The Nashville Predators are entering the 2025-26 season with bad memories.
Last year’s dreadful campaign, which resulted in a 30-44-8 record and a seventh-place finish in the Central Division, was plagued by paltry offense, porous defense and pitiful goaltending. An 0-5 start was followed by multiple losing streaks, then concluded with a trade deadline sell-off and a top-five pick in the NHL draft.
“There’s a lot of things that have to be better,” Filip Forsberg said on Sept. 18, the first day of training camp. “At the end of the day, we had a bad season. But we don’t want to dwell on that too much. We’ve had enough time to digest that and move on.”
Every player said some version of this throughout camp — but saying it and achieving it are two different things.
There are still plenty of questions about this roster and doubt about its ability to be competitive. Given the lack of fundamental changes — the same general manager, the same coach and 14 returning starters — it’s hard to see anything other than another high draft lottery pick in June.
However, if the Predators want to change the narrative, they need to answer these three questions in the affirmative.
Will someone on the Predators have a good offensive season? Anyone?
The Predators had the worst shooting percentage in the NHL last season, shooting 8.8% as a team, despite having elite shooters like Forsberg, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault.
That has to change, right? They can’t have another poor shooting season, can they?
Some of the issues can be attributed to luck. Forsberg, Marchessault and others shot well below their career averages, which can happen from time to time. Assuming there’s some return to average for those players, we can expect a better output in 2025-26.
But on that point, the Predators had no “breakout” player last year. Not only do they need normal production from their top scorers, they need someone to step up and out-perform. One candidate would be Fedor Svechkov, a 22-year-old center entering his second season. He had eight goals and nine assists in 52 games as a rookie, but now he has Stamkos on his wing. A breakout season from Svechkov would elevate the rest of the offense.
Will Juuse Saros prove he’s worth the eight-year contract?
Not to pile on, but Juuse Saros may have been the most disappointing of all. The 29-year-old goaltender had career lows in save percentage (.895), goals allowed average (2.98), goals saved above average (minus-7.6), and led the NHL in losses (31).
It’s even more of a downer because Saros got a pay raise that took effect on July 1 — he’s now owed $7.74 million annually for the next eight seasons. That could end up being a reasonable contract if he returns to form. It will be an awful one if he repeats last season’s numbers.
In the preseason, Saros has looked fine. In four games against the Panthers, Lightning and Hurricanes, he stopped 50 of 55 shots and posted a 1.83 GAA. He also played well for Team Finland in the IIHF World Championships in May with a .947 save percentage and 1.67 GAA.
Saros should start the home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 9 (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network), with Justus Annunen as his backup.
Are the Predators finally going to ‘let the kids play’?
Nashville’s opening night roster has four rookies — Brady Martin, Adam Wilsby, Ozzy Wiesblatt and Joakim Kemell. That’s the most the Predators have had on opening night since 2003-04, when Dan Hamhuis, Jordin Tootoo, Marek Zidlicky and Wade Brookbank debuted.
For years, the Predators have emphasized veterans over rookies in their lineup. Now they are throwing four inexperienced players out there on opening night. Is this an indication of a changing philosophy?
Martin’s situation is unique. The No. 5 overall pick can play nine games before the Predators have to decide whether to keep him here or send him back to the OHL. But the others have a clear opportunity to play a big role this season. Wilsby was one of the team’s best defensemen in training camp, so he’s not just an injury replacement for Nic Hague. Kemell has shown physical and goal-scoring promise in the preseason. Wiesblatt is a speedy, high-impact winger who fits perfectly on the fourth line.
Giving rookies a heavier role this season sets up success for future years, and it suggests a change of heart in the Nashville front office.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.