Smashville Spookies: Free Agents to Avoid for the Nashville Predators

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We may be on the tail end of free agency, but that doesn’t mean we can’t run down some scary hypotheticals based on who is still available and who the Nashville Predators should avoid.

It’s the week of Halloween, and the scariest thing about this week for hockey and Nashville Predators fans are the whispers that the season will not start until after the New Year, and on a shortened schedule.

With all that’s going on in the world, we thought we would tell a few scary scenarios of our own to get you into #SpookySzn. What better way than to run down the remaining free agents the Nashville Predators absolutely should avoid bringing to Smashville?

The Predators roster looks pretty set after a busy free agency and a prospect pool that’s full of rising talent. But the Predators have cap room to spare if they choose to make another addition.

I’ll give you a winger, center, and defenseman that should give Nashville fans fright. Pitter patter, let’s get at her.

Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis (4) lays on the ice after being injured by Dallas Stars right wing Corey Perry Mandatory Credit: Tim Flores-USA TODAY Sports /

Corey Perry, RW

This one should seem obvious to any Predators fan, especially after the Winter Classic. Never mind any statistical analysis, the fact that he would be a right wing on a team full of natural right wing forwards on both the roster and in the pipeline, or the fact that he logged 70 penalty minutes (Watson led the Predators with 65 last year, and he’s now Ottawa’s problem).

It’s COREY-FREAKING-PERRY.

Yes, he’s been on some winning teams. But he’s also a dirty player. He’s the type to walk an elderly person through a crosswalk at a busy intersection, leave them in the middle of it, and wait for the light to turn green, just for fun. I once heard Perry tainted an entire city’s water supply, and held the cure for ransom…we’re talking real Lex Luthor level stuff…allegedly (I can’t confirm).

Whether you believe that or not, Nashville does NOT need him, and he’s one of the free agents they absolutely should not sign.

I would pay a large sum of money for Corey Perry to be locked in a room with Ryan Ellis to, ya know, “work through their differences” the Smashville way…with their fists.

: Zdeno Chara #33 of the Bruins(Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

Zdeno Chara, D

Zdeno Chara is a defenseman who could very well find himself in the Hall of Fame one day when he hangs up the skates. This isn’t taking away from everything he’s done as a player for a historic franchise (to be clear, I’m talking about the Bruins, not the Islanders or Senators), during a great career.

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There aren’t many free agents left with a track record like his. But look at the picture above. Recognize those jerseys? What about the players? Rich Peverley hasn’t played for the Preds since ’08, and Shane O’Brien, since ’11. Pekka Rinne in this photo? He was 27.

You’re probably asking yourself, “where are we going with this?”

Here’s my point. Chara is old. Like…really old. 43-years-old to be exact. Is he the Tom Brady of hockey? Perhaps. But I would rather the Predators not be the team to try to find out.

The Bruins are still trying to find a way to keep him with the club, and I commend them for that, sure, but his scoring totals aren’t exactly stats I’m clamoring for. Hard pass for Nashville.

Colin Wilson #22 (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Colin Wilson, Center

Ah, Colin Wilson. I get it. If COVID-19 has done one thing to us, it’s made us wish we could go back to the past, longing for simpler times. Those simpler times may look like back in the day, when as a fanbase, Smashville would revel in what was known as “Playoff Colin Wilson”.

But let me give you a list of things: your ex, purple ketchup, and Colin Wilson. What do they have in common? Some things are better left in the past.

Since leaving Nashville after the 2016-17 season, Wilson’s +/- was minus-5, minus-6, and plus-6, and the plus-6 came just last season where he played only nine games due to injury.

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I get it, we’re nostalgic creatures by nature. “Playoff Colin Wilson” reminds us of simpler times for Predators fans. But if anything has been shown by this front office this offseason, it’s that it’s time for change. Tigers don’t change their stripes, and Wilson still is who he is, if not a little worse for wear.

Leave the past where it belongs, avoid this familiar face among free agents, and move on. Like some of our favorite horror franchises, some things don’t need to be rebooted.

That’s it for potential free agents who give us the Smashville Spookies! Is there anyone else you would be terrified to sign, or maybe even trade for? Let us know in the comments, and have a safe and happy Halloween!

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