Tommy Novak has Quietly Become a Bonafide Weapon for Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are coming off of a major 5-2 win in Edmonton, and it was a complete effort on both ends of the ice. For a team that clearly does not have everything figured out right now, they are certainly playing with confidence, and Saturday was an example of how they are finding their footing more and more recently.

One of the guys who is helping them find that footing is Tommy Novak, whose goal on Saturday essentially sealed the game for the Predators. To put it bluntly, he has been a factor just about everywhere on this team’s offense.

Despite many players, even stars such as Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi, starting the season somewhat slow, Novak has been at full strength from the very jump. He even reached a milestone similar to that of Forsberg when he began his career on the Predators, further showing the promise Novak has in just his second full season in the league.

Tommy Novak is further proving his legitimacy for Nashville Predators

Novak last year recorded 17 goals and 26 assists in 51 games, and this year already has six goals and three assists in 11 games. The continued consistency on the stat line alone shows that the Predators may have a legit star and cornerstone in the making, but how exactly it is happening is even more encouraging.

First of all, he has been playing like a quarterback on an improving Predators powerplay, and the four goals and one assist on the man advantage show it. But watching how he scored the other night showed the focal point he is when the Predators have the extra man.

Everyone has talked a lot about Novak’s shot and ability to finish when right in front of the net, but how about his ability to distribute? This setup he had to

Kiefer Sherwood

shows that he can indeed dish out the puck just as effectively as he can finish chances.

Most of his production at this point has come on the powerplay, but goals like this show that he is just as effective and still a threat at even strength.

Novak still knows how to be in the right places at the right time and use the space he has to his advantage, and the chemistry he is building with Luke Evangelista is only going to grow as the season goes on and both guys get better.

Novak is Earning Himself a Big Pay Increase in the Near Future

Everything Novak has done at this point shows that he is, at minimum, the second line center on the Predators. It will make things a bit interesting for when Cody Glass comes back, but it would be tough for Andrew Brunette to justify diminishing Novak’s role at all given how strong he has been as an all-around offensive player.

It also makes things even more interesting for the front office, who you could say is simultaneously in an easier and more difficult situation than they previously were. They had a tough decision to make with him hitting free agency after this year, but their hand might be forced if Novak continues to play like this.

It is not quite as easy of a decision as it appears with him already being 26, and guys like Glass and Ryan O’Reilly are also talented centers on the roster. But Barry Trotz and the Predators may just have to reward Novak because he has earned it up to this point, and they would be hard pressed to not just keep and plan around the guy who they know is good.

And while Novak is not as young as guys like Glass and Evangelista, age 27, which he will be when he is up for a new contract, is plenty young enough to justify signing him long-term. There are certainly reasons to not bring Novak back for the long haul, but they are far outweighed by the pros, and the Predators might just be wise to prioritize him regardless of what happens to Glass and others.

Who knows what direction Trotz will end up going in, but Novak’s admirable performance in his time in Nashville has made the dilemma around him a good one to have. He will continue to be a joy to watch on the ice, especially as the team as the whole gels under Brunette’s system, which favors guys like Novak.