Let's take ourselves back to December of 2022, a time almost two full years ago during which things were not going smoothly for the Nashville Predators. They were underperforming under head coach John Hynes, and one of his criticisms was prioritizing big physical guys who worked best in his flawed system, and Michael McCarron was one of them.
Much more concerning for McCarron at the time was that he had just enrolled in the NHL Player Assistance program, and even when he was reinstated, he was subsequently waived. He had seemed to hit a low point in both his hockey and personal lives, but fast forward to the present day, and you will see that he has put those troubles behind him.
McCarron has not become the best player on the Predators by any means, but is coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which he was a legit lineup regular for the first time in his career. Not only that, but he became a huge positive in the locker room, which Andrew Brunette raved about, showing how greatly he has turned things around.
McCarron is a great perseverance story and big part of Nashville Predators' identity
McCarron played in 70 games for the Predators last year, which is 19 more than his previous totals for games played in a regular season. He also increased his average ice time by over two minutes than in prior years, and took 671 faceoffs -- over 300 more than what he had registered in the past.
As such, he took advantage of the added responsibility and recorded career highs in goals, assists, and points, with 12 goals and 10 assists on the year. He also showed consistency in the faceoff dot, winning 53.2% of his draws, which was good to see.
Even though he was no real game changer, he was one of the more consistent guys on the team, not just in terms of production, but in terms of his role and where he was in the lineup. He was always the fourth line center, which as we know, was the physical and bruising line, and one that has become part of the Predators' identity.
It is not just McCarron's physical style of play that has positively impacted the team, but what he has done for their culture not directly on the ice. He is known for bringing good energy and vibes at all times, and Andrew Brunette has talked about what a difference he has made on the young guys on the team.
McCarron was also nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2023-24, showing just how much he has overcome since his demons caught up with him. Everyone on the Predators -- players, coaches, executives, whoever -- can learn a ton from a guy like him, and they are fortunate to be able to keep him around moving forward.
McCarron's role for Preds in 2024-25
Looking at the upcoming season, there is no reason to change anything about McCarron's role on the team. Bottom six action is what he is clearly built for, and the Predators are almost certainly going to want to roll that identity line again, so it only makes sense to keep him at center.
McCarron definitely will not be expected to light up the scoreboard and what he did last year is about what he is capable of, but you really do not look closely at goals and assists when discussing a guy like McCarron. He is a grinder whose strengths make the team that much harder to play against, and if he can focus on that and continuing to bring the good energy, that will be what matters.