Fearless Predators’ Predictions for 2019-20
The Nashville Predators suffered an early exit in the postseason last spring. The center of the team’s problems was its power play woes. They were one of the worst teams while on the man advantage last season, which doesn’t make sense since they have talented players on the power play units. Another problem last season was injuries, which kept key players out of the lineup for a while. There wasn’t too much production from the bottom nine.
The Predators traded defenseman P.K. Subban in the offseason to get some cap space so they could go after free agent Matt Duchene. Another reason for the mediocre season was because of the team’s road woes in the beginning of the season, but they eventually turned that around. It was a down year for Kyle Turris and he looks to bounce back this season. The team mainly relied on goaltending, defense and the top line to keep in the playoff hunt.
1) No Postseason
The Predators will fail to make the postseason this year after an early exit last season. Yes, the team went out and got Matt Duchene in free agency, but will he really be enough for this team to get out of a much improved Central Division? The blue line won’t be a problem for the Predators this season because they probably have one of the best, if not the best, defense core in the NHL. They lost Subban in a trade over the summer, but the top four guys are solid, all around defenseman.
The two reasons for not making the playoffs this season will be depth scoring and goaltending. The Predators offseason move made them better on the top two lines, but I’m still a little worried about the depth scoring of this team. The depth was an area where the team struggled last season led by Kyle Turris. Pekka Rinne is getting older and he can have his struggles at times, so will Juuse Saros be ready to take over the net and be the number one goalie? Saros played well at times last season, but if called upon this season, will he be able to do it consistently?
2) Juuse Saros Takes Over the Crease
Rinne is getting older and with age comes a decline. Rinne was 30-19-4 in 56 games played last season. He had a 2.42 goals against average and .918 save percentage. At times, he didn’t look good in net at all and was pulled in a few games. Rinne was the better of the two goalies last season, but his numbers took a dip from the previous season.
Saros’ numbers also went the wrong way, with his save percentage taking a dip and his goals against average going up. In Saros’ defense, he did play in five more games last season than the previous season. The 31 games played were a career high for him. In 31 games, he went 17-10-2 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.62 goals against average. Rinne may not have what it takes this season and Saros will get an opportunity to take over the crease, which he will do because he will make the saves that need to be made.
3) Matt Duchene Dominates
It was known that Duchene was going to test free agency waters come the summer, and he eventually chose the Predators. Duchene signed a new eight-year, $56 million contract with a cap hit of $8 million per season. The forward is a welcome addition to a team that really needed to bring in a solid first or second line player who could produce. Duchene will bring speed and his playmaking ability to the team, and that will help him get over 90 points this season.
His versatility should help him get even more minutes and opportunities when injuries arise since he can play either center or the wing. The forward is not going to have to do too much on this team because they are so talented in the top six. He will give the team some flexibility with the lines and he may even get to play some games with Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson or Ryan Johansen. He will be a huge boost to the Predators’ power play, since he can set up teammates and score some goals in front.
4) Kyle Turris Turns It On
Turris only played in 55 games last season for the Predators. In those 55 games, he had seven goals, 16 assists and 23 total points. It was one of his worst overall seasons in a while. It was just a struggle for him last season, and it didn’t help that the power play wasn’t effective. The lines were juggled at time because of injuries or just players struggling, and Turris just couldn’t seem to get it going even if he was playing a decent game.
Turris is one of those depth scoring players who needs to have a big bounce back for the Predators this season. The center could potentially see some time with Duchene since he can play the wing. The power play will be more effective this year with the addition of Duchene and the players won’t overpass, but take the shot when open. His skating ability and decent offensive zone instincts should get him some points this year. Turris will bounce back in a big way by having 50 or more points on the season.
5.) Road Woes Return
The Predators had some road woes early last season, but turned them around to finish with a 22-15-4 road record. The Predators went winless in 11 straight road games from Nov. 12, 2018 to Jan. 4, 2019. The team went 0-8-3 and only wound up with three points out of a possible 22. The main problem was they were getting outscored because they were shorthanded due to injuries. The goaltending also wasn’t at its best during this stretch and it cost them some games.
The road woes will be back to haunt the team yet again this season. The team plays most of its schedule at home in October, which should be good for them. They can rack up the points and try to keep pace in the Central Division. Once the Predators start playing some games on the road, they face some good teams like the Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers. The power play struggles will continue on the road as will the poor goaltending. It has been a pattern of Rinne to play well at home and not so good on the road the past few seasons.
