Three Reasons Nashville Predators can Shock the World in 2023-24
Young and fresh legs throughout the Nashville Predators lineup
While teams with young players are often at a disadvantage due to lack of experience, one advantage they have is significantly less tread on their tires. And the Predators are showing why that is with their young core.
One thing that made that group so fun to watch was because of how fast they were. They matched up well even against some of the fastest teams in the league, and it was a reason why they found themselves in the thick of the wildcard race after selling at the trade deadline.
ESPN broadcast just mentioned that #Preds young legs match up better with Canes speed. Really interesting observation that has me thinking.....more about 2023-24 than possible playoffs this year.
— Chad Minton (@chad_minton) April 7, 2023
Keep in mind that this was in a John Hynes system that did not exactly favor speed, and it is even more impressive how their speed stood out. That especially matters because this year, they have a head coach in Andrew Brunette who is way different than Hynes system-wise.
He proved on the Florida Panthers that his teams play with chemistry and prolificness on offense, but still are stingy on defense. A big reason they can do both so well is because they are fast enough to play an effective 200-foot game.
It seems like a perfect fit for the Predators, who are young enough and skilled enough to play exactly the way Brunette will want them to. And it could very quickly end up becoming a headache for opposing teams.
Dependable and top-notch Goaltending
Even as a Predators fan you are probably tired of hearing this argument, as well as seeing the team have to be dragged to relevance every year because of the guys in net. But make no mistake, goaltending alone is a reason they could far exceed expectations in 2023-24.
Nobody needs anymore evidence of Juuse Saros being one of the very best goaltenders in the NHL, and he is not going anywhere anytime soon. He is still in his prime age years at 28, and quite frankly it would be shocking if he did not turn in another top-five year at his position.
Related Story. Three Possible Outcomes to Juuse Saros' Future with Predators. light
Backing him up is Kevin Lankinen, who last year was very solid himself and helped the Predators have one of the best one-two punches in net. He has only played three years and will surely be fighting to earn a chance as a legit starter next year, so it is hard to imagine him not being as good if not better than he has been.
There really is not much more to say because Predators and hockey fans in general know that goaltending has been the consistent staple of the team for countless years. If they are to be an actually good team this season, Saros and Lankinen will be a huge reason why.
If you don’t have the box checked of having rock solid goaltending, then your chances are almost zero of not only having postseason success, but regular season success as well. At leas the Nashville Predators have that box checked with Saros and Lankinen.
Competition will force players to be better
It is not just an old saying, but a very real principle that the more guys on a team who have to compete for better spots, the better they play. It is hard to find a team in the NHL that provides more opportunities for competition than the Predators.
Guys like Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly, Roman Josi, and Saros are obviously safe in that they will have the biggest roles on the team, but pretty much everything else is up for grabs. And because there simply is not enough room, some guys will not get the spots they deserve.
The O’Reilly signing turned the center position into an absolute logjam, and made the second spot a three-way competition between Cody Glass, Tommy Novak, and Juuso Parssinen. That is not to mention that Colton Sissons is a virtual lock for the fourth spot, meaning that one of the other three guys will surely be forced to play on the wing, which all will try very hard to avoid.
Heck, even beyond all of that, the O’Reilly move made Novak’s future in Nashville extremely murky, and he especially will have a chip on his shoulder, which can only make him better.
Now how about the defense, especially when you get to the youth. Dante Fabbro seems like the odd man out, but as long as he is on the team, you cannot just not play him.
That being said, he has to beat out Alexandre Carrier, Luke Schenn, and Jeremy Lauzon, and Jake Livingstone and Spencer Stastney will be fighting for their opportunities as well. All six of the guys just mentioned will have to absolutely prove something if they want to be in the lineup night in and night out, because again, there are many deserving guys but not enough spots to go around.
There are other areas of potential competition besides the main ones just mentioned, but that in itself is more than most teams have. Nothing is ever given, but on this team things will especially have to be earned, and it should naturally make the players and entire team better.