Records are always meant to be broken, and before this season is over with we could end up seeing some big ones get broken for the Nashville Predators franchise.
David Legwand, the first ever draft pick of the Nashville Predators in 1998, used his longevity and consistency to set a lot of franchise records that have stood tall for nearly a decade now. He remains the franchise leader in goals, assists, points, games played and game-winning goals.
There’s two current players, Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg, who are going to eventually overtake Legwand for these franchise records, but it’s a little more complicated with one of them. That’s Forsberg.
Forsberg has the Nashville Predators goal record right in front of him
With Forsberg’s trade status still very much uncertain, and will probably remain so until a new contract is actually signed, it could mean he comes up just short of passing Legwand for the big record of career goals.
Legwand’s career mark of 210 goals has been pretty safe for a while now ever since he played his last game in a Predators uniform in 2014, and scored his last goal for the franchise on January 31, 2014.
Forsberg now sits just 22 goals shy of passing Legwand and setting the new franchise record. How wild would it be to see him set it, only to be traded or lost in free agency thereafter?
If Forsberg is retained past the March 21 trade deadline, then it’s a slam dunk that he passes Legwand this season. However, there’s still a moderate chance he could pass him before the trade deadline, and then subsequently dealt. Again, talk about dramatic and ironic if that were to happen.
Forsberg’s current goal pace through 15 games actually puts him in line to possibly set the new franchise record around the Stadium Series game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 26. That would obviously require him not missing any more games due to injury.
“I certainly didn’t like the fact going back a few years the Ryan Suter situation when we didn’t get anything for an unrestricted free agent.” -Preds GM David Poile in 2014 after trading Legwand
If Forsberg does hit a goal drought, then it’s possible that he comes up just short before the trade deadline. Then things get really interesting, and maybe Legwand’s record survives.
Forsberg and Legwand briefly got to play as teammates in 2013-14. Forsberg appeared in 13 games and scored his first NHL goal. Legwand would end up being traded to the Red Wings for Calle Järnkrok, and Patrick Eaves.
Järnkrok ended up being a key piece of the Predators for several seasons as the team became a regular participant in the playoffs and a Stanley Cup contending team. David Poile’s quote from the 2014 ESPN article following the trade of Legwand is very interesting to look back on, and you have to wonder if he has that same approach with Forsberg.
Other records that could fall this season
Let’s not leave Josi out of all of this. He’s creeping up on another Legwand franchise record, and that’s assists. Legwand had 356 career assists for the Predators, and Josi sits just 13 assists shy of being the new record holder in that department.
This is even more of a slam dunk than Forsberg’s pursuit of being the franchise goal leader. Josi is piling up the assists as usual this season with 14. That pace means he’ll break the record most likely at some point in January.
Josi’s stable long-term future in Nashville will likely give him the chance to claim a lot of Predators records when it’s all said and done, including Legwand’s franchise record for games played. Josi is already 4th on that list.
Josi will also likely pass up Martin Erat for 2nd on the all-time points list, with Legwand far enough ahead to hold onto that record for at least another season. Eventually, that one will also be owned by Josi.
Another record that Josi will break very soon, but it’s actually not owned by Legwand, is career shots. Shea Weber currently owns that record at 2,052 shots. Josi is 104 shots shy of that record, so it’s highly likely he breaks that this season.
This last decade of Nashville Predators hockey saw a new core of players, many homegrown, help propel this team to just two wins shy of hoisting the Stanley Cup, a President’s Trophy, and becoming a perennial playoff team.
Now that we’re starting to see these long-time records close to falling by the first Nashville Predator, it’s time to see if any of the younger players still coming into their own can accomplish what this last generation of players have accomplished.