With the NHL’s conference finals set to begin on May 20. the league has announced the final selection order for the first 28 selections of the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Nashville Predators, who did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, have three first-round selections this year. In addition to their own selection, Nashville owns the Vegas Golden Knights‘ draft pick, which came in the trade with San Jose to send Yaroslav Askarov to the Sharks. They also own Tampa Bay’s first round pick, which came in the trade involving Tanner Jeannot in 2023.
Advertisement
The Predators‘ first pick is at No. 5, which came as a result of the draft lottery on May 5. Their second pick, from Tampa Bay, is at No. 23, and their final pick is at No. 26, from Vegas.
TROTZ ON LOTTERY: How GM Barry Trotz reacted to Nashville Predators’ drop to No. 5 pick in NHL draft lottery
With three picks in the first 26 selections, the Predators are expected to immediately upgrade their prospect pool, including at least one top forward.
“We want to draft who we think is the best player, that’s always the goal, but everybody knows we could use a center,” said the Predators’ Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty on May 6. “There happen to be a lot of centers at the top of the draft, so that could line up well.”
Advertisement
The Predators also mentioned their interest in drafting a goaltender as they look to replenish their goaltending prospects. The top goaltending prospect, Prince George’s Joshua Ravensbergen, is projected to be a late first round selection.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Here’s where the Predators will select all 3 first round picks in 2025