 hits, and a Corsi-for of 52.6.
If the full 82 games were played, perhaps Josi comes very close to Paul Kariya’s franchise record for points in a season with 85 in 2005-06.
Josi’s numbers and his ability to keep the Predators competitive last season contributed to his Norris Trophy win in 2020. Throughout his career, Josi has received votes for the Norris Trophy six times, including this year’s win.
Named as an alternate captain in 2016, Josi became the team captain before the 2017-18 season. He leads by example and can put the team on his back and push them to victory if necessary.
Josi’s other accolades include three All-Star game appearances and being named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 2020.
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Josi’s game continues to improve, and at 30-years-old, he has many more years ahead of him. Assuming he plays out his contract extension for the Predators, he’s going to hang with Filip Forsberg to eventually become the franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer.
With the Predators signing him into an eight-year contract extension in 2019, Josi will likely retire from Nashville as the best defenseman, and maybe player, that the team has ever had.
Honorable Mention
The top-five was pretty clear, but there are several other defenseman in team history that deserve a shout out. First off, Ryan Suter came very close to making the list over Ekholm.
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Suter left on bad terms and the fanbase will probably never forgive him for it. However, he was a force to be reckoned with alongside Weber for a few seasons.
P.K. Subban wasn’t here nearly long enough to make the top-five, but man was it a fun ride while he was here, including the trip to the Stanley Cup Final and his initial arrival when he went onto Lower Broadway and into the honkey tonks.
It was really tough to see Seth Jones shipped off. If he’s still playing for the Predators, he’s easily in the top-five over Ekholm.
We have to show some love to Marek Zidlicky, a player who joined the Predators for the 2003-04 season and put up 53 points in 82 games and added 35 points on the power play. Only old school Predators fans remember Zidlicky and his importance.
Finally, let’s also show some love to Kevin Klein. A player that stuck around for a while ( nine seasons with Nashville) and put up 716 blocks and 518 hits for the Predators.