The NHL Network has been putting out top 20 lists in each of the positional categories this offseason. They most recently ranked the top 20 defensem*n heading into the 2024-25 season; but they have also put out lists for the top 20 centers, top 20 wingers, and top 10 goalies. The Nashville Predators have quite a few players who have made it onto these various lists. Who made the rankings and where did they place?
Roman Josi
Predators captain Roman Josi was ranked the fourth-best defenseman by NHL Network in their 2024 rankings. The defensem*n who finished ahead of him were Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Josi was one of the best at his position during the 2023-24 campaign. He was a finalist for the Norris Trophy, along with Makar and Hughes. Hughes won the Norris, but Josi proved how even nearing his mid-30s he is still one of the best blueliners in the NHL.
Josi played in all 82 games last season. He scored 23 goals and produced 62 assists for a total of 85 points. It was the second-most points he has ever notched. The only campaign that had more was in 2021-22 (he scored 23 goals as well, but had 73 assists for 96 points in 80 games). It will be interesting to see if that point total goes up even more in 2024-25. He will have new forwards to build chemistry with, and also has some nice teammates on the backend too. Dante Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier, Jeremy Lauzon, and Luke Schenn are all returning from last season.
The Predators also landed a significant talent on the blue line by bringing Brady Skjei aboard via free agency. Skjei bolsters Nashville’s defense, and can put up his own offensive production too. He provided 47 points in 80 games for the Carolina Hurricanes (13 goals and 34 assists). Whoever head coach Andrew Brunette decides to pair with Josi, that duo will make a big impact for the team on the ice. Playing with a skilled veteran like Josi will also help bring out the best in his defensive partner.
Juuse Saros
The NHL Network ranked Juuse Saros as the ninth-best goalie in the league. He finished ahead of Linus Ullmark, now with the Ottawa Senators. The top three netminders were the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, and the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin.
In the 2023-24 campaign, Saros played in 64 games for the club, posting a record of 35-24-5. He had a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.86, a save percentage (SV%) of .906, and three shutouts. In his career so far, he has an overall record of 182-119-32 in 350 games played. He has an overall GAA of 2.63, an overall SV% of .917, and 23 shutouts. He has been exactly what the organization has needed ever since Pekka Rinne hung up the skates, and he will continue to be one of the faces of the team for many seasons to come. General manager Barry Trotz made sure of that too. He signed Saros to an eight-year contract extension worth $61.92 million. He is going to be the Predators’ netminder for a long time, and he earned it.
Saros should continue to stay in the Vezina Trophy conversation. He has significant competition for sure. Hellebuyck is nominated every season because of how talented he is for the Jets. He has two Vezina Trophy wins (2019-20 and most recently in 2023-24). Shesterkin also has a Vezina to his name as well from 2022. Both of those goalies are not going to be slowing down, and others will play well to put themselves in consideration too. While Saros may not have a Vezina Trophy yet under his belt, I firmly believe that he will be able to win one during the seasons ahead. Maybe he will get more than one like Hellebuyck. Saros will win one eventually though. With how much skill the Predators have in front of him, a Stanley Cup Final appearance may be in the midst as well.
Filip Forsberg
Kicking things off for the Predators on the top 20 wingers list, ranked at 14th is Filip Forsberg. Heading into his 13th campaign with Nashville, he has accrued 287 goals and 318 assists for 605 points in 698 games. He and Josi are the top two point producers in Predators franchise history. Last season, Forsberg scored 48 goals and registered 46 assists for 94 points in 82 games. That was his best campaign yet for Nashville. It was a career-high for the 30-year-old in goals, assists, and total points. His previous best for all three stat categories was in 2021-22 when he accumulated 42 goals and 42 assists for 84 points in 69 games.
As great as Forsberg has been for Nashville over the seasons, it seems like he gets better as he gets older. He has consistently been one of their key offensive forces in the lineup. In his first full NHL campaign in 2014-15, he almost got 30 goals. Forsberg finished his first big season with 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 82 games. As he has gotten older though, he has become even more dangerous for the Predators.
Could his best be yet to come? Is he capable of being a 100-point player? I believe that point total is very possible. If he can rack up close to that many points before, he could very well do so. This is especially true if he gets put on a line with a couple of his new teammates. With that being said, one of those new forwards also made the list.
Steven Stamkos
The last player who was ranked for NHL Network was slotted in as the 13th-best winger in the NHL. He is also the only newcomer for Nashville on these lists. Coming in at 13 is Steven Stamkos. The 34-year-old forward spent his entire career with the Tampa Bay Lightning and had been their captain from 2014 to this past season. During his time with the Lightning, Stamkos scored 555 goals and registered 582 assists for 1,137 points in 1,082 games. Additionally, in his postseason career so far, he scored 50 goals and provided 51 assists for 101 points in 128 games.
Related: Predators Sign Steven Stamkos to 4-Year Deal
In his last campaign for the Lightning, Stamkos tallied 40 goals and 41 assists for 81 points in 79 games. If he had suited up for Nashville instead last season, his 81 points would have placed him third on the list. The only two Predators who would have had more points than him in 2023-24 would have been Forsberg and Josi. Stamkos’ 40 goals would have been second in Nashville, with only Forsberg having more with 48. He, along with winger Jonathan Marchessault, should be able to provide more offensive output for the club. Adding those two to an offense that also has Forsberg, center Ryan O’Reilly, forward Gustav Nyquist, and others should put them as a Stanley Cup contender out of the Western Conference. It will be up to Brunette and his coaching staff to figure out who works together best for the forward lines, as well as the power play and penalty kill units.
The Predators have a crucial campaign ahead for the organization. They have too much skill to not be one of the best squads in the West. If they can put it all together, they could possibly win their first championship. The amount of success that Nashville has depends on many players, including the four that were highlighted on the NHL Network’s 2024 lists.
