Nashville Predators: Tracking the Biggest Storylines of the Season So Far

We’re barely past the quarter mark of the 2021-22 season for the Nashville Predators, and there’s already been several intriguing storylines that have developed.

The Nashville Predators impressively sit right in the thick of the Central Division race with teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues. Heading into the season many figured this season to be somewhat of a project for the Predators, but they’re figuring out a way to remain a viable playoff contender, at least early on.

You can’t get to emboldened by the strong start for the Predators as there’s still plenty of time for this to go sideways, which we’ve seen plenty of times in the past. The middle portion of the regular season through December and January is often times when the frauds get exposed, and the legit contenders rise to the top.

Let’s take a look at the biggest storylines surrounding the Nashville Predators as they sit in third place in the division with a 14-10-1 record. Three wins better than through 25 games last season.

The Growth of Tomasino

This was a major storyline coming into the season when we found out that Philip Tomasino would indeed be in the starting lineup on opening night. He managed 10:34 of ice time in his NHL debut with a shot on goal, but looked rather comfortable even in his first NHL game.

Fast forward to current times and Tomasino seems to be showing gradual improvement with each game. It hasn’t been flawless, which is understandable from a 20-year-old player.

It’s going to be very interesting to follow Tomasino’s continued growth and development as the season progresses. He’s got his average ice time up to 12 minutes per game, has a respectable Corsi rating at 52.8 and his shooting percentage is also pretty respectable at 13 percent.

Tomasino has seven points through 23 games of action, and could easily have more than his current four goals. He’s had some near misses and a couple moments where he lost the puck on breakaway opportunities.

As Tomasino continues to get more comfortable in his role for the Nashville Predators, expect his scoring to get an uptick. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he rallies to finish with double digit goals and around 20 points in his rookie campaign.

The Captain’s Quest for Another Norris Trophy

He’s kind of flying under the radar, somehow, but Roman Josi is having another Norris Trophy caliber season through the first 25 games. He just posted a three-point game in the most recent Predators’ win over the Red Wings, putting him just shy of a point-per-game pace.

Josi is stoically leading this Nashville Predators team once again when they need him most. He doesn’t get nearly enough credit for being an MVP-caliber player, much less a Norris Trophy player.

Yes, there are some other really outstanding defensemen that also are in the Norris Trophy conversation that might in the end beat out Josi for his second in three seasons. However, it seems as if Josi isn’t even really getting much discussion for it:

Josi is tied for third with John Carlson among defensemen in points with 24. Victor Hedman and Adam Fox lead the way with 27 points. Although who has the most points plays a major part in it, it shouldn’t be the end all be all.

I’m not sure if Josi will be able to keep pace with Fox, Hedman and Carlson when it comes to points by season’s end. However, Josi’s makes just as big, if not bigger, impact on his own team than these other three.

It will be difficult for Josi to claim another Norris Trophy this season due to all the competition, and I do think Fox is the one defenseman I could fully understand getting it over Josi. However it ends, it’ll be an entertaining race to watch.

Duchene’s Resurgence

The welcomed resurgence of Matt Duchene is definitely one of the biggest storylines of the Nashville Predators season through the first 25 games, and you should expect it to carry on throughout.

All eyes are on if Duchene can keep this efficiency going, or will he just fade back into being an overpaid, underperforming player. For the sake of the Predators, he better keep it going.

There have been some interesting analytics shared to suggest that Duchene was never really that bad to begin with last season. It was more a product of some bad luck for himself and the team around him, while also being compared to a gigantic contract that he’ll probably never live up to:

Duchene leads the Predators in goals with 13, second on the team in points with 25, second in shots on goal and fourth in assists.

Can Duchene end up breaking Viktor Arvidsson‘s single-season franchise goal record? He definitely could, but so could Filip Forsberg. Forsberg is actually chasing some career franchise records as well.

Whether he keeps this pace up or if he shows some decline, you better believe that Duchene will continue to be a main storyline for this Predators team.