Nashville Predators: Top Rookie Campaigns in Franchise History

With the rise of Eeli Tolvanen this season for the Nashville Predators, it seems like a good time to look back on other rookies that have had strong seasons in franchise history.

Tolvanen is quickly rising into a top player for the Predators after taking some time in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals to fine tune his game. Anyone who called him a bust should be publicly shamed now, or is that too harsh?

The NHL is unlike any other sport when it comes to making a quick impact as a rookie. It’s not as straight forward as other professional leagues like the NFL and NBA where rookies regularly make immediate splashes.

One of the great things we all love about sports is seeing a rookie phenom take the league by storm, and Predators fans are getting a taste of that this season with Tolvanen, and some others on the team as well.

There hasn’t been a lot of rookie splashes in recent years for the Predators, which is a contributing factor as to why this injection of youth is so refreshing this season.

With the Nashville Predators currently catching that rookie fever and being carried by the youth of their team, we thought it would be a good time to look back on the most successful rookie campaigns in franchise history.

David Legwand (1999-2000)

We have to start with the original draft pick of the Nashville Predators, David Legwand. It took him one season after getting drafted before getting to the NHL level, but once he did, his impact was instantly felt.

The Predators had to take the hard road of being an expansion team and lacked a lot of offensive firepower. Legwand came in almost immediately during his rookie season and became one of the team’s leaders.

Legwand played in 71 games in his rookie season, posting 28 points and two game-winning goals. He also notched four goals on the power play and racked up nearly 15 minutes of average ice time.

This was a limited Predators team that Legwand was joining, but they did have veteran Cliff Ronning leading the team in points with 62. Legwand finished tied for 7th on the team in points.

The Predators probably knew pretty quick that they had made the wise choice in drafting Legwand in the franchise’s first NHL draft.

Legwand was just 19-years-old during his NHL rookie season after representing Team USA at the amateur World Cup, and also playing in the OHL for the Plymouth Whalers where he put up 80 points in 55 games in 1998-99.

Tomas Vokoun (1998-99)

It was the inaugural season for the Nashville Predators, and they had to lean on near-perfect goaltending to remain competitive on the scoreboard.

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Mike Dunham was the team’s primary starting goaltender, but they had a hell of a one-two punch with rookie Tomas Vokoun lining up behind him.

Vokoun was already 24-years-old by the time he started getting regular time as an NHL goaltender. He appeared in 37 games that season, while Dunham appeared in 44 games and put up very similar numbers.

The Predators had their duo in net that was vital to building the foundation that would eventually grow into something special. This franchise has always enjoyed solid goaltending, for the most part, and Vokoun’s rookie season was promising.

Vokoun would end up finishing 13th in the Calder Trophy voting that season and end up playing seven more seasons in Nashville before finishing his career with three other teams.

Martin Erat (2001-2002)

As the Predators were starting to build a foundation into being a playoff contender, their roster was really getting some young talent to fuel the growth.

Martin Erat turned out to be an outstanding 7th-round draft pick for the Nashville Predators. In his rookie season he played in 80 games, which would set a new rookie record for the young franchise.

It was apparent rather quickly that Erat was an intelligent player on the ice that could make things happen for his linemates both as a distributor and as a scorer.

Erat put up an impressive 24 assists in his rookie campaign, while also setting a franchise rookie record in that category. He finished 5th on the team in assists that season as the Predators finished 4th in the Central Division and won 28 games.

It took patience to finally see the Predators become a legit playoff contender, but Erat was certainly one of those early players that played a vital role in growing as a franchise.

Dan Hamhuis (2003-2004)

For the Nashville Predators to really make the climb up the NHL ladder, they had to start building up their crop of defensemen. In came Dan Hamhuis for his rookie campaign in 2003-2004.

Hamhuis was a massive defenseman at 6’1″ who had just completed a successful season in the AHL ranks, and was ready to be a vital part of Nashville’s defense corps.

The most impressive stat of Hamhuis’ rookie season for the Predators was how much ice time he logged. Over 22 minutes of average ice time in his 80 games he played that season.

Hamhuis never really evolved into a high-scoring defenseman, but he did notch 26 points during his rookie season. All of this got him some recognition in the Calder Trophy voting as he finished 11th.

As the Predators become more known as a defensive-minded team, Hamhuis became a big part of that reputation over the next few seasons in Nashville before eventually moving on to the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars.

Craig Smith (2011-2012)

There were players that were critical to the Nashville Predators getting over the hump of being just an ordinary playoff team, to actually being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Craig Smith’s talent and expectations were there right from the start as he came out of the University of Wisconsin and onto the Nashville Predators. He was drafted in the 4th round and immediately made a big impact on a Predators team that had loads of talent.

In 72 games for his rookie season, Smith would tally an impressive 36 points in just a little over 14 minutes of average ice time. He was a solid contributor on the power play, as well as defensively and in the faceoff circle.

Despite the strong rookie showing, Smith would finish just 12th in the Calder Trophy voting on a Predators team that finished with 104 points and a first-round playoff series victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

Smith had the fiery energy and passion you love to see as well. He went on to be one of the better players in franchise history, and I’m still salty that the Predators lost him over this past offseason.

Pekka Rinne (2008-2009)

It’s only fitting that the greatest of all-time in Predators history also had one of the best rookie seasons in the franchise’s history.

Pekka Rinne burst onto the NHL scene for a Predators team in 2008 that was gradually turning into a respected NHL contender. He put up 49 starts in his rookie season to push the Predators right on the cusp of a playoff berth.

Rinne would come up just short of claiming the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year in the NHL. Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason would win the award.

What really stands out from Rinne’s rookie campaign is he put up seven shutouts. Ever since then he’s climbed up the all-time goaltending ranks in NHL history, especially in wins and shutouts.

It’s hard to believe that Rinne is still currently putting up big games for the Predators and remains loyal to the organization. You’re going to have a hard time topping this rookie season in Predators history.

Seth Jones (2013-2014)

The Predators were already starting to build a defensive powerhouse on their blueline, and Seth Jones came in as another piece to that group. He had a lot of buzz surrounding him as the 4th-overall pick in the NHL Draft.

Jones played in 77 games in his rookie season and put up nearly 20 minutes of ice time on average. He was used heavily right from the start, as you would expect from such a high draft pick.

What I liked about Jones from the start was his all-around level of play. He fit right into the lineup and immediately started making an impact as a prototypical NHL defenseman who blocks shots, makes the hits and contributes offensively as well.

It was hard seeing Jones’ time in Nashville quickly come to an end as the team acquired Ryan Johansen from the Columbus Blue Jackets. A move that proved to be beneficial for both parties involved as the Predators would make their rise as Stanley Cup contenders with Johansen as their top centerman.

Jones would finish 11th in the Calder Trophy voting with 25 points, 99 blocks and 55 hits.

Filip Forsberg (2014-2015)

It’s really not even close when it comes to the best rookie seasons in Predators history. You can throw in Pekka Rinne’s 2008-09 campaign, but when it comes to skaters, it’s all about Filip Forsberg’s rookie season.

Forsberg put up 63 points and really made his launch into NHL notoriety during this season. He had already appeared in 18 games in the previous two seasons, but wasn’t considered a rookie until he played in all 82 games in 2014-15.

Six power play goals and six game-winning goals just scratch the surface of Forsberg’s rookie year. He came over in the well-known trade that still haunts Washington Capitals fans as they received an aging Martin Erat who was well past his prime.

Forsberg was still just 20-years-old during this rookie season that saw him make the NHL All-Rookie team. He’s the top player, again aside from Rinne, in terms of the current Nashville Predators team and should hopefully play his entire career in Nashville.

Perhaps Tolvanen could’ve rivaled Forsberg’s rookie season if he began the season on the starting roster and we were playing a full 82-game slate like Forsberg managed to do.

Juuse Saros (2017-2018)

The last big rookie splash for the Nashville Predators was Juuse Saros’ technical rookie campaign in 2017-18. The season after the Predators went to the Stanley Cup Final.

Saros had to grow up fast even before his technical rookie season. He had to come in for a struggling Pekka Rinne in the Stanley Cup Final against the Penguins in two games that series, with one of those instances seeing him give up three goals on 15 shots faced.

But after that season Saros would 23 games as fans started to realize that Rinne was starting to fade. There was an enormous amount of pressure on Saros right from the start having to follow up Rinne’s legacy.

Saros would make the NHL All-Rookie Team by putting up a .925 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA, while also adding in three shutouts. It looked like the Predators once again found their franchise goaltender.

There’s been some fair criticism on Saros that he’s too streaky and possibly not the future for the Predators at goaltender. However, as of late Saros is once again showing he can be a top-tier NHL goaltender, and his original rookie season definitely showed that from the start.

Here’s my top-five of best rookie seasons in Nashville Predators history:

1. Filip Forsberg (2014-15)
2. Pekka Rinne (2008-09)
3. Alexander Radulov (2006-07)
4. Eeli Tolvanen (Current)
5. Craig Smith (2011-12)

I’m already putting Tolvanen in my top-five because I have no doubt that if he would’ve started the season in the lineup on opening night that he’d right near a point-per-game pace, which only Forsberg has ever done as a rookie.