NHL Preview: Nashville Predators

Charlie Boccanegra thinks the Nashville Predators are one of the most under-rated teams in the NHL.

The Nashville Predators continue to be the little team that could. Nashville’s made the playoffs in six of the past sevens seasons. Pretty good coming from a small market that doesn’t spend up to the cap. Much of that credit has to go to GM David Poile and head coach Barry Trotz, the only head coach in franchise history.

The oddsmakers don’t view them as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender listing them at 33/1 NHL betting odds. At this moment I would tend to agree with that but they already have some key ingredients in place with Vezina runner up goalie Pekka Rinne and probably the best defenseman in the NHL with Shea Weber.

If they could somehow go out and acquire a top notch offensive player during the season they could legitimately contend for the Cup, making the 33/1 odds some great value. Plus, last year they finally got over the hump winning their first playoff series, which increases the confidence of the current nucleus of players.

As mentioned earlier Rinne is a top 5 goalie in the NHL and has the ability to single handedly steal games. Joining Shea Weber on the back end is Ryan Suter who is one of the best overall defenseman in the NHL. The two of them form one of the best shut down pairs in the NHL while still contributing their fair share of offense.

Even with the departure of one of their good young defenseman Cody Franson they still have two more similar type players ready to fill the void in Jonathan Blum and Kevin Klein, one of the best top two pairings in the NHL. Francois Bouillon is also a serviceable 5th defenseman who can contribute some additional offense that the youngsters may have not quite added into their games yet.

In order to be a true contender they will need to bring in an elite forward or someone on the current team will need to elevate their games to another level – ideally 30 goal scorer Patric Hornqvist. It will also require Martin Erat to remain healthy, as he’s been a borderline all star over the past number of years. Look for newly acquired forward Niclas Bergfors to be a key contributor to the offense, as he was the key player the Thrashers received in return for Ilya Kovalchuk two years ago.

David Legwand and Mike Fisher are good two way centres, especially on the defensive end of the rink. The problem is none of them are legitimate #1 centers on what would be considered a Stanley Cup contender. Also, Seregi Kostitsyn has been far too inconsistent, and needs to show more passion and effort.

Nashville’s season point total is far too low at 92.5. They have exceeded 92 points in four of the past six years, finishing with no less than 99 points in the past two seasons. I don’t see this team taking a seven point decrease from last year. Their solid defensive system with just enough offense to get by will keep in the mix all season long. Take the OVER big!