Well, the Nashville Predators made some gutsy moves in Round 1, taking a trio of prospects who could all share the ice at some point in the future. Two of these new prospects, Brady Martin and Cameron Reid, can be future cornerstones as they look to replace what's become an aging and volatile core in Nashville.
As for Ryker Lee, I like him on the middle six or even the lower lines. But I'm not underestimating who could be yet another steal for this organization that looks like it's heading in a new direction. Especially if they keep losing this year with the likes of Steven Stamkos and Company.
So, for the Preds, as they gear up for Day 2, need to have one kind of player in mind as they continue their odyssey to reshape the pipeline: Just draft the best player available and run with them. That's it. It's that simple and that obvious.
The Nashville Predators must keep looking to reshape their image to regain respect
How does an NHL organization reshape their image? Start with strengthening the prospects pool. But if you're the Predators, you got an advantage here because the team you got with the big club, at this point, anyway, still isn't that bad on paper.
The ideal scenario then? Keep hitting home runs in the mid-to-late rounds. And yeah, I get that the likelihood of a prospect graduating to the big club gets slimmer. But it's nowhere near unheard of. It's why the Preds need to look for first-round talents who slipped through the cracks and ended up falling into Round 2.
And with the 35th pick still in their grasp, the Preds can land someone like Cameron Schmidt, an undersized yet lethal forward who put up 40 goals last season for the Vancouver Giants. Or, they can go in the opposite direction and roll with someone like Carter Amico, who may've been a first-round pick, but injuries derailed his 2024-25 campaign.
Predators need to keep getting this right for the fans' sake
Nearly one calendar year ago, it looked like the Preds could do no wrong. They brought in some aging yet proven stars on the back-nine of their respective careers, but they could still play. Or, so we thought.
Now, heading into the summer of 2025, the front office can add to what can still be a talented team, or start pawning some of these players off if they find a good trading partner or two to link up with. Still, if they try to fix this mess one more time and they're still losing, or if they shed some of these contracts, fans are turning their collective attention to the prospects pool.
So don't reach. Pick a player who could've been a first-rounder, or maybe would have if the circumstances were different. That's the best way to keep fans interested if things get ugly again.
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