The Nashville Predators are vying to be your favorite for your bet on NHL futures, and while they might not have convinced the sportsbooks they’ve definitely convinced their share of fans. In fact hockey fans are so impressed by the Predators front office that they ranked them 3rd overall in an online survey that rated how confident fans are in their NHL teams’ front office. No doubt the Weber – Subban trade had a big part to play in the big boost of confidence in the Predator’s fan base. But robbing the Canadiens in a trade isn’t the only thing Nashville has been doing this offseason, and thanks to the Predators management Nashville will be heading into next season with one of the league’s top defense. All at a bargain price of $20 million. While it is clear the Predators’ management knows what they’re doing their players still have to prove themselves. Fans are certainly convinced but the sportsbooks aren’t believers just yet.
Odds to Win 2016 – 2017 Stanley Cup
Nashville Predators +1725
While they aren’t the overall favorites, Nashville is still ranked within the top half of the league. Last season Nashville finished 14th overall in the NHL with a record of 41-27-14. While they didn’t win their division they did make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs. Though they didn’t win the series the Predators gave it all they had and stretched the series to a total of 7 games. But this isn’t the same Predator team that lost that bet on NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Thanks to a busy offseason Nashville will have a new set of players heading to the ice next season.
Any discussion about the Predators offseason begins with the Weber – Subban trade. The Predators obviously were the winning side in this very lopsided transaction.
Not only did they get a younger, better defenseman but his contract isn’t as extensive as Weber’s. Meaning that if for some reason Nashville wants to cut ties with the player they could do it sooner with Subban than Weber. Either way Subban has a lot more years left of Hockey than Weber and better hockey too. Weber might have been their captain and a contributing leader on this team, but there is no doubt that Subban is suitable replacement. He’ll be able to fill stadiums and sell jerseys as he rises to become both a star and a leader for Nashville.
This offseason saw Nashville add Mike Irwin, Trevor Smith, and Yannick Weber. While these may not be the flashiest names in the league they certainly help add depth to Nashville’s roster. This year’s draft the front office decided to pick defenseman Dante Fabbro with the 17th overall pick. The Predators are definitely looking to stack their defense next year and it should pay off for them late in the season. But the Predators aren’t just looking for a solid defense; they want all parts of their team to get involved on the offensive.
“I don’t want our defense to pass the pucks to the forwards and say, ‘OK, I’ve done my job’ I want them to get up with the play,” David Poile – Nashville’s General Manager – explained the Predator’s new philosophy for next season. “So we come at it attacking with four or five men, and that way we are hopefully creating more offense.”
Nashville certainly has the talent on defense to pull off this scheme, and with all these wheels in motion the Predators should pull some fans for their bet on NHL futures.
