2026 Season Preview: Nashville Predators
It’s been eight years since Nashville’s last playoff series win. Are they ready to put the rebuild to bed and start competing?
Going on three years now since the Nashville Predators splurged in free agency, signing Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault to long term deals, they aren’t much closer to being a playoff competitor. Their last postseason appearance came in 2024, and while they were a first round exit, they gave Vancouver a run for their money. A team that has always sort of been on the fringes but capable of surprises, if there was ever a year for Nashville to take a step, there’s no better time than the present.
2025-26 Outcome
Regular Season Results: 38-34-10
Since Barry Trotz took over as general manager, the Preds have been a bit of an unpredictable team. Are they competing, or are they tanking? Is Ryan O’Reilly staying, or are they trading him? What’s going on with Steven Stamkos? When are these young players going to take the next step? On any given day, you don’t really know what to expect from this group, but now that former Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris McFarland has taken the helm, the potential for them to find success has certainly increased.
Who’s In and Who’s Out
According to Dom Luszczyshyn of The Athletic, the Predators are the team that improved the most out of any team in the league this offseason. While I’m unsure if I feel that strongly about their offseason business as that, it is clear that they are in a much better place heading into this season than they were last year.
Turning Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov into Ross Colton and Jack Drury is an improvement, and a clear indication that they’re looking to compete sooner rather than later. Replacing Erik Haula with Mavrik Bourque is outstanding work that helps them improve now and down the road. Nils Hoglander is a good reclamation project to take on, and Alex Kerfoot brings experience and versatility to a team that has more questions than answers when it comes to piecing together their opening night lineup.
