Nashville Predators: How the Playoff Roster Should be Built
Top-Six
Let’s start with the top part of the lineup and the one that’s going to be leaned on to give goal support to Juuse Saros.
The top line shouldn’t have any dispute right now as it should be Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Eeli Tolvanen. I can absolutely see this trio getting hot at the right time and producing plenty of goal support to one of the best goaltenders in the NHL right now.
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I’m waiting to see Forsberg and Tolvanen rekindle that connection, especially on the power play. They’re going to have the tall order of matching what Carolina is going to throw at us with their top line.
As for Johansen, I trust him in high-pressure playoff moments. He’s been in these tense situations and knows what it takes. Even with some of the consistency issues, I’m confident in having Johansen center the top line with Forsberg and Tolvanen.
Top Line: Forsberg/Johansen/Tolvanen
The second line has more flux to it. Matt Duchene is the wild card here, which he has been for his entire stint with the Predators it seems like.
Duchene has been upping his level of play since coming back from injury, and he really found a spark in the season finale, albeit against a Hurricanes that was sitting a lot of their top players.
However, let me first begin with who should be locks on the second line. First off you have to go with Mikael Granlund. Another player that hasn’t always produced at as high of a level as you would like, but one that can ignite an entire line to generate offensive scoring chances.
One thing about this series with the Hurricanes that’s in our first round preview was that the Predators are going to have to figure out a way to match the speed and offensive pressure of Carolina.
I like Granlund centering the second line alongside Calle Jarnkrok and Viktor Arvidsson. As much as I like and respect the way Duchene has been stepping up his game of late, I’m leaving him off my second line, at least for now.
Jarnkrok has shown all season that he can score goals in big moments while also playing a solid defensive game as well. Arvidsson also steadily improved his game as the season progressed and I think this line can have some success to round out a top-six that I really feel confident in.
If Arvidsson can’t play in Game 1 due to a nagging injury that he suffered back on April 27 against Florida, then this will shift things dramatically in my lineup. If that’s the case, Kunin becomes a prime candidate to replace Arvidsson.
Second Line: Jarnkrok/Granlund/Arvidsson
Bottom-Six
Going to the third line, this is where I’m keeping Duchene. At least for now. Obviously things can change quickly in a playoff series, but initially I like keeping him on a third line that needs an offensive spark.
Duchene, even though his contract says he should be in the top-six, fits better in this spot alongside Erik Haula and Luke Kunin.
This line will be gritty and tenacious with their forechecking, but also have offensive capabilities with all three. Haula and Kunin have turned out to be solid offseason acquisitions by GM David Poile.
The combined goal output from these three players in the regular season is 25 goals, with a combined point output of 53. This line can definitely make some things happen in all areas of the ice.
Third Line: Haula/Duchene/Kunin
There’s really no reason for too much debate on the fourth line, or the infamously named “Herd Line”. Probably the most consistent line for the Predators all season has been their fourth line.
However, there is a tough decision to make on who gets the start after Mathieu Olivier has returned to the lineup and played in the season finale, registering just over 13 minutes of ice time.
This is a really difficult call for me to make, but I’m keeping the fourth line intact with Colton Sissons, Yakov Trenin and Tanner Jeannot. I just can’t take them out as starters despite Olivier being deserving as well to be a starter.
There’s no way I’m removing Jeannot out of the starting lineup after everything he’s done down the stretch of the season. He’s earned himself a full-time spot on the fourth line.
I definitely can’t see benching Sissons either with his playoff experience, so it really comes down to Trenin or Olivier. I like Trenin’s ability to score while also playing a physical game slightly more than what Olivier brings.
Either way, the Predators can’t go wrong here and the odd man out should be a healthy scratch.
This might come down to some players being interchangeable from game to game depending on how things are going and if Hynes sees the need to make a change based on individual performance.
Olivier, Rocco Grimaldi and Nick Cousins are my scratches heading into Game 1. I want them around to insert into the lineup if the Predators need to make adjustments, which means leaving out veteran Brad Richardson.
As mentioned earlier regarding Arvidsson’s injury, if he can’t go in Game 1 then Grimaldi is the first player I’d move in to play on the third line and take Kunin’s spot.
Fourth Line: Trenin/Sissons/Jeannot
Scratches: Olivier, Grimaldi, Cousins
Defensive Pairings
The Nashville Predators will once again roll with their dynamic duo up top with Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis. Two players who have been in this situation several times, and are ready to avenge the last three playoff appearances that have come up disappointingly short of expectations.
The second pairing you can make an argument for who to pair with Mattias Ekholm, but I’m going with Alexandre Carrier. Carrier is another young spark on this team that has earned their spot in the lineup.
That means moving down Dante Fabbro to the third pairing to play alongside Matt Benning. This is such a major upgrade from the bottom pairing situation that the Predators dealth with last season.
Fabbro and Benning need to avoid the costly turnovers in the defensive zone and just play smart. I trust they can do that in this role.
That means that Ben Harpur and Erik Gudbranson are staying off my playoff roster. I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of Benning in that third pairing role more than Harpur and Gudbranson.
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Defensive pairings: Josi/Ellis, Ekholm/Carrier, Benning/Fabbro
A lot of credit is owed to Hynes and Poile for having the confidence to keep this lineup together past the trade deadline and forge ahead despite a lot of belief in the team needing to sell.
I actually really like how I deep this lineup as become. There’s a lot of different pieces that can contribute to the Predators being able to make this series a highly competitive one.
There’s also this logjam of forwards that makes it difficult to leave out players like Grimaldi, Cousins and Olivier. The defensive pairings are pretty straightforward for me, but it’ll be interesting to see which way Hynes goes with his forwards.