5 Nashville Predators Who Could Turn the Tide in 2024-25
It is a big turning point season for the Predators and five individuals can be determining factors.
5 Nashville Predators Who Could Turn the Tide in 2024-25The Nashville Predators are looking like a force to be reckoned with, but nothing is set in stone as the 2024-25 season has yet to begin. The team has Stanley Cup aspirations and have to be firing on all cylinders for Nashville to win it all, but there are certain players who may make a big difference in the season.
The Predators should have a 23-man roster and there will be more than that who suit up for a game this season, but five individuals in particular could turn the tide.
Steven Stamkos
The Predators' biggest off-season addition was Steven Stamkos. The team was able to sign the former Tampa Bay Lightning captain to a four-year deal and he will make an immediate impact.
Stamkos has managed to stay nearly injury free for the past three seasons, missing just five total games. He has also finished all three of those seasons at over a point-per-game, scoring at least 40 goals two times and recording a career-high of 106 points in 2021-22.
He is coming off a 40-goal, 81-point season at age 33 and will be a driving force on the second line of the Predators. While Jonathan Marchessault and Tommy Novak should also play the majority of the season on that line as well, Stamkos is the most experienced and best player. He will not only be a factor on that line, but will hover around his spot on the power play looking to contribute. Stamkos potted 19 goals and 39 points on the man advantage last season, so he must add to what was a middle of the pack Predators group in 2023-24.
Stamkos has to stay healthy and be a 35+ goal, 75+ point player for the Predators. With Marchessault and Filip Forsberg on the team as well, Stamkos reaching 40 goals isn't as dire. He has to be a big part of the offense and Nashville's second line has to contribute behind the top line that held the forward group together last season.
Juuse Saros
Juuse Saros once again got recognition for the Vezina Trophy, finishing fifth in voting. This was in what could be considered a down season by his standards and the stats. Some bad games really hurt his overall numbers, but he did lock in for the second half of the season and go on some win streaks.
Saros is one of the best goalies in the league and finished with a SV% of at least .918 in all three seasons before 2023-24. He has to return to that form, even if goals are up around the league. The team knows the system Andrew Brunette implemented at the beginning of last season and the Predators are stronger this time around.
The regular season isn't really the worry for Saros and the Predators though. The team has to make it out of the first round and go deep into the playoffs. They are in their window to win now with an older and experienced team. Saros has to perform for more than one game in a row.
Saros ended the first round series loss to the Vancouver Canucks with a .900 SV% even though he had a .921 SV% in the playoffs the season prior. It has been a mixed bag for him when the games matter the most and he has to show up.
Philip Tomasino
Philip Tomasino has been spending time on the third line this training camp and has found chemistry with Colton Sissons and Luke Evangelista. This is great news for the Predators as the talented young forward has shown in years prior that he can contribute offensively.
Now that Tomasino has worked on other parts of his game as well and the team would have had to put him on waivers to send him down for a fourth season in a row, it makes the decision to keep him on the roster and in the lineup that much easier.
Along with external upgrades, having a player like Tomasino impress and force his way into the lineup is a big plus. He has already exceeded early expectations and if he can stick on the third line and record 40+ points this season, it will add a ton of value to the bottom-6 and give the Predators confidence in another young player moving forward as the core is older.
Brady Skjei
Brady Skjei is one of the big free agent additions Nashville made this summer. He comes in while in his prime and also to replace what the Predators lost by trading Ryan McDonagh back to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Skjei has underrated offensive ability as he scored 31 goals and 85 points over the previous two seasons. He is a solidified top-4 defenseman and comes from a very good defensive system in Carolina. He has to at least be what he was with the Hurricanes if the Predators want to get their money's worth.
Skjei will be taking on a larger role as a top-2 defenseman on the team. He impressively recorded more takeaways than giveaways last season (44-36), can easily log over 21 minutes of ice time per game, will shoot, hit, block shots, as well as play both the power play and penalty kill.
There will be a lot of responsibility on him this season and he has to be as advertised. The hope is that Skjei can find chemistry with Roman Josi particularly early in the season.
Tommy Novak
The main area of the team that the Predators were questionable about was the second line center position. Sissons played there last season and Novak had some good looks in his two seasons with the team. It appears like it's Novak's role to lose now.
Novak has to be a good enough second line center for the Predators. While Stamkos can play down the middle, he has been effective on the wing as he has gotten older. Centers are hard to come by, in free agency or through development. The Predators need a solution right now and Novak is their best bet.