Nashville Predators Climb From NHL Cellar to Playoff Contention

The Nashville Predators have made a remarkable turnaround from being the worst team in the NHL on December 8th to currently holding a wild-card playoff spot. The team's veteran stars, led by Steven Stamkos with 36 goals, have helped Nashville go 24-15-5 since early December.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators always believed they belonged in the playoffs. Making that belief a reality has taken much longer than anyone anticipated.

A team that sat at the bottom of the entire NHL as recently as December 8th now finds itself in the Western Conference’s second wild-card position with just 10 regular season games remaining. The Predators trail Utah by only three points for the top wild-card spot and hold an extra game to play.

“I think each and every one in this room thought we’d be here, and I think that’s really all that matters,” Predators forward Filip Forsberg said. “Whatever’s going on outside this room is out of our control. Since the trade deadline, I think everyone’s been bought in.”

Nashville saw their five-game winning streak end Thursday in a 4-2 defeat to New Jersey, but the team has battled back from a deficit that left them 11 points behind the final playoff position. Their record stands at 24-15-5 since December 9th.

“We just got to keep doing everything we can to stay on top,” Forsberg said.

Playoff expectations were high following Nashville’s aggressive free agency moves in July 2024. General Manager Barry Trotz brought in two-time Stanley Cup winner Steven Stamkos, 2023 playoff MVP Jonathan Marchessault, and defenseman Brady Skjei, making the Predators Stanley Cup favorites.

Instead, Nashville completely failed to reach the postseason, finishing ahead of only San Jose and Chicago in the NHL standings.

Making matters worse, the team dropped two positions in the draft lottery.

The Predators spent considerable time during the offseason analyzing their failures. However, they struggled early again this season. The situation worsened when captain Roman Josi suffered an upper-body injury just eight games into the campaign, sidelining him for 12 contests.

Stamkos sparked the revival.

Following a disappointing start with just six goals and three assists in his first 25 games, Stamkos found his scoring touch in December with 12 goals. He currently paces Nashville with 36 goals, marking only the fourth time a Predators player has reached at least 35 goals in a season.

Coach Andrew Brunette praised Stamkos’s response to the early struggles, calling it remarkable that the veteran never changed his approach.

“I mean, I considered myself a pretty good team player,” Brunette said. “I’m not sure I would handle things the way he handled it where he just came to work every day and try to help as many people as he could. That’s why you’re so ecstatic he took off.”

Other Nashville veterans have contributed significantly to the turnaround. Josi has recorded 30 points since January 11th, ranking fifth among all defensemen, while Forsberg has tallied 12 points during the team’s last five contests.

Marchessault has contributed 10 assists this month alone, including three in Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over San Jose.

“He’s obviously been battling through a couple things during the season, but now this is what we brought him here for, you know, the end of the season,” Forsberg said of Marchessault. “And he’s showing some incredible playmaking.”

Trotz, who revealed his retirement plans on February 2nd, maintained faith in his expensive veterans and only dealt four players with expiring contracts before the trade deadline.

This approach created additional opportunities for young players, with Nashville’s six rookies combining for 201 games this season, seventh-most league-wide. These first-year players have scored 25 goals, ranking 10th in the NHL. Following Reid Schaefer’s goal Thursday, the rookies have accumulated 15 points since March 5th, with center Matthew Wood leading the way with six goals during that span.

Forward Luke Evangelista, who has established career highs with 40 assists and 50 points, believes the difficult journey has strengthened team chemistry.

“It feels like we’ve seen the lowest of lows together, and we’ve dragged ourselves out of the mud and we did it together as a group and I think that just kind of built that toughness,” Evangelista said.

Nashville isn’t alone in their remarkable comeback this season. Buffalo climbed from last place in the Eastern Conference on December 13th to first in the Atlantic Division by March 8th. Columbus also rebounded from the bottom of the East on January 12th following a coaching change, rising to second in the Metropolitan Division.

The Predators have strong motivation to maintain their push through the regular season’s conclusion.

Securing the first wild-card position would mean facing the Pacific Division champion instead of NHL points leader Colorado in the opening round. Nashville begins a challenging six-game road trip Sunday, with five teams within six points of their current position.

“Every game from here on out is going to be a playoff type game for us,” Skjei said.