Nashville Predators very interested in goalie prospect Joshua Ravensbergen in NHL Draft

The reputation of being a goalie factory might be fading for the Nashville Predators after trading Yaroslav Askarov last year and leaving the organization in search of a long-term replacement.

The Predators have the luxury of three first-round draft picks in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, with picks at No.5, No.23 and No.26. While the No.5 overall pick is fully expected to be an impact forward, the probability of drafting the top goalie prospect in Joshua Ravensbergen is growing.

According to RG Media and their sources, teams with multiple first-round picks like the Predators possess have Ravensbergen high up on their draft radar.

Addressing the goalie room with the extra first-round picks would be wise strategy for Nashville Predators

I'm in the camp that believes that the Predators should use all three of their first-round picks unless some ridiculous trade offer comes their way that offers them an impact center that's ready to play now, like a Marco Rossi. Unless something like that happens, this team full of needs and a depleted prospect pool needs all three of these picks in the first round.

When it comes to taking a goalie and targeting Ravensbergen, it makes a lot of sense. Goalies take a long time to develop and usually have a long road ahead of them before reaching the NHL. The Predators have Juuse Saros about to start his eight-year contract, but the backup situation is Saros is fluid with Justus Annunen being the guy for now.

Drafting Ravensbergen in this situation would be a long-term pick years and years down the road. This might compel some to rather trade the pick or take another forward who will be ready for the NHL much faster.

Let's take a look at Ravensbergen's scouting report first; he's a massive goalie at 6'5" but still manages to move very well between the pipes. He's not a statue despite the size. However, having that sheer size is definitely his top attribute that has him widely-regarded as the top goalie prospect this year.

Ravensbergen has completed two years in the Western Hockey League for the Prince George Cougars while keeping his save percentage above the 90 percent range while giving up less than three goals against per game. This is in a large sample size of 89 regular season games over the past two seasons.

Ravensbergen is a player with the work ethic and size that front offices desire in their future goalie prospects

Perhaps another reason that multiple teams including the Predators are interested in Ravensbergen in the first round is his inspiring journey to where he is now. He wasn't even drafted in his WHL draft in 2021. As he told RG Media:

"“I wasn’t picked in the WHL Bantam Draft, but I didn’t give up on my dream,” Ravensbergen said in an one-on-one interview with RG. “I just kept working and waited for my shot.”
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Joshua Ravensbergen, via RG Media

This is going to serve Ravensbergen well in getting drafted most likely in this year's first round of the NHL Draft. Hard work and not giving up on your dream does pay off, and he'll need that more and more when making the long, grueling journey to the NHL one day.

The Predators need to start thinking about who their next franchise goalie will be several years down the road after Saros. And even though we obviously hope this doesn't happen, also if Saros has more struggling years and the team looks for an off ramp before those eight years are up. That's a long time from now, but smart front offices think way ahead when it comes to their goalie room.

We wouldn't even be having this conversation if the Predators didn't have multiple first-round picks, but again, they don't have a great answer behind Saros right now. Sure, there's always free agent veterans out there looking for a one-year deal to prove themselves, and teams are adopting the 1A and 1B approach with their goalies more and more.

However, it doesn't appear the Predators are ready to be one of those teams and instead they're going to continue to probably ride Saros as their workhorse and just look for a viable backup to make the occasional spot starts on back-to-backs. Maybe Annunen, who is entering the last year of his current contract can do enough to earn the confidence to get an extension with Nashville.

Either way, the Predators would be wise to draft Ravensbergen if he's available at 26th overall. I'm not keen on taking Ravensbergen over a right shot defenseman like Blake Fiddler or Logan Hensler at 23rd and risk those guys falling off. Then you may have a goalie, but no defenseman that you wanted.

It's also very possible that Ravensbergen drops off the board entirely before the Predators get back on the clock at 23rd overall. It's reported that Philadelphia and Columbus are also interested in Ravensbergen, and they hold the 22nd and 20th overall picks.

There aren't any current goalies in the Predators prospect pool that has a high probability of ever making a big impact on the NHL level. Magnus Chrona and veteran minor leaguer Matthew Murray are currently with the Milwaukee Admirals, and further down the goalie pipeline you have Jakub Milota, Ethan Haider and Konstantin Volkov.

Milota is a fourth-round pick by the Predators in 2024, Haider was drafted in the fifth round back in 2019 and Volkov was drafted way back in 2016 and has never came across to North America to play. Haider has some optimism to eventually make it to Milwaukee and he'll be 24-years-old before this upcoming season begins.

My final thoughts on this is if Ravensbergen is on the board still at 23rd, I would still adress a right shot defenseman first and the popular choice is Fiddler, which I absolutely love that pick. If somehow Ravensbergen is still on the board at 26h, then take him by all means. That would make for an outstanding use of extra first-round picks by the Predators.