30 teams in 30 days: Nashville Predators
Finished: 10th western conference
Leading scorers: J.P Dumont 65, Jason Arnott 57, Shea Weber 53, Martin Erat 51
Who did they add?: Ben Guite
Who did they lose?: Greg Zanon, Vernon Fiddler, Scott Nichol, Ville Koistinen
Overview: After two straight 4th place finishes after the lockout, the Nashville Predators seem to have fallen off a little bit, finishing 8th two years ago, and last season missing the playoffs in 10th spot. The Predators have the talent to succeed, they are just very injury prone and don’t have legitimate top-line scorer. Leading the group of forwards are J.P Dumont, Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan. Sullivan missed almost all of 2 years with a back injury, but came back partway through last season and had an impressive 32 points in 41 games for the Preds. This production will be welcome for an entire season in an offense that struggles to score goals. Secondary scoring will also need to improve, with Martin Erat and David Legwand more that able to produce. Music City’s blue line is stocked with young talent, including Shea Weber, Dan Hamhuis and Ryan Suter. Kevin Klein, Alexander Sulzer round out the top 5, with Cody Franson and Ryan Ellis waiting in the wings. This is a solid group, none of whom is older than 26, who can all move the puck and bring toughness. This defense group needs to step up and produce to help the offense, while also playing solidly in their own zone. Nashville has a good goaltending tandem, with Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis very capable of stopping pucks. Rinne will have to build on his stellar rookie season to keep his starting job, but if he should falter, then there’s Ellis who is as competent as anyone in the NHL. The Predators should be a playoff team, but only if they stay healthy. Things look bleak though, with the massive improvements within the central division.
Winners or losers?: The Predators are losers this offseason. They need to add a goal-scoring winger to help with the offense and they have yet to add that. They could also do with a proven, veteran defenseman who could help with the youngsters at the back end.
