The nickname "Smashville" hasn't been earned for the sake of rhyming. Since their inception in 1998, the Nashville Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators]have established a lasting legacy as a team that hits hard, plays hard, and doesn't rely on flashiness to be successful. The hard-nosed style of play, mixed with the city's loud and wild country music background, has given the Predators an unmistakable identity. With the style of play comes the penalties and the fighting, and that has never seemed to fade. The Predators led the league in fighting last season, logging 37 fights, which made up 23% of their total penalty minutes. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/quarter-of-nashville-predators-penalty-minutes-were-for-fighting-led-nhl-in-dropping-the-gloves] That's seven more fights than second place, the Boston Bruins, who led the league in penalty minutes this season. BY THE NUMBERS Over the last four seasons, the Predators have led the league in fighting twice; however, in three of those seasons, they have had the highest percentage of fights among their total penalties. 2024-25: 37 fights (1st); 23% of total penalty minuets (1st). 2023-24: 33 fights (2nd); 21% of total penalty minutes (1st). 2022-23: 29 fights (7th); 18% of total penalty minutes (7th). 2021-22: 59 fights (1st); 29% of total penalty minutes (1st). When compared to league-wide stats [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YPUM8uMXrs3YQEiZNHASi_zAFwUWkV_YC7_RYM5DTNw/edit?gid=0#gid=0], the Predators are far and away the most physically confrontational team in the league. 2024-25: 18.16 fights per team (18.84 more fights); 14% of penalty minutes toward fighting (9% ahead) 2023-24: 19.42 fights per team (13.58 more fights); 12% of penalty minutes toward fighting (9% more) 2022-23: 21.1 fights per team (7.9 more fights); 13% of penalty minutes toward fighting (5% more) 2021-22: 20.64 fights per team (38.36 more fights); 14% of penalty minutes toward fighting (15% more) WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN 2021 AND NOW Apr 10, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson (5) and Nashville Predators left wing Tanner Jeannot (84) fight during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/aa2503a1-ab90-4eb9-9ebc-dc6a084037a8.jpeg] Apr 10, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson (5) and Nashville Predators left wing Tanner Jeannot (84) fight during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The four-year period from 2021 to 2024 is notable, as the Predators had 59 fights, dropped to 29 the following year, and then steadily rose again. The 2021-22 season featured the three-headed monster of Mark Borowiecki, Tanner Jeannot, and Luke Kunin, who accounted for 380 of the Predators' total, league-leading 1,035 penalty minutes. Michael McCarron, who is one fight away from having the fifth most in franchise history, had 70 penalty minutes that season. Fight-wise, Jeannot led the team with 14, Borowiecki had 13, McCarron had eight, and Kunin had seven, making up 42 of the 59 total fights that season. There was a 30-fight dip off the following season, though the Predators were still ahead of the league average by almost eight fights. Kunin was signed with the San Jose Sharks in the 2022 offseason. Borowiecki played four games before suffering an injury and retiring. Jeannot was traded midseason to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Spending just three seasons with the Predators, Jeannot ranks ninth in most fights in Predators history with 23. The 2022-23 season was the lowest fight total for the Predators in this four-year frame, but they also failed to make the playoffs, three points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the final Wild Card spot in the West. The offseason, Barry Trotz, who has been instrumental in establishing the Predators' "Smashville" identity, returned to the franchise as general manager. Since his return to the front office, the number of fights has started to spike again. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/fixing-defense-was-focus-for-trotz-nashville-predators-in-free-agency] From the 2022-23 season to the 2023-24 season, there was a slight rise in fights, with four. The following year, this past season, it rose by four again, and the Predators had the fight record in the league for the first time since the 2022-23 season. HOW MANY TIMES WILL THE GLOVES GET DROPPED IN 2025-26? Mar 9, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Samuel Helenius (79) fights Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague (14) during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9ad31f55-fe25-4bcc-8450-3ea8185dc57d.jpeg] Mar 9, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Samuel Helenius (79) fights Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague (14) during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images If we want to get mathematical about it and follow trends, the Predators will likely take another four-fight jump and have 41 this coming season. However, that number could be much higher. It's top fighters from 2024-25 (McCarron, Cole Smith, Zach L'Heureux, Andres Enguland) are still with the team. They lost Luke Schenn (five fights), but gained defenseman Nic Hague [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/newly-signed-nashville-predators-defenseman-nic-hague-wants-to-add-offensive-depth-to-own-game], who had four fights last season and has the second-most fights (nine) in Vegas Golden Knights franchise history. Considering McCarron's numbers only continue to climb and Trotz still has this team's identity of the Predators being big and aggressive, those numbers could peak around 45 or 50. DOES A PHYSICAL STYLE OF PLAY BENEFIT OR HAMPER THE PREDATORS? Nov 30, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki (90) is escorted to the penalty box by linesman Ryan Gibbons (58) after a roughing penalty during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a6b66487-3ec5-41a1-b442-f8d5af30f0d5.jpeg] Nov 30, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki (90) is escorted to the penalty box by linesman Ryan Gibbons (58) after a roughing penalty during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images The NHL is becoming faster and more skill focused, and less physical. Fighting has slowly declined around the league over the last four seasons despite the Predators' numbers peaking, falling and then climbing again. 2021-22: 640 total fights 2022-23: 623 total fights (-17) 2023-24: 602 total fights (-21) 2024-25: 563 total fights (-39) It can be debated whether or not fighting contributes to the Predators' offensive success. During the 2016-17 regular season, they logged 40 fights and three of the most in the postseason, three of which were in the Stanley Cup Final. The year they won their only Presidents' Trophy, 2017-18, they had only 20 fights, but the most penalty minutes in the league at 928. Under Trotz's system, there will be fighting no matter what. Last season, the Predators had a decent penalty kill, with a success rate of 81.5%, which ranked seventh in the league. It also had an 82.5% penalty kill during the 2022-23 season, when the fighting dipped. Coming out of last season, one of the Predators' worst in franchise history. It's clear that there needs to be more scoring, but does there need to be more physicality?
