Nashville Predators: Final Regular Season Grades

Defense: B (Improved From C-)

Defense, though it struggled with the rest of the team, was probably the strongest phase of the Predators’ game early in the season. However, the pairings have improved as the season has gone on, getting more comfortable with one another and helping to set the tone while maintaining the pace for the rest of the team.

The big three for the defense have been exactly who the team needed them to be. Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis have flashed great stats, both in the top ten in Corsica ratings. Mattias Ekholm may not be on par with the top pairing, but he’s also had excellent numbers. Dante Fabbro has been dealing with an injury but has still taken another step forward in his career progression.

The players who have really impressed, considering their roles, would have to be Matt Benning and Ben Harpur. They aren’t flashy, but when your third pairing has been what the Predators have had in recent years, you could do a lot worse than these two.

Factor in the young guys like Alexandre Carrier, or the limited-sample but still very intriguing David Farrance, and there is a lot to like about this unit and a lot to build on for the future.