Setting the expectations for Nashville Predators after dramatic free agency moves

It’s been quite an exciting offseason for the Nashville Predators with the many massive signings during free agency.

The Predators had a fairly successful 2023-24 season and exceeded a lot of people’s expectations about what that particular roster was capable of. After getting eliminated in round one of the playoffs, there was a lot of questions as to what direction the team would be trending in and what possible moves General Manager Barry Trotz would make during the offseason.

Many people were expecting fairly big moves, but no one was expecting the massive splash that Trotz made during free agency, as the Predators clearly made the biggest impact across the league in that department.

With these new signings and moves, including Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, the discussion about the expectations for this team has drastically changed from even a month ago.

So, what should the expectations be for this team for the 2024-25, and how do these expectations differ from teams across the league?

Stamkos and the newcomers expect deep playoff run for Predators

One thing that has been consistent throughout the past few weeks has been the emphasis the newly signed players have been putting on the success of the team. In their entry interviews with the media this week, Steven Stamkos, Brady Skjei and Scott Wedgewood have all voiced that their expectations for this team are to make the playoffs and have a deep run. 

They have all stated that the team now has the necessary foundation in order to be successful and make an impact in the league this season. Stamkos specifically stated that the parts of the foundation are strong goaltending, an elite defensemen (or two) and elite forwards. The Predators have now found all of these aspects and more. 

After signing his new contract with the Predators, former Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault stated that one of the main reasons he decided to sign with the Predators was because he thinks that they have a winning mindset and are capable of winning with the roster that Trotz had put together.

Trotz has been extremely aggressive throughout the offseason, and because of this, he has caught the attention of outstanding players across the league. 

If the players and staff have this “winning” attitude, it is safe to assume that expectations for this season should be to make the playoffs and have a solid run throughout. They clearly have all of the pieces necessary to win, and after last season, head coach Andrew Brunette has proved that he is capable of creating a winning team. If he was able to find success with the roster last season, expectations for this season should be much higher.

Predators have a lot of solid depth behind their new signings

Even looking past the new signings, there is a lot of depth within this organization now with the bottom lines and possible call ups from Milwaukee. 

For example, young forwards such as Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista will certainly benefit from playing with playmakers such as Stamkos and Marchessault, and this might even give them the opportunity to play with O’Reilly and Nyquist as well throughout the season, depending on lineup decisions made during training camp.

Having young but offensively minded players such as Evangelista and Novak playing with these kinds of veteran leaders will certainly create a lot of exciting offense throughout the season.

We also shouldn’t forget about some players that were on the Admirals roster at the end of last season, such as Phil Tomasino and Juuso Parssinen. Although both players started the season on the Predators roster, they finished the back half of the season with the AHL affiliate. 

With these new signings, it is fairly unlikely that they make the NHL roster at the start of the season, but both players have proved themselves of deserving NHL playing time, and in case of injuries or other trades, both would be solid call up options at any time. 

Overall, it is clear that everyone in the Predators organization is aware of how special this newly formed roster is, and this team has all of the pieces that are necessary for a winning team. It should be a very exciting season for all Predators fans, and will definitely be one to remember.