2014-15 Nashville Predators Preview

Trotz’s Predators made the playoffs in seven out of eight seasons from 2003-04 to 2011-12 and did so mainly due to the club’s defense-first philosophy. Laviolette, meanwhile, preaches an up-tempo, possession style of play. The move does make sense considering Nashville finished 23rd in the league in team defense last season, a clear sign Trotz’s system wasn’t working the way it once did.

Laviolette, who coached Carolina to a Stanley Cup title in 2006 and led Philadelphia to the Finals in 2010, has his work cut out for him if he wants to change Nashville into an offensive-minded club but Poile did add some weapons for his new coach to use over the summer.

Poile’s boldest move came in a draft-day trade with Pittsburgh, as he sent forwards Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling to the Penguins in exchange for talented winger James Neal, who has scored over 20 goals in all six of his NHL seasons. Nashville also signed forwards Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribeiro and Derek Roy to one-year deals this summer to try and help ease the transition to a more offensive style of play.

The new approach could take some scoring pressure off defenseman Shea Weber, who led the team with 56 points in 2013-14 and was second on the club with 23 goals.

Of course, how quickly the players can adapt to Laviolette’s system will be a big factor in whether or not Nashville can return to the playoffs this season. Also, playing in the extremely competitive Central Division means qualifying for the postseason was already a long shot.

Then again, a return to health for star goaltender Pekka Rinne, who only played in 24 games last season, is likely to make challenging for a playoff spot a tad bit more realistic than it was in 2013-14.

FORWARDS – The Predators averaged 2.61 goals per game last season, which put them in a tie for 18th place in the NHL rankings. That wasn’t a great showing on offense, but it was miles better than the lockout-shortened season of 2013 when Nashville was tied for last in the league with 2.27 gpg.

Hornqvist was Nashville’s best scoring option not named Weber, but Neal expects be an upgrade as the club’s new top forward.

Neal recorded 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) in just 59 games with the Penguins last season, but he’ll have to prove himself all over again in Music City, where he won’t have the benefit of playing alongside centermen like Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

This season also offers Neal a chance to rehabilitate his reputation after being called out in the past for dirty play. The 27-year-old was suspended for the third time in his career last season for kneeing Boston’s Brad Marchand and later was fined for a cross-checking incident against Detroit’s Luke Glendening. Of course, Neal’s main job in Nashville is to score, but it would be a bonus for Nashville if he used this fresh start to clean up his act.

Laviolette has said he may use Neal alongside centerman Ribeiro, as the two are former teammates from their time in Dallas. Like Neal, Ribeiro also has something to prove after being bought out by the Arizona Coyotes just one season into a four-year deal. Ribeiro clearly was not a good fit for the Coyotes and only managed 47 points (16G, 31A) in 80 games following a 49-point season (13G, 36A) in just 48 games with Washington in 2013.

Obviously, a return to a point-per-game level of production for Ribeiro would make the switch to Laviolette’s system a whole lot easier.

If Ribeiro doesn’t pan out alongside Neal, the Preds could eventually use Mike Fisher as the top centerman, although Fisher will miss the start of the season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered this summer. Fisher is an underrated two-way player who produced 20 goals and 29 assists in 75 games last season.

Craig Smith or Colin Wilson could serve as the left winger on the top line. Smith led the team in goals (24) and finished third in points (52) last season. Wilson, a first-round pick (7th overall) by Nashville in 2008, notched 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games last season.

Although he only has 18 NHL games under his belt, Filip Forsberg (no relation to NHL great Peter) could find a spot for himself on the second line. The 20- year-old Swedish winger was Washington’s first-round pick (11th overall) at the 2012 draft and has so far managed to post one goal and five assists at the NHL level.

Jokinen, 35, is a good bet to anchor the second unit at the start of the season. The veteran centerman contributed 18 goals and 25 assists in 82 games for Winnipeg in 2013-14.

There isn’t much offense left in Nashville to spread out over the bottom two lines. Roy registered 37 points (9G, 28A) for St. Louis last season, but there’s a good chance his playing partners won’t be as talented as the ones he skated with for the Blues. He could play the middle on the third line, while Paul Gaustad is penciled in as the fourth-line centerman.

DEFENSE – Weber, a three-time finalist for the Norris Trophy, is still the main attraction on the Nashville blue line, but Poile is hoping another Predator defenseman can steal some of the spotlight this season.

That defenseman, of course, is Seth Jones, a raw but immensely talented blueliner who turned heads last season as a 19-year-old rookie. Jones, the son of former NBA veteran Ronald “Popeye” Jones, had six goals and 25 points in 77 games during his inaugural NHL campaign. He had some bad moments in his own zone, but those hiccups were mostly overshadowed by the youngster’s ability to push the puck up ice.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, Jones was billed as the complete package heading into his draft year and for a while he was expected to go first overall at the 2013 draft before ultimately falling to Nashville at No. 4. Of all the returning Nashville players who could benefit from Laviolette’s offense style, it seems Jones, who turns 20 years old just before the season, could be chief among them.

Jones played most of last season on the second pairing, while Weber and Roman Josi made up the top pairing. The Weber/Josi duo expects to stay intact this season after Josi enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2013-14 by recording 13 goals and 27 assists over 72 games.

Laviolette could choose to pair Jones with Anton Volchenkov, who was signed to a one-year, $1 million deal following a disappointing four-season run in New Jersey. The 32-year-old Russian had no goals and eight assists last season for the Devils, but his stay-at-home style could allow Jones more chances to break up ice and do what he does best.

Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm likely will serve as the third pairing for Nashville. Ellis, the ninth overall pick at the 2009 draft, is another highly- touted blueliner and is coming off a solid 27-point season in which the 23- year-old recorded six goals and 21 assists.

Ekholm had one goal and eight assists in 62 games during his first full NHL season in 2013-14.

GOALTENDING – Rinne missed the heart of the 2013-14 season for Nashville and his absence was a gut punch for the club.

The 31-year-old backstop was sidelined in late October when an infection was discovered in his surgically-repaired hip. Rinne would miss the next 51 games before returning to action in early March but the damage to Nashville’s season was mostly done by that point. The Preds’ No. 1 goalie returned with his team six points out of a playoff spot and at season’s end the club was three points shy of returning to the postseason.

Rinne was a Vezina finalist in both 2010-11 and 2011-12 and the club hopes he can regain that form this season. He was 10-10-3 with a 2.77 goals against average and .902 save percentage in a 24-game run last season.

If there was a silver lining to Rinne’s injury it did allow backup Carter Hutton to get his feet wet at the NHL level. The 28-year-old entered 2013-14 with only one NHL game under his belt, but had a respectable showing for Nashville last season, going 20-11-4 with a 2.62 GAA and .910 save percentage.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE – The odds of Nashville making the playoffs while playing in a division which boasts the likes of Chicago, Colorado, Minnesota and St. Louis are not the best and adjusting to a whole new system doesn’t seem like it’s going to make qualifying for the postseason any easier. Still, it was clearly the time for change and there is hope Laviolette could at least make the Predators a more exciting team to watch in 2014-15. It could be a bumpy road ahead in Nashville, as the club attempts to change its philosophy on the fly and if it turns out to be a dramatic failure it’s likely Poile will be looking for a new job next spring.

Categorized in: NHL