How the 2022-23 Nashville Predators Penalty Kill Should be Constructed
Other questions to consider
When going over the potential penalty kill units, it was hard not to think about these next two players, but also hard to imagine just how they would fit. Those players are Nino Niederreiter and Mark Borowiecki.
Niederreiter would be a great forward to have on the kill as he does all the things you need him to do — lay out the body, battle relentlessly for the puck, and make plays happen in transition. But it is difficult to justify including him at the expense of one of Trenin and Jeannot, who have established themselves as critical penalty killers for the Predators.
You would have to think that if they are struggling as a collective unit at a certain point in the year, Niederreiter might see some time in an effort to shake things up.
Borowiecki also played big minutes on the kill last year, and would be someone to heavily consider as the fourth defenseman throughout the entire group. The problem is we have no idea how much he is going to play this year.
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With the way the Predators defense is currently constructed, it seems like he will be the odd man out as long as everyone is healthy. He certainly is suited for and has been effective as a penalty killer, but he is not so great that you want him in the lineup because of it.
This is part of the reason why Dante Fabbro is such a tradable player on the team going into the season. If Borowiecki is on the ice this season, he is likely to see more minutes on the penalty kill, and it is just a matter of if and when he gets that chance.
Successful special teams play is critical to compete with the best teams in the NHL, and it looks like the Nashville Predators have fixed this area for 2022-23 to at minimum be top half of the league.