Nashville Predators: Top Five Forward Free Agent Targets This Summer

Ondrej Palat

If Poile wants to add players with extensive playoff success, then forward Ondrej Palat is his guy.

Palat, 31, is coming off a 49-point season, where he had 18 goals and 31 assists in 77 games on Tampa Bay’s second line.

Similar to Nichushkin, Palat has played a role on both the powerplay and penalty-kill. He plays very well on both sides of the puck, providing Tampa Bay with very consistent secondary scoring and has stepped up to the first line when needed, including in the 2020 Stanley Cup run.

In 126 playoff games, Palat has amassed 81 points, including 41 goals, and adjusted to the physical style of the playoffs incredibly well, averaging around three hits per game. This postseason, Palat has four goals and four assists in 11 games.

Palat will likely seek a large yearly cap hit as the forward looks to cash in on what is likely his last big payday. Realistically, Palat will command a cap hit around $5.5-6 million for three years, which is doable for the Predators, but would add to the already aging core.

If Poile plans on going all out and building a Stanley Cup caliber team over the next two seasons, I say Palat is the answer, otherwise, one of the younger guys on the list would be a wiser investment.