Nashville Predators: Five Storylines Heading into 2023 All Star Break

Are the Nashville Predators Starting to Click Offensively?

Just based on recency bias alone, this is a fair question to ask considering the Nashville Predators skated circles around the New Jersey Devils to put up five goals and tack on an empty netter to win 6-4 to head into the break.

In terms of Expected Goals For, you can rightfully make the case that the Nashville Predators have been victims to some unfortunate puck luck and stellar goaltending on the other side. Despite being only 26th in Goals Per Game at 2.81, the Predators are actually 2nd in the NHL according to MoneyPuck in Expected Goals For (114.2) at 5v5 even strength hockey.

That is a pretty wild discrepancy if you ask me. It illustrates that the Predators have to do a better job at finishing off their scoring chances, and that hopefully the law of averages will turn back their way post All-Star break.

Only four of their last nine wins have the Predators been required to score more than three goals to secure the win. They’ve been winning relatively low-scoring games as of late. Dating back over those last nine wins, the Predators have gone 9-4-0 and outscored opponents 43-34. That spanning back to when the calendar flipped to 2023.

Can the Predators continue to gradually build more offensive chemistry after the break? Seeing Matt Duchene look more assertive on the offensive end has been refreshing to see and holds a big key to that happening.

Glass and Parssinen Keep Rising to More Important Roles

Cody Glass and Juuso Parssinen have answered the call from Head Coach John Hynes as young core players vital to the team only being one point out of a playoff spot.

Let’s start with Glass; His grasp of being a top-six center in his first significant season of NHL playing time is pretty amazing to watch unfold.

Glass played in 39 games his rookie season with Vegas in 2019-20 as a former sixth overall draft pick. He averaged 13:22 of ice time that year and is actually averaging slightly less this current season with the Predators, but has already easily surpassed his point total in fewer games.

As it pertains to the previous storyline of the offense showing improvement, Glass obviously plays a key role in this. Can he continue to stay at the same level of play and even improve even more as the season progresses? I think that’s very probable.

As for Parssinen, no one knew just how ready he would be when he was put into the starting lineup on November 12 against the New York Rangers and lighting the lamp just five minutes into his first NHL game. Just incredible stuff.

Parssinen is now in rare company among the franchise’s rookie seasons with 21 points in his first 34 NHL games:

Much like Glass, the question after the All-Star break is can Parssinen keep this up or will he hit a speedbump in the road? It’s entirely possible, but one that I’m not sure the Predators can afford to sustain. They need both Glass and Parssinen, two very young players with more developing left to accomplish, to remain at a very high level with important roles as centers.

Can the Predators Survive a Bad Stretch of Hockey from Juice?

The Predators have never been a team confused with being able to overcome shaky goaltending. Fortunately for them, they rarely have to deal with that because Juuse Saros usually is the one having to bail everyone else out.

But what if Saros shows he’s human and has a bad five-game stretch or so? Are the Predators good enough to weather that and give Saros, or backup Kevin Lankinen, the goal support to offset that?

You’re probably sensing a theme here over the first three storylines. Everything ties back into the Predators improving on the offensive end. That’s why this win over the New Jersey Devils, a very good team with Stanley Cup potential, is so eye-opening.

We saw that the full potential of this team when players are aggressive on the puck and finding each other in scoring situations. Dominating puck possession, pressuring the opposition into giveaways and letting your forecheck create offense.

However, I’m not fully sold that the Predators have turned a corner in that department based off just one really impressive offensive showing. And with that, I still fear Saros will be called upon to remain near-perfect after the All-Star break to keep the playoff streak alive.

Saros is third among goaltenders in Goals Save Above Expected and first in Saves on Unblocked Shots. He will almost certainly have to remain at that top level, whereas some other goaltenders have the luxury of high-powered offensive teams to bail them out on nights when they’re not their best.

How Will the Predators Approach the Trade Deadline?

It’s that time of year again, and it feels like déjà vu from last season. The Predators aren’t bad enough to sell the farm off, as much as many of you wish they would anyway, and aren’t good enough to be heavy buyers for a high-risk rental. They’re stuck in that gray area and that makes approaching the trade deadline all the more tricky.

General Manager David Poile has to be very cautious at how he handles any consideration of going after a player that you would call a “rental”. It’s one thing if you’re already a Stanley Cup contender and want to add one more piece to tip the scales. Think a team like the Dallas Stars who may feel one more piece can be the difference-maker.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff  has his latest Top Trade Targets Board:

1. Bo Horvat (Canucks), $5.5M AAV

2. Timo Meier (Sharks), $6M AAV, $10M Qualifying Offer

3. Jakob Chychrun (Coyotes), $4.6M AAV

4. Patrick Kane (Blackhawks), $10.5M AAV

5. Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks), $10.5 AAV

For what it’s worth, Mattias Ekholm was originally No.1 on this list, but since has fallen back to No.15 due to the Predators recently climbing up the standings.

“Man, with each passing game, the decision gets a little bit tougher for Preds GM David Poile. His team is hanging tough in the playoff race, and whenever they seem to be left for dead in the standings, they bounce back.” Seravalli says about Preds and Poile on the deadline strategy

I just can’t put the Nashville Predators in that boat of being big time buyers. With that said, they can still be active at the deadline if they see a move that makes sense for a more long-term approach. Maybe a younger player that you can see in your extended plans. It’s all about if you like the offers being made.

This feels more like a situations where the Predators should stand pat with what they have unless something too hard to resist presents itself and you just can’t say no.

The Predators have 11 games remaining before the March 3 deadline. They’ll play the night before against the Florida Panthers. If the Predators have moved into the top-three of the Central Division, which is entirely possible, then it’s going to be hard to convince Poile not to be an aggressive buyer. That thought does admittedly scare me that he overreaches.

How Long Will Predators be Without Carrier?

These week-to-week injury timetables always scare me because you really never know just how long it’s going to be. All you know is upper-body injury and you get the four to six weeks.

Best case scenario if Carrier returns at the four-week mark, he’ll be back right around when that trade deadline is almost here. Will the Predators be able to continue their climb up the standings without Carrier in the lineup, or will they hit another losing streak and fall back to that six to eight point gap out of the playoff picture?

Kevin Gravel filled in for Carrier against the Devils in the first game missed. Gravel played the part well as a third-pairing defenseman and even managed four shots on goal.

With time off for the All-Star Break, expect Hynes and his staff to reevaluate if they’re going to stick with Gravel in place of Carrier or go another route.

The Predators have been up and down on the defensive front. At times they look impenetrable and harass puck handlers with their forecheck. Other times, and we saw it a couple times against New Jersey, they get diced up and Saros has to win these odd man rushes.

The Predators also lose some offensive punch from their defensive corps without Carrier. That stings.

Carrier stepped up from a hit on Glass in the game against Winnipeg earlier this week, took a fight against the much larger Logan Stanley, and the outcome was rather predictable and not pretty.

Here’s my recap of my top five storylines heading into the 2023 NHL All-Star Break for the Nashville Predators.

1. Is the Offense Finally Clicking?

2. Can Glass and Parssinen Continue their Ascension?

3. Can Saros Avoid a Bad Stretch of Hockey?

4. How Will the Preds Approach the Trade Deadline?

5. How Much Time Will Carrier Actually Miss?