Nashville Predators: What Does Future Hold for 2022 Unrestricted Free Agents?
Filip Forsberg
Forsberg is someone who has been talked about extensively by the Predlines crew, and I also wrote an article months ago covering what I thought an extension would look like for him. My opinions remain largely the same as they were then, so I will not beat a dead horse here.
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In short, Forsberg is the best forward on the Predators and has managed to stay consistent throughout his career. He does have a bit of an injury history, but it has never been enough to take him out of the lineup when it matters, let alone for it to be a reason for the team to not keep him.
Yes, the Predators are going in a rebuilding direction, and Forsberg is not exactly young, but he is a very talented player and someone who can be valuable for the organization for many years to come.
Something I previously mentioned in my article back in March was the chemistry he was building with Eeli Tolvanen, which shows how meaningful he can be for the future.
I expect Forsberg to be signed to a long-term extension in the next few months.
Mattias Ekholm
Much has also been said about Ekholm, who just had a very good year and was going to be the main trade piece for the Predators at the trade deadline.
Nashville Predators
The team’s resurgence in the second half of the year forced General Manager David Poile to keep him around, but his future on the team still remains more of a mystery than Forsberg’s.
The reason being that between the veterans and prospects, the Predators have so many options on defense. Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro showed much promise in the 2020-2021 season, and David Farrance and Jeremy Davies have both yet to get a legit chance to play at the NHL level.
With Ekholm, Roman Josi, and Ryan Ellis still in the fold, somebody is going to be the odd man out, and with the team’s new direction, it might be between Ellis and Ekholm. In that case, Poile might find it more convenient to trade Ekholm since Ellis is under contract for several more years at a team-friendly price.
Does this mean I definitely see Ekholm getting shipped off? No. Poile has always invested heavily into his defense, and with him knowing what he has in the 31-year old Swede, Poile will want to keep him around.
Ekholm will be extended along with Forsberg, but this one is not as clear cut.
Rocco Grimaldi
Ah, here we go again. Anytime Grimaldi’s name is brought up, all we can think about is his talent that was wasted this past season, and wonder how much longer he will be on the Nashville Predators.
The good news for him is that he may not find himself on the bench much longer, and it’s not just because his contract is an offseason away from expiring. It’s mainly because there doesn’t seem to be much room for Grimaldi on the Predators’ roster, and they may find it most worthwhile to try and get other assets out of him.
As much as I love everything Grimaldi has done, he will not be a consistent top-six forward, and he will most certainly not find a place on the “Herd Line”.
With the youth emerging, the line containing Luke Kunin and Mikael Granlund becoming the third line over time, is the only place I can see Grimaldi fitting. With how much chemistry they had with Calle Jarnkrok, I would much rather continue rolling with that trio.
There just doesn’t seem to be a place for Grimaldi on this team anymore, and Poile will find a way to trade him, most likely this summer. There is also a chance he could be used in the expansion draft as someone who could entice the Seattle Kraken to select one of Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen.
Calle Jarnkrok
Jarnkrok is a tough one to figure out. His value to the Predators has always been very high, as he has been a consistent middle-six forward with added defensive abilities.
Where I really struggle with Jarnkrok is on what the team should do with him, versus what they will do with him.
The Predators should try to trade him for a nice return, not only to gain assets for the future, but to continue to set the precedent that this team is really done trying to win with the core that got them to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. But after seeing how he performed down the stretch of this past season, Poile will want to keep him around.
If Jarnkrok is kept for the 2021-2022 season, he’s not being dealt midseason since the Predators usually find themselves in the playoff race year in and year out.
Extending Jarnkrok would not be ideal, because hanging on to too many players from four years ago makes it seem that the team is trying to cling onto a window that has closed.
Nick Cousins, Matt Benning, and Mark Borowiecki
I included all three of these players on the same slide because more or less, all of them are in the same status. They are nothing but depth players and should be easily replaceable.
If there is one player on this list who impressed the most, it is Nick Cousins, due to his grit and ability to push his opponents around. Even then, he did nowhere near enough to justify being prioritized as a key core player.
Benning was not bad by any means and played some valuable minutes on the third pairing, but also proved to be nothing more than a minor, short term asset.
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Borowiecki was battling major stuff off the ice and barely played for the team this past year, and it is hard to imagine him having a place on the roster when the 2021-2022 season begins.
None of these guys are going to have much value on the trade block at all, even if it would be ideal to unload at least one of them. And as I mentioned earlier, the Predators almost never put themselves in a position to sell during the regular season. Expect all three to just walk after their contracts expire next season.