It wasn’t supposed to end like this. The Nashville Predators, not the St. Louis Blues or Minnesota Wild, were supposed to be at least the fourth team from the Central in the NHL Playoffs. They were also supposed to boot someone, most likely the Colorado Avalanche, out of the top three.
Instead, the Preds will play spoiler and likely finish the season with fewer than 70 points, a total I would’ve instead given to the Minnesota Wild if I had to name a team from the Central. Or, a team from the Central not named the Chicago Blackhawks.
As I write this, the Predators are 31st in the league in scoring, with just 198 goals, or 2.53 per game. They’re 25th in hockey with 258 allowed, and that number could’ve been higher if someone not named Juuse Saros didn’t spend 50-plus games in the net trying to save the historically bad situation.
Nashville Predators and their fans are left with a lot of questions
Far more questions than answers are plaguing the Predators. Perhaps the biggest one is whether the veterans they acquired have anything left. Veterans like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. Then, there are the over-30 vets who’ve been in town for a while, like Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, and Roman Josi.
Yeah, some of them put up decent numbers, and players like Josi produced well. But with all of the above names in their 30s, with quite a few in their mid or late 30s, it’s time to ask the burning question: Should the Predators just start all over again, or at least start retooling in the same way the St. Louis Blues had?
You can’t deny the results we’ve seen in Arch City, so maybe it would be smart to dismantle the team starting this offseason. If you couldn’t win with this veteran group in 2024-25, then why even do this? Move most of them while they still have value, retain a few, and get this organization back on the right track.
Predators don’t have a missing piece to implement, either…
No, they do not, so don’t ask. Teams that’ve performed this badly have more than a few simple fixes. If I were Barry Trotz, I’m not going out and trying to acquire a player or two who could help this team ‘make a run.’ They don’t exist.
Yeah, if the Predators were on pace to finish with, say, 90 points, then I’d keep everyone intact and keep trying to build. But the reality is, that’s not the case. They have 64 points to show for 2024-25, and it’s a total that’s right down there with teams in full-on rebuilds like the Chicago Blackhawks.
So, if Predators fans want to see their team back in the playoffs and enjoy long-term success, they need to sit back and enjoy a rebuild. One that probably wouldn’t put them anywhere near serious playoff contention until about 2027-28. But don’t worry; just have fun watching the organization develop, and it’ll be here before you know it.