Nashville Predators: Top-5 Team MVPs Fueling Strong Start to Season

In a year in which many expected the Nashville Predators to take a step back and struggle to make the playoffs, the team has found themselves in quite a good spot at this time.

The Nashville Predators are currently sitting in second place in the Central division with a 17-10-1 record (35 points) and are on a five-game winning streak after an impressive 1-0 shutout by Juuse Saros over the New York Rangers on Sunday.

It’s not even like years past, in which the Predators have won mainly due to defense and strong goaltending. While they are still playing stingy in their own end, they are getting plenty of offense, and with youngsters Eeli Tolvanen and Philip Tomasino getting more comfortable by the day, they are really turning into a formidable team.

But what is making a huge difference for the Predators this year is that several of their star players are showing up, especially on offense. In particular, five players are standing out as MVP’s this season.

5. Filip Forsberg

In what is a contract year for the veteran forward, Filip Forsberg is off to one of his hottest starts yet. He has recorded 11 goals and seven assists in just eighteen games played, including a four-goal game two weeks ago against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Forsberg is one of the finishers on a line that has come as a surprise for the Predators, and with his ability to shoot the puck and stickhandle, he is a force every time he has the puck on his stick.

What is keeping Forsberg so low on this list is that he was injured for three weeks, thus hasn’t had a chance to be quite as impactful as the others on this list.

Even still, Forsberg has been on fire since returning, and while he has seemed to cool off as past years have progressed, if he maintains his current pace, he will finish this season with the best numbers of his career.

It is also worth noting that whether or not to re-sign Forsberg is looking like as big of a dilemma as it has ever been. General Manager David Poile is going to have a very big decision to make, and if Forsberg continues to play well, he is likely to command a lot of money.

4. Roman Josi

It has been another Norris-caliber year for the Norris-caliber defenseman. Josi is up to nine goals and 18 assists in 28 games, and is still the primary facilitator of the Predators offense.

Roman has as much talent as ever and strikes fear into his opponents whenever he is skating with the puck. Just look at this goal against the Detroit Red Wings from the other night as an example.

Josi is also right along his scoring pace from 2019-20 when he claimed his first Norris Trophy.

Do not misunderstand, Josi is one of the best players in the NHL and is continuing to play like it, but the Predators have struggled in the past, even when he has been playing his best hockey.

As much as Josi is contributing to how well the Predators are playing as of late, his performance has not made the biggest difference.

The captain is the best player on the Nashville Predators and will continue to be their heart and soul, but in terms of who is turning this team around the most, other players’ have been more impactful.

3. Juuse Saros

The more and more that the days go by, Saros is establishing himself as not just a good or great goaltender, but an elite one. It has been yet another Vezina-caliber season for him, as he currently has a 2.24 GAA and .925 save percentage.

In Saros’ last six games, his stats have been even more mimd-blowing: 1.49 GAA, .947 save percentage, and his only two shutouts of the year, including one on Sunday night on the road against the New York Rangers in hallowed Madison Square Garden:

In case anyone had some doubt about Saros being able to maintain his high-level performance from last year, he has answered that question and then some. He has been worth every penny of the contract he signed this past offseason, and if he continues to get better throughout the season as he has done in the past few years, who knows what we might be saying about him at season’s end

The one biggest difference with Saros from last year, at least lately, is that the team is not relying on him to bail them out night in and night out. By virtue of scoring goals and keeping the opposition from getting shots, the Predators are doing a much better job at being balanced.

That being said, Saros’ stats and performances have been absolutely insane, and no matter how much the Predators appear to need him due to their play on the ice, he has shown that he is the backbone of this team.

1. Matt Duchene

The Nashville Predators brought in Duchene in free agency in 2019 to boost a team that was struggling mightily from an offensive standpoint. Two years later, he is finally doing what was expected of him.

Duchene is the most talented forward on the Predators and it shows. He is the team leader in goals, with thirteen in just 26 contests, and has had his fair share of filthy assists, with twelve of them on the year. He also has a robust shooting percentage of 16 percent, which only trails Forsberg.

When Duchene is on top of his game, he is the player who poses the biggest threat to the opposing team’s back end. Not only can he shoot the puck well, but he can handle it and distribute it so smoothly, not to mention his speed.

Duchene just has to stay consistent, and so far, he has been able to avoid being streaky. With his talent and performance for a team that needed an offensive threat so badly, he has been the biggest MVP for this team so far this year.

We’ll revisit this list later on in the season to see what changes while we see if the Nashville Predators can keep up their winning ways and outperform preseason expectations.