Nashville Predators: Top Players They Could’ve Drafted But Didn’t
By Chad Minton
![SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 06: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman prepares for the first round of the 2020 National Hockey League Draft at the NHL Network Studio on October 06, 2020 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 06: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman prepares for the first round of the 2020 National Hockey League Draft at the NHL Network Studio on October 06, 2020 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/bfb4ca6dc9a79bd562423ec95b00782935d4d27e584a85ab42bcc370f16fa53b.jpg)
Mark Stone (2010, 6th Round)
You’re not going to pile on the Predators too much for this one because everyone passed on Mark Stone, including the team that drafted him, but it still makes you wonder.
Stone is widely considered a top-10 player in the NHL right now. He’s fun to watch and makes things happen on both ends. An outstanding skater, puck handler and scorer.
The proximity of where the Predators picked in the sixth round of 2010 in relation to where Stone got selected is what sticks out to me. The Predators took defenseman Anthony Bitetto at 168th-overall with Stone remaining on the board.
Stone would eventually get selected by the Ottawa Senators 10 picks later, and now he’s a perennial point-per-game type of player that’s regularly in the conversation for the Hart Trophy and the Selke Trophy.
The 2010 draft class for the Nashville Predators is one of the worst, if not the worst, draft class in franchise history. They took Austin Watson in the first round, and there’s nothing else to even speak of after that.