It was hard to know what to expect from a very different looking Nashville Predators team in the first month of the season, but there were several surprising highs and lows in October.
It was hard to know what to expect from a very different looking Nashville Predators team in the first month of the season, but there were several surprising highs and lows in October.
It was challenging to set expectations for the Nashville Predators in the first month of the 2023-24 season with a new general manager, new head coach, new systems, and new roster. The only certainty to start the season was how tough the first month of games would be. Of the eight games the Predators have played so far six have been against playoff teams from last season.
Eight games is a small sample size and with a record of 4-4, it may seem a bit early to pinpoint highs and lows for this Predators team, but October has given us some clarity on what is working in Nashville and what needs more work.
High - Saros' Strong Start
There's no question that Juuse Saros is an elite goaltender in the league, but there has long been talk that he is a crock pot goalie and not a microwave net minder. Sometimes Saros needs a little runway to get to his game early in the season, but that hasn't been the case in October.
Saros was pulled after the first period of the Edmonton game on October 17, but he also had a shutout against the Seattle Kraken on October 12. Saros is back to stealing goals from opponents with a Goals Saved Above Average of 4.25, behind only Jake Allen and Joseph Woll who have each played half as many games and faced nearly 50 fewer shots.
Saturday night's game against Toronto was perhaps the best example of Saros finding his late season form early as he faced several high danger chances in the first period and made saves that kept the Predators in the game until the rest of the team could get up to speed.
High - Tommy Novak
After Novak's impressive performance in his 51 games last season, there was still some worry that Novak might not be able to replicate his play. That hasn't been the case in his first eight games. Novak is tied with Ryan O'Reilly and Colton Sissons for the team lead in goals with four and tied for second on the team in points with six points. He has been an important piece of the reworked power play that is starting to gain traction, and three of Novak's goals have come on the man advantage. He continues to wow with his hockey vision and playmaking, and Predators fans and soon the league in general will have to accept that Tommy Novak is a potent NHLer.
Low - Cody Glass Injury
This is perhaps the most disappointing part of the first month of the season because Cody Glass seemed poised for that breakout season that has been continually interrupted over the course of his NHL career. The good news is that his lower body injury is not as serious as the team initially feared, but it is not known whether he will be ready to play on this western road trip or not.
His absence interrupts the growing chemistry between Glass and Gustav Nyquist who is also a player looking to take his play to the next level for Nashville. Nyquist played Saturday night with top liners Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly, but getting Nyquist back with a healthy Glass could give the Predators even more offensive bang for their buck in November.
Low - The Curse of Leon Draisaitl
New general manager Barry Trotz has made it clear he isn't interested in players coming to Nashville to retire, but I fear that is exactly where Leon Draisaitl will retire to because it seems he already owns so much of Nashville. In the words of the great philosopher Michael Scott, I am not superstitious, but I am a little stitious, and seeing what Draisaitl did to the Predators — yet again — in Edmonton's 6-1 win on October 17 has got to be some version of hockey voodoo. Nashville Predators fans respect Connor McDavid. They fear Leon Draisaitl.
The Predators will get a chance to face Draisaitl and the Oilers again on this five game road trip, but until Nashville can limit Draisaitl's potency on Tennessee turf, I fear the mental wound will continue to fester.
High - Predators Have Four Solid Wins
With a tough schedule, new systems to learn, and new chemistry to build among teammates it is pretty impressive that the Predators have picked up wins this month against teams like the Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs and were competitive against the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The team's ability to adjust as well and as quickly as they have to a completely new style of play is commendable and encouraging, and the fact that none of that means anything in a locker room full of players who don't want kudos but wins is exciting. There have been and will continue to be some growing pains this season. No "reset" is going to be easy. The energy and character the team has shown and the quality of hockey they have played for much of the first month of the season is reason to feel good about the direction the Predators are headed.