2023 Nashville Predators Predictions with Futures Odds and Expert NHL Picks
Summary of last season
Despite injuries and plenty of trades, the Nashville Predators still found themselves in the playoff race down the stretch. Unfortunately, they fell 4 points shy of earning the final wild card spot. Offense was the big issue for the Preds, as they were the only team to post a winning season with a negative goal differential (-9). They were incredible defending the home ice, as they went 22-15-4 in front of their fans. They traded away basically everyone that contributed, except for Juuse Saros and Filip Forsberg. They traded away Nino Nederreiter, Mattias Ekholm, Tanner Jeannot, and Mikael Granlund and somehow still managed to be a 92-point team.
Filip Forsberg missed a lot of time in the second half of the season. He posted 42 points in 50 games. Matt Duchene was the only Predators player to record more than 20 goals, as he led the team with 22. Captain Roman Josi led the team in points with 59 and assists with 41. C Tommy Novak quietly had himself a good season, posting 43 points in just 51 games. Saros and backup Kevin Lankinen were a solid pair in the net as they held opponents to less than 3 GA/G.
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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the Nashville Predators in 2023-24:
Key Additions/Losses
Nashville did a makeover to their roster, starting with the mass trade exodus last season. It continued over the offseason with Duchene being bought out and Ryan Johansen (28 points in 55 games) being traded to Colorado. Midseason acquisition Cal Foote, who appeared in 24 games for the Preds, signed with New Jersey.
They did make some moves, with some key signings this offseason. The Preds added blueliner Luke Schenn, who totaled 22 points in 70 games for Vancouver and Toronto last season. Nashville’s biggest splash was signing veteran F Ryan O’Reilly, who totaled 30 points in 53 games for Toronto and Saint Louis last year. They also added F Gustav Nyquist (27 points, CBJ/MIN) and Denis Gurianov (17 points, MON/DAL).
X-Factors
New Management- Barry Trotz is the guy calling the shots for the Predators front office. He has said multiple times he is going to field a competitive team despite the Preds looking primed for a rebuild. He did cash in on a few veteran players this season to join Saros, Forsberg, and budding stars like Luke Evangelista and Jusso Parssinen. It will be interesting to see if Nashville gets active in the trade market and adds a few more pieces.
Evangelista- This kid has promise and is one of the reasons for all the changes. They needed to make room for the young stud. In limited time, he posted 15 points in 24 games a season ago. They will ask a lot more from him heading into this season, as he will look to make his way to the top line by the end of the season.
Goalie Outlook
It’s Saros and Lankinen again for Nashville. Saros was an all-star a season ago and has one of the best odds to take home the Vezina trophy this season. In 64 games, Saros allowed just 2.69 GA/G with a respectable .919 SV%. Lankinen allowed just 2.75 GA/G proving to be solid in relief. I expect much of the same heading into this season.
Grade: A
Key Schedule Stretch
The first half of the season- This is a tough call to make. Nashville does not look like a contender right now. However, if they can get some unexpected production from their role guys, they could be more inclined to pick up the phone and get some reinforcements. I don’t know if that will happen, but this team could very well find themselves on the fringe of a playoff berth especially with the weak division.
Notable Odds
*DraftKings Sportsbook
Stanley Cup Champions - +7500
Conference Winner - +3500
Division Winner - +1800
Vezina Trophy- Juuse Saros- +600
Prediction
I like the over on the team total regardless of the Preds deciding to buy or not. If they do decide to buy at some point this season, this team could earn a wild card spot. Don’t sleep on Trotzy and the Preds. If Forsberg can stay healthy, and Saros can continue to be one of the league’s best netminders, Nashville could surprise.
Over 86.5 Team Total Points
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