April Fools: Why the Nashville Predators Aren't Set Up For Playoff Success
Possibly Foolish Reasons From a Lifetime of Playoff Disappointment
A Decimated Defense
So there are a few things to unpack here. Tyson Barrie is currently your 9th defenseman which is pretty great depth. Except that he's playing.
The Predators can not sustain another injury and even without one, they are down to their last rung. Another injury completely hampers the team, or forces a player to try and play through injury.
Thinking about this keeps me up nights. Why? Think back to the years 2003-2004, and the Flyers are defensively destroyed. There's only five. They haven't been able to keep the lineup full all year and are forced to turn to 5'10" Finnish winger Sami Kapanen. It didn't kill the team but still, it is never a situation you want to find yourself in.