Nashville Predators Preview 2021
Last season, the Nashville Predators (31-23-2) finished second in the Central Division and made their seventh straight Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. Unfortunately, our Nashville Predators preview 2021 - 22 observes that they made an early exit from the playoffs. The team from Tennessee lost in the initial round to the team from Carolina two games to four. Despite making 14 postseason appearances in their first 23 seasons, with all 14 occuring in their last 17 years, we do not expect the trend to continue. We find that this edition of the Nashville Predators will be one of the worst teams in the division.
Predators - Key Skaters
Our Nashville Predators preview 2021 - 22 notes that this team is rich in front. Three centers, Mikael Granlund, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Johansen, are premium scorers. Plus, left wing Filip Forsberg is a force to be reckoned with. The issue for the Predators, as noted, is on defense. Although Roman Josi, and 11-year veteran, and fourth year player Alexandre Carrier are fine defenders, there’s a big drop off after that. The result is the Nashville goaltending must consistent in a major way.
Nashville Predators Preview 2021 – Goaltending
Juuse Saros starts his seventh NHL season. All of those seasons have been with Nashville. Last year, he was 21-11-1 with a 2.28 GAA and .927 SV%. Saros brings sound career stats, as he is 76-47-17 with a 2.48 GAA and .920 SV%. Thus, he’s a stopper. Backup David Rittich, who spent five of his six NHL seasons with Calgary, comes to Nashville from Toronto. The last few seasons, Rittich has struggled.
Nashville Predators Preview 2021 – Final Word
Left wing Forsberg, a 10-year veteran in the final year of his contract, is a major contributor. The big question is will the Preds re-sign him? If not, our Nashville Predators preview 2021 - 22 projects that this team will undertake a major rebuilding process. We expect after this season the talented Forsberg will be gone. With a weak D and questionable depth in the net, we are not optimistic regarding the predators. Head coach John Hynes will need to be a miracle worker to get this team into the postseason. This is his second full season with Nashville. Prior to this gig, Hynes coached the Devils for four-plus unimpressive seasons before being fired.
NHL Central Division - Nashville Predators Projection 2021
Finish: 8th
No Playoff Appearance