You can’t really run and hide from it anymore. The Nashville Predators are heading into a bigger rebuild than they’ve been in since when Barry Trotz was let go in 2013-14 after the team missed the playoffs two-straight years.
Even though the Stanley Cup Qualifiers technically counted as making the playoffs, I can’t see it that way. It’s likely that the Predators are about the miss the 16-team playoff field for the second season in a row.
Furthermore, the Predators have been heading in reverse since going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. They followed that up with massive expectations and a President’s Trophy the following season, but it’s all been a rough ride since then.
To go through with a rebuild, you have to identify current players that are integral for going into the rebuild. You have to look long and hard through this current Predators roster to identify a handful of players that they should want to keep.
These are the top players I have in terms of importance for the rebuild.