Filip Forsberg is without a doubt the best forward to ever play for the Nashville Predators, and entering his 15th season in the NHL, he is adding to his case to be the best ever for the team.
The 31-year-old Swedish winger is the franchise leader in both all-time and single-season goals with 358 and 58 respectively. His 358 tucks are the sixth most among Swedish NHL players, demonstrating his dominance outside the Predators organization. Despite his elite talents, he is still widely regarded as one of the most underrated players in the entire league.
Forsberg broke out in his first full season with Nashville (2014-15), scoring 26 goals and 63 points and finishing fourth in Calder Trophy votes. He followed up his rookie campaign with an even better season, recording 33 goals and 64 points.
Forsberg proved to a key player in the Predators 2017 Stanley Cup Finals run, netting nine goals and tallying seven assists while having an impressive +14-point differential. In the following seasons, he would put up three-straight 20-goal outings.
He racked up 32 points in the shortened 2019-20 season, and in the season after, he scored a career-high 42 goals and 84 points, his first point-per-game campaign. A concussion held him out of the lineup for 32 games in the 2022-23 season and would finish with 19 goals and 42 points.
He made sure to not let his past injuries get the best of him in following season, setting a new, and current, career-high of 48 goals and 94 points. Even with a disaster of a season for the Predators in 2024-25, Forsberg didn't disappoint, scoring 31 goals and tallying 45 assists.
Last season we were rewarded with his third 40-goal season, but would see one less point from him, dropping to 75 on the year.
This year has the potential of Forsberg reaching new highs. With a strong top six with the likes of Luke Evangelista, Ryan O'Reilly and recently acquired Mavrik Bourque, Forsberg has the opportunity to put up even more goals and assists to help his team make a playoff push.
Forsberg may be listed as a 2nd line winger, but his impact doesn't change at all
The Daily Faceoff lists Forsberg as the Predators second line left winger, playing alongside Matthew Wood and Bourque. It may seem a bit crazy to put your franchise's best forward on the second line, but it's honestly the best decision Nashville could make.
Last season, we saw stronger numbers from the Steven Stamkos-O'Reilly-Evangelista line than any other trio for Nashville. The Forsberg-O'Reilly-Evangelista line also was strong, but it's better to play your best forward line most of the time in the end. It also just makes the most sense to distribute your scoring, and we saw how well that worked out with both Forsberg and Stamkos scoring at least 40 goals last season.
Wood and Bourque also have compatible playstyles to Forsberg. All three love to apply pressure in front of the net. Forsberg has more expected goals around the left circle, while Wood has similar results on the opposite side, and Bourque bridges the gap in the middle. The opposition will have to focus on not one, not two but three separate shooters. Both Wood and Bourque are also strong passers, so there shouldn't too much of an issue with holding the puck for too long.
As long as Forsberg gets top minutes on the power play, then I believe the Predators should have no problem getting offense going. I predict that Forsberg can deliver a similar output to last season, finishing around the 40-goal, 70-80-point mark.
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