Predlines

The Nashville Predators are in a reasonable spot when you consider their overall RFA outlook, as they do not have many important young players with contracts that expire soon. Matthew Wood is one of them, but he has much more to prove before the Predators can think about paying him anything major. The one future RFA who stands out is Luke Evangelista, as his contract expires next offseason and he is coming off of a breakout season in his third full year.

Oct 11, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91) takes a shot on goal against the Utah Mammoth during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect When Steven Stamkos joined the Nashville Predators in 2024, there was a huge array of opinion on both sides of the spectrum.

Jan 2, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Canada forward Brady Martin (28) celebrates his power play goal against Slovakia with goalie Jack Ivankovic (1) during the first period in the quarterfinals of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at 3M Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Nashville Predators have had a wild offseason, but their fun isn't slowing down one bit.

The transition from junior to collegiate hockey is a big one, but Nashville Predators prospect Ryker Lee made that shift look easy. "In the Big Ten, every game means so much, and they're so competitive, tight checking out a lot of space. So, you got to kind of find ways to create offense and help your team," Lee told local reporters at development camp, and from what he did at Michigan State last season, he certainly lived up to his words.

The Nashville Predators have one of the NHL's strongest young cores, and Matthew Wood plays a big part in that. Following a point-per-game campaign with University of Minnesota in 2024-25, Wood joined the Predators in their final six games of the season, where we saw him tally his first career NHL point. This first stint raised questions on whether his skating had improved since draft night, one of his criticisms at the time.

The Nashville Predators have established several rivalries in 28-season history, and heading into their 29th, and one in particular is too closely contested...to close. Since 1998, the Predators hold a 67-59-4-7 record against Central Division rival St. Louis Blues. In the last five season, they have a 9-10 losing record against them, including a notorious 0-4 stretch in the 2024-25 campaign.

When asking who the faces of the Nashville Predators are right now, it's not that hard to give an answer; Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly... the list goes on. But who will those names be when the current faces retire or go on to play for different teams? In this segment, I'll list the top 8 contenders. 1.

There's always next year, until there isn't Dec 19, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the overtime period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect The NHL schedule leaves people grumbling and complaining every year about some aspects, but there is one part of it that the NHL does incredibly well.

In under two months with the Nashville Predators, GM Chris Macfarland has greatly improved their roster, bolstering their depth. Whether it's signing a depth winger who's shown flashes of greatness, or a cap dump trade that has the possibility to shape their future, there's no doubt that MacFarland has made some excelent moves. With that said, let's dive tight into all of his moves so far and assign them a letter grade, then average them all together for his final score (so far).

The Nashville Predators are getting the recognition they deserve, being named as the NHL's most improved team this offseason by The Athletic. It isn't often that the Predators top a positive list of any kind; anything in the top five for that matter. However, staff writer Dom Luszczyszyn believed that Chris MacFarland's first offseason as Nashville's President of Hockey Operations/General Manager was just too good to ignore, placing it first on his list.