Line 4: Yakov Trenin — Colton Sissons — Cole Smith
The days of the herd line are unfortunately over with Tanner Jeannot being traded at the deadline, but it does not mean they cannot roll a line with a similar identity. That’s what this trio, that also currently plays together, does.
This is the one that everyone knows is out there to be that physical element that every team prefers to have when going on a deep playoff run. And even in the case of the Predators, it is nice to have because they are so young and make good use of experienced and gritty guys who will step up in rougher situations.
Trenin and Sissons have obviously played together for the vast majority of the past two years, and Sissons being the consistent veteran on this line makes the opponent take them seriously when they are on the ice.
Smith does not quite have the menace factor that Jeannot brought to the Predators, but he is still plenty physical and does many of the same things that Jeannot did, so he fits right in.
Smith gets his large share of criticism from the fanbase, which is fair, but he is someone who has only gotten better throughout the season. And especially given the current state of the team, he deserves to be in the lineup and bring the effort like he does each game.
Recap of Projected Forward Lines for 2023-24
- Tomasino/Glass/Duchene
- Forsberg/Novak/Evangelista
- Afanasyev/Parssinen/Sherwood
- Trenin/Sissons/Smith