There was a lot to like about the Nashville Predators going into this season.
For starters, the team signed two-time Stanley Cup winner Steven Stamkos to a 4-year contract on the first day of free agency. In Stamkos, they were getting a veteran who has a ton of experience, can put the puck in the net, and someone who can be relied on to produce all season long.
In addition to signing Stamkos, the team went out and also signed forward Jonathan Marchessault to a five-year, $27.5 million contract and defenseman Brady Skjei to a seven-year, $49 million contract. With Marchessault, the team hoped to get someone who brings a lot of offense while they hoped Skjei would bring a steady presence to the club’s blue line.
The Predators also signed their goaltender Juuse Saros to an eight-year, $61.92 million contract. In Saros, the team felt that he was their goalie of the present and future.
With all of the above signings and excitement, one would figure that the Predators would be one of the league’s best teams, right? They now had a formidable offense, a solid defensive corps, and locked up their goaltender for the foreseeable future.
Well, as of this writing (Sunday night, December 1), things have been terrible for the Predators. The team is currently 7th in the Central Division, 15th in the Western Conference, and 30th in the league.
There are several reasons why this team is playing so poorly right now. For starters, their offense is struggling to put the puck in the net.
As of this writing, the Predators are 31st in the league in goals scored as they have scored just 58 goals in 25 games. If you are doing the math at home, then you know that means that the team is averaging just over two goals per game (2.32), which is not enough to win in this league these days.
Newcomers Stamkos (seven goals) and Marchessault (four goals) have struggled to find the back of the net in their new digs. To make matters worse, players like Filip Forsberg (nine goals), Gustav Nyquist (six goals), Ryan O’Reilly (five goals), and Tommy Novak (three goals) are not scoring with any kind of regularity.
What is also worrisome is that despite averaging close to 30 shots per game (29.4), the puck is not going into the net. The team now has several snipers at their disposal and through the team’s first 25 games of the season, they have been very quiet.
The team’s defense has also struggled this season. For years, the Predators were known as one of the league’s best defensive clubs.
That has not been the case this season. The Predators are currently 23rd in the league in goals allowed as they have given up 79 goals so far this season (3.16 goals against per game).
This is not to say that Saros has been bad. He has been one of the bright spots on the team this year as he is currently 6-10-0-5 with a 2.62 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and two shutouts.
What it does mean, however, is that the team in front of him is not doing a good job of protecting him. They give up 30 shots per game, a careless with the puck in the defensive zone, and do not do a good enough job of being in the right position in their own end.
It can also be said that Predators head coach Andrew Brunette does not have his club playing with any kind of urgency. This team has not been as aggressive offensively as they should be and they have not been as smart defensively as they are supposed to be.
This is not the way things were supposed to be for the Predators this season. This is not what Predators general manager Barry Trotz envisioned when he made all those signings back on the first day of free agency.
If the Predators want to get themselves into a playoff spot and then hold onto it until April, things need to change in a hurry. If they are not able to do that, Trotz may have some thinking to do come the end of the regular season.
ITR 39: Conference Finals – Inside The Rink
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