Nashville Predators: Top Five Forward Free Agent Targets This Summer
Nino Niederreiter
Niederreiter, 30 in September, may be the most affordable player on this list. The 2010 5th overall pick put up 44 points (20 goals and 24 assists) in 75 games this season, while averaging 14:20 a night playing on line three for the Metropolitan Division-winning Carolina Hurricanes.
Niederreiter has a knack for getting into the high danger scoring areas and putting pucks on net. According to the data on Moneypuck, his 34 high danger chances put him in the top-30 among NHL forwards, ahead of many of the leagues best players. His in close, net-front oriented play has resulted in 20+ goals for him in 6 of his 10 NHL seasons.
Niederreiter’s offensive prowess combined with his defensive zone awareness resulted in a 67.3% on ice goals, putting him 20th among forwards with 250+ minutes of ice time. Meaning that a little over 2/3 of the goals scored while he was on the ice was by his team, which has been consistent through most of his career.
However, Niederreiter’s offensive play typically falls off come playoff time. In his previous five postseason campaigns he only produced eight points in 39 games. Things have picked up for him this postseason, tallying four goals and one assist through 12 games. He is a very offensive-minded player, with a wicked shot and the tendency to use it, however, it does come at a defensive cost, as he had 30 more giveaways than takeaways.
Niederreiter is coming off a five-year contract that saw him making $5.25 million per season.
Realistically, he will get a contract with a cap hit in the $4 million range for a three or four year deal. A dynamic net front presence who also has a sniper mentality is hard to come by in the NHL, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a plethora of suitors drawing the asking price from his camp even higher.
Valeri Nichushkin
The Preds got to see in round one how valuable of a player Valeri Nichushkin is to the Colorado Avalanche. Nichushkin, who turned 27 in March, is the youngest player on this list. The former top-10 pick is coming off a career year where he had 25 goals and 27 assists (52 points) in 62 games.
Nichushkin uses his 6’4 frame to work his way to the net-front resulting in a large number of high danger scoring chances. His offensive output has continued this postseason where he has seven points in 10 games for the Western Conference Finals bound Avalanche.
Nichushkin is also highly effective in his own end, finishing 8th in Selke voting in the 2019-20 season. This season, Nichushkin has played powerplay, penalty-kill and at times on the top line, showing he can play all situations and excels in the top-6.
Nichushkin’s coming off a two year deal that carried a cap hit of $2.5 million per season, and will be in store for a nice payday this summer.
With the huge increase in offensive output and increased exposure in the Avalanche’s current playoff run, he will likely look for a 3-4 year deal with a yearly cap hit around $4 million. If I am Poile, I am certainly taking a long look at this, Nichushkin would fit well on either of the top two lines for the Preds and with the right center, will continue his high production level.
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.
Vincent Trocheck
Although the Predators are fine at Center, Vincent Trocheck is a viable option for the club. Trocheck, who turns 29 in July, had 51 points (21 goals and 30 assists) in 81 games this past season, with 39 of those points coming at 5v5 and the rest on the powerplay.
Trochek is incredibly dependable in the circle, averaging 54.8% this season and 56% the one before. He is very strong on his stick, resulting in many takeaways and puck battle wins.
According to Moneypuck, Trocheck’s 185 hits this season was 24th among NHL forwards and his 67.9% on ice goals was 18th among NHL forwards with 200+ minutes played. The downside to Trocheck is that in the past, he hasn’t been the best at producing in the playoffs, having picked up six points in 19 playoff games prior to this year’s playoffs. This postseason he has five goals and four assists in 12 games, which is a huge improvement from previous years, as he continues through his prime.
Trocheck would fit in well with the physicality of the Preds and add the needed secondary scoring. The only downside is one of Granlund, Johansen or Trocheck would have to transition to the wing, or they could all be centers with one on the third line.
Trocheck will be one of the more costly players on this list. He will likely get a deal in the $6 million per season range over five or six years. If the Predators can make it work, he is one of the best fits in terms of the Predators system, but I’m not sure they will want to commit to that term.
Andre Burakovsky
Rounding out the list is Forward Andre Burakovsky of the Colorado Avalanche. The 27-year-old flourished on Colorado’s second line, putting up 22 goals and 39 assists in 80 games while averaging 16:16 of ice time. Most of his 61 points came at 5v5 with 50 points, with the rest coming on the power play.
Burakovsky’ production hasn’t quite carried over to the postseason, where he has just four points in eight games, three of which came in Game 4 against the Predators. His lack of production led him to the press box for two of the games versus St. Louis.
Burakovsky has previously found success in the postseason with 17 points in 15 games for the Avs in the 2020 playoffs and six points in 13 games as a 22-year-old during the Washington Capitals 2018 Cup run.
The former first round pick would add more level headed play to the Preds lineup as the forward tends to draw more penalties than he takes. The only downside to Burakovsky’s play recently has been the inability to get pucks to the net, something he has never really struggled with in his career, but this season, about one third of his shot attempts were blocked before getting to the net. However, given his career statistics that will certainly work itself out.
Burakovsky will be one of the more expensive players on this list, and likely seek a contract that carries him through his prime. A five or six year deal makes the most sense for Burakovsky, with a cap hit of around $6 million per. Burakovsky would greatly improve the Predators top 6 and be a solid younger addition to an aging core, while providing the team with a large frame to throw into an otherwise small forward core.
If Burakovsky has any interest in coming to Music City, he should be at the top of Poile’s list.