We could've never imagined we'd be in this position back in October, but the Nashville Predators' odds of getting the franchise's first ever first-overall draft pick are going up after their latest loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Predators were showing some modest hope with a five-game winning streak, but since then they've dropped games against two other teams in the hunt for the lottery, the Anaheim Ducks and the Buffalo Sabres. In between those losses is a defeat at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks, another team in disarray.
According to Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff, the Predators have jumped up to No.3 in their rankings for the best chances to land the top pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The Predators have picked No.2 overall once by taking David Legwand, the franchise's first draft pick in their history.
We want a top-3 pick, don't mess with that
The Predators have only picked higher than sixth in the draft one other time after Legwand, and that was in 2013 by selecting Seth Jones at fourth overall. So just twice in franchise history have the Predators picked in the top-five, and it's looking very likely that their third time is coming up in 2025.
Only the Blackhawks and the Sharks have better odds than the Predators currently to land the first overall pick. And at least those two teams have the valid excuse of being clear rebuild teams. The Predators don't have that excuse, and instead stacked their roster on paper to compete for a Stanley Cup this year.
What a farce that ended up being. You're still hearing Head Coach Andrew Brunette talk about "building chemistry" and "we're finally starting to gel". Give me a break. It's just exhausting and unacceptable.
On the bright side, it could end up being franchise altering for the Predators to finally get a top-five pick, and more so if they get the first overall pick. The projected top five prospects from Daily Faceoff are defenseman Matthew Schaefer, center James Hagens, center Michael Misa, right wing Porter Martone and left wing Victor Eklund.
Unlike recent drafts with Connor Bedard and Maclin Celebrini, this 2025 draft class is way more up for debate on who should be No.1. I would suspect the Predators want to go with a true center that high in the draft, so my radar is first on Hagens or Misa. They're interchangeable on who goes before the other, but it's a wide consense that they go top-three.
Tankathon gives the Predators a 11.5 percent chanceFirst o to land the first overall pick with Hagens being taken at third oerall by the Predators. I would be happy with that, and if the Predators keep losing this season and that's the draft prize, then it migth very well be worth it just a couple years down the road.
First order of business is to see what happens with the trade deadline which is just over a month away. If your fantasy is for the Predators to pick in the top-three like they're currently projected, then you need the Predators to keep losing so that General Manager Barry Trotz is forced to be a heavy seller.
The 18-game point streak last season changed everything, and while it was very entertaining to watch that and see them return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I think a huge majority of the fanbase has come to grips with reality that this team needs a massive overhaul and a high end draft pick to get things started.
There's only 11 games left for the Predators before the March 7 trade deadline. The Four Nations Face-Off is going to give teams a two-week break from games to evaluate where they stand. The Predators have just four games before that happens, and nothing should change Trotz's mind at this point. It's time to sell, let the young players play heavy minutes to grow, and see where the lottery balls land.
Getting the first-overall pick would be pretty awesome because it's never happened for the Predators, but the main consolation prize to this horrendous season should be at minimum a top-three pick.