Nashville Predators: Post-All Star Break Goals and Expectations

We’ve made it past the NHL All Star break, and now the Nashville Predators will look to finish off their remaining 36 games with an eighth-straight playoff appearance.

The Predators had a strong showing over All Star weekend as Roman Josi scored a goal and nearly won the first ever Fountain Faceoff challenge, while Juuse Saros performed in the Save Streak challenge and made 10 saves over two games in the 3-on-3 tournament.

You’re not wrong if you’re calling the Nashville Predators the biggest surprise of the NHL so far this season. In what was tagged by many as a rebuild season, the Predators have the second-most points in the Western Conference, only trailing the Colorado Avalanche.

The challenges remains for this team to avoid a long losing slump as the margin is still thin in this crowded division race. Only three points separates the Predators, Wild and Blues for that coveted top-three spot in the division.

Here’s our post-All Star break goal and expectations for the rest of the season for the Nashville Predators.

Get Forsberg Signed Before Trade Deadline

All of the power is in Filip Forsberg’s corner. He’s having a career year at just the right time as he’s due to become one of the NHL top unrestricted free agents if the Nashville Predators don’t sign him this season.

Forsberg is leading the NHL in Goals Above Expected, per JFresh Hockey:

Everytime Forsberg touches the puck he looks like he’s on a mission to put the league on notice that he’s starting to elevate into elite level status. And with that, the Predators front office is in a precarioous situation.

As the Predators continue to outperform preseason expectations and stay near the top of the standings, the uncertainty with Forsberg’s Nashville future gets thicker.  At this point, the front office just has to bite the bullet and possibly overpay him to keep him.

Forsberg’s timing is emaculate. He’s earned the right to get a big payday and maybe even get slightly overpayed. Maybe in the neighborhood of even $9M over a six-plus year length. The front office is backed into a corner, but they can’t risk losing him for nothing in free agency.

Even more so, trading him would signal that the Predators could put a serious dent in their playoff push. They’re not sellers, so trading Forsberg isn’t really an option, either. Tough times, but just pay the man already.

Top-Three Spot in Division is Realistic Goal

If we’re setting realistic goals for after the All Star break, let’s be honest about the race for the top spot in the Central Division. It would take a mini miracle for the Nashville Predators to catch the blazing hot Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche have lost just once to a team not the Predators since December 4. Their one loss since then? A shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Go figure.

Although the Predators did pass the test of going toe-to-toe with the Avalanche when they beat them in a highly entertaining overtime game nearly a month ago, the race for the division looks far-fetched for the Predators.

The Predators are eight points behind the Avalanche with two more games being played. So let’s turn our main focus to securing a top-three spot, which I believe is exteremely important for the Predators to get out of the first round for the first time since 2018.

Finishing in the wild card will not only ensure another road playoff series, but also a high likelihood of going up against Colorado or a team like Vegas if they can get things together and win the Pacific Division.

It’s going to be a tough battle to finish in the top-three with the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and even the Dallas Stars all with good enough squads to also compete for those two spots.

With that said, the Predators won the division in 2019 and it did them no favors as they lost to the Stars in the first round. Even so, a top-three spot is important and attainable.

Don’t Mess Around With What’s Already Working

The temptation is going to be strong to get aggressive at the trade deadline for GM David Poile. The Nashville Predators have money to spend for a superstar forward or quality defenseman, but you run the risk of disrupting team chemistry that has been a strong foundation to your team’s success so far.

I love watching this current roster play for each other. No egos, even from top veterans like Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene. Everyone has each other’s back, both literally and figuratively, and it really shows on the ice with resiliency.

Now I’m not saying the Predators should just be non-participants in the trade market. There are some intriguing players out there, like Claude Giroux and John Klingberg, who would make the Predators even better and increase their chances for playoff success.

My reservation is shaking up a roster that’s already playing so well together and proving so many of us wrong through the first 46 games. You have to tread lightly when looking to possibly add a player or two to the lineup, even if that player is a major upgrade. It doesn’t automatically mean more success.

It will be interesting to see what Poile does as the March 21 deadline gets closer. I’m sure he’s got a couple moves up his sleeve that could see a prospect or drafts picks sent away for a depth player. But a big superstar splash would carry a high risk, high reward scenario.