NHL Team Preview: Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators were one of the hottest teams in the second half of the season last year. They went on a run to close the season where they won 20 of their last 28 games to make the playoffs. They finished fourth in the Central Division in the regular season after being near the bottom of the division for most of the year. The playoff run was short for the Predators as they were ousted in the first round.

With the success of the second half last year, the Predators are hoping that it catapults them into a very good 2021-22 season. They have improved their team in many different areas and will hope that they don’t need to use a late-season flurry of wins to push them into the playoffs.

Big Additions

The Predators were in good shape coming into the season this year but still were able to make some deals that led to new faces. The Predators had six picks in the draft and the two biggest names there are Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux. They also added in Juuse Saros who signed a four-year 20 million dollar deal. The Predators also made a few trades but none bigger than the one where they brought in Nolan Patrick and Phillippe Myers. The Predators then flipped Myers to the Las Vegas Golden Knights for Cody Glass. Nashville also signed David Rittich as a backup goaltender for the upcoming season.

Impactful Subtractions

Goaltender Pekka Rinne has retired and that will be a big loss. Not only from a goaltending perspective but a leadership perspective. The Predators also sent Ryan Ellis and Viktor Arvidsson away in trades. Calle Jarnkrok was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. The Predators didn’t lose a ton last year but instead focused on retaining their guys and adding from the draft.

Key Players

Offensively we can expect to see team captain Roman Josi take a huge role scoring this year. He finished with 33 points in 48 games last year but will very likely improve that this season. Philip Tomasino will be relied on to fill some of the scoring void as well on the offensive side of the ice. Losing Ellis in trade is going to really hurt the defense of the Predators early on, but Myers should fit in right along with Mattias Ekholm to continue to provide some solid defense. Saros is also going to be a big key player as he now transitions to being the main man in the goal.

Online Sports Betting Odds

It was a bit of a changing of the guard offseason for the Predators. They sent some players out but also made some nice moves to fill in holes. The Predators currently have +6000 odds to win the Stanley Cup. That is a very solid get for this group as they are looking to quickly get acclimated with each other. Look for their odds to go down a bit as the season progresses.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.