For those who don’t have the athletic (and don’t know how to read it for free), a TLDR:
* Preds are projected as the 21st placed team, with 89 points and a 36% chance of making the playoffs and a 36% chance of being a Lottery team.
* Our offense is projected to be one of the worst in the NHL (26/32), our defense top middle (14th/32) and our goalie tandem as the 2nd best in the league.
* Strengths: Josi and Saros. Few others.
* Weaknesses: Age, specifically expecting a lot of our older players like O’Reilly (32), McDonagh (34), Schenn (33), Barrie (32) and Nyquist (34). (With Josi at 33…this is a surprisingly very old team).
* Wildcard: Filip Forsberg. Can be reach his past high of 42 goals? Can he stay in the line-up? Will Brunette unlock something in him?
* The bottom line: « At some point, the Predators are going to have to move backward to move forward. Agree with it or not, Trotz has been quite clear in his belief that we’re not at that point. It’s tough to blame him; long-term, pre-existing extensions for Josi and Forsberg, in some way, made the choice for him. Beyond that, you’d think this revamped core would be tied to Saros’ current contract, which has two years remaining. “Yep,” the logic goes, “that’s when they’ll finally commit to a rebuild.” Top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov is almost ready, though, and it’s easy to imagine him taking over a bit down the line. In other words, names will change. The end result may not. »
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For those who don’t have the athletic (and don’t know how to read it for free), a TLDR:
* Preds are projected as the 21st placed team, with 89 points and a 36% chance of making the playoffs and a 36% chance of being a Lottery team.
* Our offense is projected to be one of the worst in the NHL (26/32), our defense top middle (14th/32) and our goalie tandem as the 2nd best in the league.
* Strengths: Josi and Saros. Few others.
* Weaknesses: Age, specifically expecting a lot of our older players like O’Reilly (32), McDonagh (34), Schenn (33), Barrie (32) and Nyquist (34). (With Josi at 33…this is a surprisingly very old team).
* Wildcard: Filip Forsberg. Can be reach his past high of 42 goals? Can he stay in the line-up? Will Brunette unlock something in him?
* The bottom line: « At some point, the Predators are going to have to move backward to move forward. Agree with it or not, Trotz has been quite clear in his belief that we’re not at that point. It’s tough to blame him; long-term, pre-existing extensions for Josi and Forsberg, in some way, made the choice for him. Beyond that, you’d think this revamped core would be tied to Saros’ current contract, which has two years remaining. “Yep,” the logic goes, “that’s when they’ll finally commit to a rebuild.” Top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov is almost ready, though, and it’s easy to imagine him taking over a bit down the line. In other words, names will change. The end result may not. »