3 Offseason Changes To Get Nashville Predators Back In The Playoffs

It was a disaster of a season for the Nashville Predators as expectations were far from met across the board. Things have to change and be different next season or it will cause a real rebuild, not just a re-tooling and hope for a better outcome.

Let the Kids Play

Let the kids play, as in bigger roles and opportunities for Luke Evangelista, Matthew Wood, Fyodor Svechkov, Zachary L'Heureux, Adam Wilsby, and Spencer Stastney. In terms of these six young players, Stastney is the oldest, but while I think he has been good enough to have a spot in the NHL, it hasn't been easy for him to hold it. He might end up back in the AHL again next season.

Of the four forwards, Evangelista played under 14 minutes per game this season, Svechkov and L'Heureux played between 12-13, and Wood played 11:35 per game in his six-game preview. These are the future, especially if another season doesn't go well. They need to step up, but be given the opportunity to do so.

Top Players To Play To Expectations

After such a poor season from start to finish from the Predators, expectations have dropped for many of the top players. Even though expectations have dropped for some, expectations will rise for others. Having said that, the leaders have to bounce back and produce more if the Predators are to score more goals and not waste good goaltending performances from their tandem. A lot of good Juuse Saros starts were wasted at the beginning of the season and the offense was never found while injuries piled up to hurt the product in front of Saros and Justus Annunen.

Much Better Health

While the season was already going poorly, it didn't help at all that the regulars were missing time. The most notable absences were Roman Josi and Jeremy Lauzon. Josi played 53 games and Lauzon played 28. It opened up a lot of space for certain players to step up like Nick Blankenburg, but comparatively, nobody was stepping into Josi's shoes and doing what he can do. The same goes with Lauzon and his physical style of play. On paper, a healthy team with potential additions could bounce right back, but I'll have to see it to believe it.