While an unpredictable season is on the horizon, making predictions for players on the team is always a fun tradition before the games begin. The Predators could finish anywhere in the NHL’s standings. With these numbers and prospect Yaroslav Askarov awaiting a call-up, we could see Saros get 20-plus games off this upcoming season. The Predators have a backup they can trust. Despite these promising numbers, Lankinen only played 19 games.

916 save percentage SV%, a 2.75 GAA, and was 17th in GSAE and WAR with 8.6 and 1.43, respectively. Kevin Lankinen, the Predators’ backup, had a. 919 save percentage (SV%), 2.69 goals-against-average (GAA), and led the NHL in goals saved above expected (GSAE) with 46.7 and in wins above replacement (WAR) with 7.78. Last season, Saros played 64 games, posting a. Related: Predators Top-10 Prospects Heading Into the 2023-24 Season While Saros can play 62-plus games, it’s unfair and arguably unwise to expect that of him despite his fantastic numbers. The Predators have a great backup goalie and an elite goaltending prospect in the American Hockey League (AHL). He’s also human, and playing so much season after season could lead to exhaustion. Saros is a goaltender who can play 60-plus games a season, have great stats, and will his team to victory. His skill is undeniable, so it makes sense why he’s played 131 games over the last two seasons. Juuse Saros is an elite Vezina-calibre goaltender who can steal games. Twenty-five goals is a lot, but with an uptick in defensemen scoring goals and Josi producing more as he ages, it’s a number entirely possible with his skillset and determination. However, he is the Predators’ number-one defenseman, led the team in scoring last year, and is arguably their most lethal scoring weapon behind Filip Forsberg. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators ( Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)Ĭonsidering Josi is coming off of an injury, is 33 years old, and playing on a Predators team which lacks offensive firepower, 25 goals may seem a bit of a reach. The closest Josi got to 25 goals was during the 2021-22 season, where he scored 23 goals in 80 games. Brent Burns did it twice, reaching the mark in the 2015-17 seasons, Cale Makar in 2021-22, and most recently, Erik Karlsson last season. Only three defensemen since the 2010-11 season have hit the 25-goal mark. Based on these past two seasons, claiming he will hit 25 goals in a healthy season is bold but also very possible for the offensive dynamo. Josi scored 18 goals in 67 games during his 2022-23 campaign. If not for injury, he likely would’ve scored at least 20 last season.

Roman Josi, the Predators superstar, reached the 20-goal mark once in his career in the 2021-22 season but came just short of 25. Scoring 25 goals as a defenseman is an impressive feat. Fifty-five points seems a little high, but it’s not an absurd claim, considering Evangelista could be the Predators’ first-line right winger by American Thanksgiving. ESPN projects him to score 48 points in 77 games, still an impressive number for an NHL rookie. Based on this, 55 points is not overly bold, but it is higher than some project. Over an 82-game season, that projects to about 51 points. Evangelista scored at a 0.625 point-per-game (P/G) rate in his short stint last season. Only one rookie scored over 50 points last-that rookie was Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers. Evangelista will likely get power play time with Josi, Forsberg, and O’Reilly, helping boost his totals by feeding the Predators’ offensive weapons. With the additions of Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O’Reilly and hopefully a healthier roster, scoring should come by a little easier. Three of their top-four scorers, Josi, Duchene, and Forsberg, missed significant time with injuries. Only two Predators players had above 55 points during the 2022-23 season-Roman Josi (59) and Matt Duchene (56), although the Preds did face more than their fair share of injuries. Luke Evangelista, Nashville Predators (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)

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