Nashville Predators: The Five Tiers of Talent for 2021 Offseason

Viktor Arvidsson:

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Arvi. He’s so exciting to watch, and frankly, the “Arvi Hustle” needs to become a dance similar to the “Super Bowl Shuffle” from many years back. (Tik-Tok users, get on it.)

More from Predlines

• Nashville Predators 2023 Training Camp Spotlight: Kiefer Sherwood
• Captain Candidates if Nashville Predators Didn’t Have Roman Josi
• The All-Time 25 Games or Less Nashville Predators Lineup
• Nashville Predators 2023 Training Camp Spotlight: Cody Glass
• Joakim Kemell Flashes his Offense in Nashville Predators Loss to Tampa

But while Arvidsson is fast as hell and loves scoring on breakaways and in short-handed situations, there’s no denying he’s a liability on defense due to his small size. He spends almost as much time getting knocked down as he does skating, and frankly, I don’t know that he demands playing time like he used to, especially with all the younger talent the Predators have.

Arvidsson’s volatility and lack of defense is why he’s not in Tier 2.

Rocco Grimaldi:

If the biggest knock on Arvidsson is his size, then Grimaldi is basically Arvidsson on steroids. Well, the opposite of steroids. He’s a very small person, and is an even bigger liability on defense, especially against bigger and more physical teams.

Grimaldi was tied for fifth on the team with 10 goals, but four of them came in one game against the horrendous Red Wings. He also did not score a single point against Carolina all year, and therefore did not play in the playoff series against them.

Erik Haula:

An incredibly annoying player for opposing defenses, especially since he creates havoc in front of the net and wins tons of faceoffs. However, Haula easily could’ve scored five to ten more goals this year if he could actually finish at the net.

Duchene’s aforementioned lack of points are thanks, in part, to Haula flubbing or outright missing tons of passes or whiffing on an open net. While he’ll never be an elite player, Haula could jump up a tier if he can capitalize on those high-danger chances he’s so good at creating.

Ryan Johansen:

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Now don’t get me wrong, Johansen is not bad at all. But when a player has one of the biggest contracts on his team, he needs to play like it.

As an assistant captain, Johansen should have led from the front and created momentum, but instead looked demoralized and frustrated for much of the season. He was also the sixth-most penalized player on the team. The talent is still there (I think), but we really need to see a big step forward from Joey next season.

Luke Kunin:

Despite a slow start, Kunin made an impression towards the end of the Predators’ run. Most notably, he scored two goals in the Game 4 double-OT win against the Hurricanes, including the game-winner.

Kunin is a very solid player who can perform in big moments, though he does seem to lack that extra secret sauce that guys like Josi and Forsberg possess. I am looking forward to seeing more of him next year, and hopefully he can take the next step and put up more consistent numbers through the whole season.

Yakov Trenin:

A key piece of the brutal “Herd Line”, Trenin led the team with 94 hits. As one of the main reasons The Herd is such a problem for opposing teams, Trenin dominates the ice with his size and forechecking ability. He lacks the pure handles to really put up points, but The Herd didn’t make a name for themselves by scoring a lot.

None of them are amazing hockey players (yet): they are punishers who happen to wear skates. Trenin plays his role very well, and as The Herd develops, perhaps they can contribute as scorers, not just as enforcers.

Pekka Rinne:

This one hurts to write. Our beloved Rinne may have played his last game in a Predators sweater, and while he should be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, it’s obvious he isn’t the same goaltender he was back in 2018 when he won the Vezina Trophy.

Rinne still makes a couple of his “how-in-the-world-did-he-stop-that” saves, but even he has acknowledged that the passing of the torch is underway, as Saros is clearly an emerging star in the NHL, and Rinne’s best days are far behind him.