Keep This Going In 2024: Nashville Predators' Offensive Depth Showing Up
Right now the Predators have most of their team in double digits points wise. That progression will serve the team very well going forward.
The Nashville Predators have found something highly sought after across the league. Scoring depth.
Right now the Predators have 13 players with ten points or more. Considering they are at the 37-game mark, or about 45% of the way through the season, that's a pretty good marker thus far.
The Predators in total have suited up 25 skaters, so more than half of them have scored at least 10 points. Also, all 25 of the players the Predators have suited up to skate out this season have at least scored a point.
That number should increase soon. Yakov Trenin and Juuso Parssinen both are sitting at nine points, Michael McCarron and Dante Fabbro with eight points, and Jeremy Lauzon has five points. All of those players are capable of increasing their totals as time progresses.
Preds have Deep Offensive Attack, 13 Players have Double Digit Points
Filip Forsberg leads the way, but it doesn't stop with him. This team shouldn't be confused as being "top heavy".
This is very good news for the Predators and their chances for success going forward. Scoring depth is paramount to not only making the playoffs, but having success once you get there in a 7-game series.
During their Stanley Cup season in 2017, the Predators had 17 players who scored 10 points or more, out of the 37 who suited up.
The Predators could also be looking at a glut of 20+ point scorers as well. With five already on the books, it is very easy to imagine that another five could join their ranks before the year is out. That would help this year's version of the Predators get closer to the President's Cup team from 2017-18, who had 14 20+ point scorers.
Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista are next-closest to the 20-point threshold, with each sitting at 17 points going into Tuesday's matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks.
You can keep going through the list. Take the 2018-19 Predators team that won the Central Division. Another sixteen players had at least 10 or more points, and fourteen of them had at least 20.
In almost all cases, these levels of depth production spells success for the Predators. If they are able to keep up with their current pace then we should continue to see offensive production and wins in the standings to stick around in the Western Conference race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
To really illustrate the Predators' success in having balanced offensive production, the team is 6th in the NHL in Expected Goals For in all situations, per MoneyPuck.com. Now the goaltending and defense have to level up their games.
The Predators currently have the top wildcard spot with a 20-16-1 record for 41 points. The Arizona Coyotes are right behind with 40 points, followed by the Seattle Kraken at 39 points.