Five players facing the most pressure on Nashville Predators for 2024-25

We can forget about the cushy storyline that followed the Nashville Predators last season where everything was viewed as unexpected success and the team being ahead of the curve. This season is going to have a completely different vibe.

The Predators officially have the undivided attention of the NHL after their blowout bash free agency that includes future Hall of Famer Steven Stamkos. General Manager Barry Trotz literally spent about every dollar he possibly could to make this roster a Stanley Cup contending team, but now the pressure is on.

Not everyone is sold on the Predators taking some big leap forward from last year. For instance, the very popular JFresh releases his standings projections every offseason, and his model doesn't have the Predators being anything more than a bubble playoff team again.

In what they call their "way-too-early" preseason power rankings, ESPN.com has the Predators in the top-10 at the 8th spot, moving up slightly from the 11th spot thanks to the free agency moves. Still not a huge spike and keeps the Predators behind the cream of the crop in the Central Division, Dallas and Colorado.

No matter how you slice it, the Predators' expectations among their fanbase will be exponentially higher and that will mean more scrutiny if things turn sour. It won't be the love fest that this team enjoyed for most of last season, and Head Coach Andrew Brunette won't be in the honeymoon phase anymore.

With that said, here are my top-5 players on the Predators facing the most pressure to succeed on on individual level in 2024-25. On a team that as a whole will be under much more pressure, and rightfully so.

5. Steven Stamkos: Can he translate is Hall of Fame success to Nashville?

This is all about proving the many naysayers and skeptics wrong about the notion that Stamkos' success came in large part due to being on such a loaded team, which may be partially true but not to the degree of what I've seen from some very disgruntled Tampa Bay fans.

I totally understand their bias and their skepticism considering that Stamkos will no longer be playing with such ridiculous talent such as Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman and Brandon Hagel. But let's not act like he's going to a team full of scrubs, either.

Stamkos cracks into my top-5 because the microscope will be so large on him from around the league. Everyone is going to be eager to see how quickly he impacts the Predators and their offense, which was a rollercoaster ride in 2023-24.

Stamkos has already proven everything he needs to prove in the NHL. He's a no-doubt future Hall of Famer, he has two Stanley Cups and will go down as one of the best power play scorers in NHL history.

The pressure Stamkos faces is can he push back father time a little longer and remain not only a 70-plus point scorer, but also direcly elevate Nashville's chances of being a deep playoff team. If Nashville doesn't show much improvement in the standings and barely scrapes by into the postseason again, many will look to if the Stamkos signing was worth it.

4. Filip Forsberg: Is Fil officially in the class of the Elites?

We've known for a very long time that Forsberg is an outstanding offensive player and one of the better wingers in the NHL. But most have been very hesistant at elevating Forsberg to the elite level of wingers.

To go back to the very popular JFresh, his recent fan vote of the NHL's top forwards put Forsberg at No.22. That's a fair spot to put him, and illustrates that many fans have a lot of respect for Forsberg's greatness. That will happen when you explode for a 94-point season the year before.

Forsberg doesn't face pressure to remain at that level, and as the incumbent superstar of the team along with Roman Josi, he can't afford to even dip back down to ordinary levels. He has to stay around that 80 to 90-point range as the top line playmaker.

Last season was only the second time in Forsberg's 12-year NHL career that he averaged over a point-per-game, coming in at 1.15. He averaged 1.22 per game in 2021-22, and came close to a point-per-game in 2017-18 at 0.96.

After making the big splash signings of Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, a dip in production from Forsberg would be a major letdown and offset whatever contributions you're expecting to get from the newcomers. Forsberg has to remain the top superstar of this team.

3. Dante Fabbro: A lot of pressure to increase trade value and find a consistent role

When the Predators signed Brady Skjei in free agency and also managed to re-sign Alexandre Carrier to a three-year deal, it pretty much left the writing on the wall crystal clear that Fabbro's days in Nashville are numbered.

That is unless somehow Fabbro just goes out and dominates when he is on the ice and shows Trotz something that makes him worth keeping around. It's just going to be so incredibly difficult to pull off due to the team being up against the salary cap and Fabbro being expendable.

I put Fabbro at No.3 on this list of most pressure not for his Predators future, but for his NHL future. He's got to be looking to increase his trade value and auditioning for his new future team. That's going to be difficult to do as the projected 7th defenseman who gets inconsistent playing time and regularly a healthy scratch.

It's very unfortunate for Fabbro because he's deserving as an everyday NHL starter, and maybe even a top-four defenseman on some teams. Nashville just isn't the place for him anymore, so every minute on the ice is going to be crucial for Fabbro to show other teams he would be a great trade acquisition.

2. Tommy Novak: Is he ready for primetime on the 2nd line?

I thought very hard about putting Novak at the top of this list, and you can certainly make that argument that no player on this team is facing more individual pressure than him.

Novak is slotted as the presumptive 2nd line center for the Predators, with Stamkos and Marchessault expected to be the wings. Now of course that isn't a foregone conclusion and training camp will be vital for Novak to show Brunette and his coaching staff he's ready for that role.

All I can assume is that the preference should be for Novak to claim that 2nd line center spot to open the 2024-25 season. That's the first level of pressure he faces is just proving himself in training camp. If he raises any kind of doubt with Brunette to be given that role, then some lineup shuffling will ensue including whether or not Stamkos will go back to being a center.

The pressure won't stop there, and will actually get much higher if he does claim that role out of training camp. As a 2nd line center, Novak will be going up against the very best that teams have to throw at him on a nightly basis. It won't be Novak's first time playing in a top-six role, but as an everyday center with Stamkos and Marchessault there will be no excuses.

Novak is really the most critical piece to all of this falling into place, like a puzzle. If Novak is ready to take a huge step forward in his NHL career, then the Predators will have one of the more potent top-six forward combos in the NHL. If he stumbles badly, then I have a hard time knowing where he's placed in the lineup, because Stamkos and Marchessault aren't moving out of the top-six, obviously.

1. Juuse Saros: Fresh off an 8-year new deal, Juice has to back it up

It's ultimately going to start and end with Saros, like it always has and how it was for all of those years with Pekka Rinne. This team thrives off their goalies, and while I fully expect Saros to get much more goal support to boost his win-loss record, that will actually raise the pressure even more.

Let's say the Predators are a top-10 scoring team and goal scoring no longer is the issue. The pressure will be on Saros to be the steady and rock solid franchise goalie that justifies the 8-year, $61.92 million contract he just received, which actually doesn't go into effect until 2025-26.

Regardless, Saros showing up like a Vezina Trophy caliber goalie that he has the talent to be will make the Predators a legit Stanley Cup contender. If they're suddenly a top-10 scoring team, a top-10 power play along with Saros stealing games when he has to will make the Predators an incredibly difficult opponent for even the NHL's top tier teams.

Saros has a down year by his standards in 2023-24. It was his worst save percentage and worst GAA since becoming Nashville's full-time goalie. Despite that, a .906 save percentage and 2.86 GAA isn't awful, but it's not the stuff of an elite goalie, either.

Saros doesn't have to launch into the second coming of Dominik Hasek or Martin Brodeur, but he does need to improve his numbers from last season, otherwise fans are going to get salty real fast.

Most notably, Saros needs to show improvement in his Goals Saved Above Expected. After leading the NHL in Goals Save Above Expected in 2022-23 at an insane 46.7, he dropped significantly down to 69th among goalies at -3.0 Goals Save Above Expected, per MoneyPuck.

In other words, Saros cannot under any circumstances be the reason why the Predators lose a bunch of games in 2024-25. Not after getting an 8-year investment and the team likely moving on from their top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov. Fans will lose their minds if Saros has another down year, even if those standards are high.

Recap of the Top-5

1. Juuse Saros

2. Tommy Novak

3. Dante Fabbro

4. Filip Forsberg

5. Steven Stamkos