Did the Nashville Predators position themselves as Stanley Cup contenders with their off-season moves?

By Evan Bell

Modified Jul 23, 2024 20:54 GMT

Last season, the Nashville Predators returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs after finishing fifth in the Central Division during the 2022-23 season. With a record of 47-30-5, the team qualified for the playoffs before being eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round in a six-game series to spell the end of their Stanley Cup hopes.

Heading into the offseason, there were several glaring needs for the franchise as it looked to improve on its 2023-24 season. The team entered the offseason with a trove of draft picks, making seven picks in the first four rounds of this year's NHL draft to set itself up for future success.

Despite that, netminder Juuse Saros had just one year remaining on his deal, raising questions about the team's goaltending unit. In addition, there were questions regarding how the team would handle its available cap space given the number of high-profile free agents.

The Predators responded by signing Saros to an eight-year extension before then signing Jonathan Marchessault to a five-year deal and Steven Stamkos to a four-year deal.

The combination of the three deals has set the Nashville Predators up for a strong season ahead, bolstering their forward lines while locking down a goalie in Saros with a career save percentage of 91.7% in the NHL.

Looking further at the Nashville Predators' offseason moves and how the front office has set the team up for a strong 2023-24 season

With Stamkos and Marchessault providing some massive firepower to the Predators' forward unit, the team's focus shifted to its defensive lines. As Predators GM Barry Trotz explained in early July at the start of free agency, his biggest priority was improving the team's defensive unit.

With the loss of Ryan McDonagh, there was a glaring hole left in the team's defensive line that Trotz was eager to fill.

In response, he and the Predators' front office acquired standout defenseman Brady Skjei, signing him to a seven-year deal worth $49 million. As a strong two-way defenseman who has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career, Skjei can do it all.

His two-way play will be a major factor for the Predators next season given that the team finished 14th for goals allowed per game last year. Alongside Roman Josi, he is expected to play on the team's first defensive line, bringing veteran leadership to the team along with his renowned defensive play.

Given that the team made two big offseason acquisitions to its forward unit in addition to Skjei replacing McDonagh and the extension of Juuse Saros, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Predators' roster heading into the 2024-25 season.

While the team still sits outside of the top five on FanDuel's betting odds for the 2024-25 Stanley Cup winner, the Nashville front office has put together a strong group that seems likely to make a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.