The Nashville Predators Had the Most Pointless Season in the NHL – The Hockey Writers – Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators (38-34-10) looked like they were going to start a rebuild after the 2024-25 season. Their prospect pool was starting to take form, with Matthew Wood, Joakim Kemell, and Brady Martin looking NHL-ready.

Instead, the Predators dramatically overachieved, falling just four points out of a playoff spot. With general manager (GM) Barry Trotz stepping down after the season, and head coach Andrew Brunette staying put, the Predators have a critical offseason coming up. They still have to determine their team’s direction, leaving this season feeling pointless overall.

The Predators Didn’t Sell Much

Almost every NHL outlet bookmarked the Predators as major potential sellers at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. They had a lot of pieces that could’ve been interesting for competitive teams.

Ryan O’Reilly had two seasons left on his contract with no trade protection, and he would’ve been very valuable as a two-way center with leadership qualities. Guys like Michael Bunting, Erik Haula, and Cole Smith had expiring contracts, and they probably wouldn’t be part of the long-term rebuilding plan.

Moving off of Steven Stamkos would be much more difficult, since he had a no-movement clause, but he listed three teams the Predators were allowed to trade him to. With 42 goals this season, Stamkos would’ve garnered value as well, even with the limited trade flexibility.

Instead, the Predators mostly held serve, keeping O’Reilly, Stamkos, and Haula, and underselling on Michael Bunting, who they shipped to the Dallas Stars for a 2026 third-round pick. They got second-round picks for Michael McCarron and Cole Smith, but they could’ve gotten a bigger deadline haul if they decided to rebuild.

The Predators Didn’t Make the Playoffs

There was a major reason they held serve, though: playoff hockey. The Predators were lucky to play in the Western Conference, whose second wild-card team (the Los Angeles Kings) qualified with just 90 points.

Sure, if the Predators made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they would play the Presidents’ Trophy winner, the Colorado Avalanche. However, anything could happen in the playoffs, and a Presidents’ Trophy winner has lost in the first round before (see: 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning).

The Predators have experience making a playoff run as a wild-card team, making the Stanley Cup Final in the 2016-17 season. As a result, O’Reilly and Stamkos notified the team that they didn’t want to be traded so that they could push for the playoffs.

In the middle of March, it looked like they would make the wild card, rattling off five-straight wins. However, they fell just short of the goal. A rough April (4-4-0) and three-game losing streak at the end of March stemmed their chances. As a result, the playoff push felt hollow.

Positive Developments

It wasn’t completely doom-and-gloom for Nashville. As mentioned, Stamkos scored a team-leading 42 goals this past season; last season he had just 27 goals and 26 assists through 82 games. With the Predators signing him to a four-year, $32 million deal, Stamkos looked like he wouldn’t live up to the hype, but this season was a major step forward.

The stars also performed well, with Forsberg (40-35-75) and O’Reilly (25-49-74) averaging nearly a point per game and Roman Josi (13-42-55) bouncing back after a sluggish 2024-25 campaign. Luke Evangelista (12-44-56) evolved as a nice top winger, too, and Matthew Wood (17-13-30) showed flashes too.

In net, Justus Annunen was a revelation, with a .906 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average. He had one of the best games of any goaltender this season, saving all 43 shots against the Ducks on April 7.

What’s the Direction?

Still, this season leaves the Predators at a crossroads. The new GM, whoever it will be, will have to make the decision on whether to rebuild, but some reports have hinted at the Predators going for a playoff push.

Respectfully, that seems unrealistic. The Predators were 20th in goals for (242) and 26th in goals against (267) this season and benefited from a top-heavy Western Conference. With three teams from their own division earning over 100 points last season and with significantly higher star talent, the Predators would have to languish in the wild-care race.

Unfortunately, they are not in a realistic place to get a top talent like Gavin McKenna or Ivan Stenberg either. They have the No. 10 lottery odds at 3.5%, and their prospect pool could use a generational talent in it.

Many questions remain over the offseason. Do they move on from Juuse Saros or O’Reilly? Is Stamkos willing to waive his no-movement clause? What’s the status on head coach Andrew Brunette? Unfortunately, none of these questions were answered this season.