The Nashville Predators have reconfigured their defense over the last two seasons. From the 2023-2024 playoff team, the only remaining defenders are Roman Josi and Spencer Stastney. One of their big free agent moves from the 2024-2025 offseason was bringing in Brady Skjei, who was coming off of a career high points performance in Carolina, and played a ton.
With the Predators, he flopped. Skjei had no natural fit partner-wise with the rotating door of defenders that the Preds deployed last season, and the team's offensive woes damaged any chance he would repeat his career year.
This year if the Predators believe they'll bounce back, then Brady Skjei will have to.
Will the lure of Team USA help or hurt?
Skjei has represented Team USA four times at the World Championships and was an alternate captain on the team that won gold at this year's World Championships, ending a drought for the USA.
His willingness to go to the tournaments and his performance in them have put him on the shortlist for Team USA at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. While the roster is far from finalized, you have to figure that whoever has a hot start to the season puts themselves on the inside track to make the team.
Pressure makes diamonds, and Skjei has the chance to cement his status with a strong start. Will he capture it? Or just let it slip?
Steps to Success
First, he and the Predators have to find him a more permanent partner. He probably shouldn't be paired with Josi or one of the younger guys, but a more defensively oriented player like Nicholas Hague might be the perfect partner. Nick Perbix has played some top four minutes and could also work, but the coaching staff will have to avoid overly tinkering. Having a consistent running mate will go a long way.
Then, from a team perspective, the power play has to be better. Skjei had just 10 points on the extra man unit last year, which isn't bad considering he was playing behind Roman Josi for most of the year, but having two effective units, and Skjei being the quarterback for the 2nd can provide a boost overall.
Defensively, he's fine. He plays well in his own end, without being an overly physical force. The Predators' transition game could pick back up, and that would be something that Skjei would be a part of. He's known for providing excellent outlets, and if the Predators get a little more lethal with their shooting, it'll serve him well.
The Big What If
Until we're getting into the meat of the season, we're going to be nervous about Roman Josi, and it might be smart to knock his minutes down when possible.
This means Skeji steps up into the featured role. Every minute that Josi gives up to preserve his health should go to Skeji, and could lead to him having a bigger year than we anticipate. The question will be, how big?