The year 2025 has opened on a positive note for the Nashville Predators after a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on the back of Juuse Saros' fourth shutout of the season.
The Predators will play 12 games in total for the month of January, with six being at home and six on the road. The road win over the Canucks to open January is just their fourth of the season. Last season the Predators went 24-14-3 on the road.
January starts with the Predators finishing off a six-game road trip. They're 1-3-0 currently, with the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets still remaining before they return home for a five-game stretch.
Nashville Predators have several favorable matchups in January
The NHL schedule is never easy, let's first be very clear about that. However, January does feature a few more winnable matchups against non-playoff teams. The Predators will face the Blackhawks once, the Sabres once, the Ducks once and the Sharks twice.
If the Predators finish the month with a winning record and modestly climb up the standings to at least around 11th or 12th in the Western Conference, it's not going to be received with much favor from the fanbase I'm afraid.
The majority of fans have turned their attention already to the lottery odds for the Predators. This franchise has rarely ever had a top-10 draft pick. Seth Jones in 2013 is the only top-5 draft pick dating all the way back to the inaugural draft in 1998 when the franchise selected David Legwand with the No.2 overall pick.
Fans really want that top-5 pick, so the Predators are in a lose-lose situation heading into January. The fans will keep piling on them if they continue their losing ways, but they'll also blast them for winning games and disrupting their odds for a top-5 draft pick.
Aside from that, we know hockey players aren't built that way. They're going to play to win and see where the chips fall. A lot of what happens in January will also shape what General Manager Barry Trotz will do at the trade deadline, which isn't until March 7.
Do the Predators really have another 18-game point streak up their sleeve, which I'll remind you was a 16-0-2 stretch. Almost certainly not, but something in that neighborhood could push Trotz to take on another expensive contract via trade.
This month is really going to be about seeing how the young talent handles bigger roles. The Predators have called up four players from the Milwaukee Admirals over the last week, with Ozzy Wiesblatt making his NHL debut, Vinnie Hionstroza making his Predators debut, and Spencer Stastney making his season debut.
I won't be surprised at all if the Predators finish with a winning record in January. I can see them realistically beating Chicago again, beating Buffalo, beating Anaheim and at the very least splitting their back-to-back with San Jose. Throw a couple upsets in there, like another win over struggling Vancouver, and you have six wins for the month.
The Predators finally have a top line that is producing with Steven Stamkos at top line center, and Jonathan Marchessault and Filip Forsberg on the wings. It's giving the Predators much better offensive production.
All in all, a winning month in January isn't going to change the overall outlook by Predators fans. They want drastic changes starting with Head Coach Andrew Brunette, and then through trades of underperforming veterans.
From a team perspective, building some momentum in January will alter how Trotz handles other possible trade opportunities.