Dobber's offseason fantasy hockey grades – Nashville Predators

For the last 18 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 19th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

Gone – Pekka Rinne, Ryan Ellis, Calle Jarnkrok, Viktor Arvidsson, Erik Haula, Brad Richardson, Erik Gudbranson

Incoming – Cody Glass, Philippe Myers, David Rittich, Matt Luff, Matt Tennyson

Impact of changes – Perhaps the most recognized and valuable player for the franchise is now retired, and the hole that Pekka Rinne leaves behind is a big one – literally and figuratively. Luckily for the Predators, they have Juuse Saros locked up on a new extension and ready to manage the crease without Rinne, as he showed last year. The team also has newcomer David Rittich to fill in as the backup for 20 games this year, Connor Ingram in the minors, and prized prospect Yaroslav Askarov in the minors.

On defence, the top spot on the right side is now wide open with the Ryan Ellis trade. There is also now room on the point of the second powerplay. David Farrance could get his foot in the door with both of those opportunities, however, Myers, acquired in the Ellis trade, will also have something to say about it. The six-foot-five rearguard was not given ample opportunity in Philadelphia, but a new team and a new coach may work wonders for his potential. Also in the mix are incumbents Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro. Carrier thrived at the end of last season and into the playoffs with Fabbro on the sidelines, and may actually be the best bet to reclaim his role alongside Roman Josi. He's still flying under the radar because of the logjam.

Up front, things have thinned out a little with Cody Glass as the only noteworthy addition, and the departure of three top-nine forwards in Jarnkrok, Haula, and Arvidsson. There is room for Tolvanen and Glass to be given opportunities and ice time that they haven't yet seen in their young careers, and both have extremely high potentials (with an added bonus to Tolvanen in multi-category leagues). Both should also be great value in cap leagues.

Ready for Full Time –

David Farrance – Farrance finally finished up his dominant NCAA career, in which he put up some astronomical PNHLe numbers; did I mention he's also a defenceman? The Preds have a lot of options to fill out their six defence slots this year, and it won't be the same set for the entire season, so if Farrance doesn't make it this time around, he should at least get a cup of coffee. He's up there with Roman Josi in terms of offensive talent, and if he does make the team, should be running one of the two powerplay units and getting a lot of offensive minutes.

Philip Tomasino – The prized skater prospect in the system, Tomasino excelled in the AHL last season, and with a few players moved out up front, should push for a spot in the top-six. At his peak, he will likely be the closest thing the Predators have had to a game-breaking talent since the cameos of Peter Forsberg and Paul Kariya. For now, expect him to see some sheltered minutes as he gets his feet wet at the NHL level. He's a candidate for the Calder this year.

Connor Ingram – The signing of David Rittich likely spelled the end of Ingram's hopes of stealing the backup spot out of training camp. However, the 24-year-old could probably use a little bit of time in the AHL to get back up to speed after having last season interrupted as he checked himself into the players assistance program. He dominated the AHL in 2019-20, and if either goalie were to go down for the Preds this year, Ingram is ready to manage NHL starts.  

Fantasy Outlook:

There's an argument to be made that after the big-four goalies this year, that Saros deserves to be goalie number five off the board. He was lights out through the latter two-thirds of last-season, and shouldn't have much competition at all from Rittich for starts. The five-foot-eleven netminder can win you fantasy weeks on his own, regardless of the team in front of him. He does have a history of starting slow though, so if you're looking to acquire him, or own him already, make sure not to sell low early in the season.

On defence, Josi remains a top-tier option, and without Ryan Ellis in the fold, the second-most valuable defenceman could be any number of players. Veteran Mattias Ekholm has shown well manning the second power play unit in the past, while Farrance mentioned above may be the most talented option. Youngsters Fabbro, Carrier, and Myers all have some offensive potential too, but there isn't enough offence in Nashville for all of them to share. If you're looking for peripherals, there aren't many better than Mark Borowiecki, though it's no guarantee he's a regular in the lineup this year.

Up front, the line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Matt Duchene looked excellent at the end of the year, and should stick to open the season as the JoFA line is no longer available after Arvidsson was traded. Forsberg is the one to key in on, and has point-per game potential, but can never seem to stay healthy or consistent enough to put it all together.

Down the lineup, newcomer Cody Glass offers some intriguing potential, especially if he ends up teaming up with fellow talented youngsters Tomasino and Tolvanen. Mikael Granlund, Luke Kunin, Colton Sissons, and Rocco Grimaldi should help fill out the rest of the offence. Tanner Jeannot (one of only three Predators forwards protected in the expansion draft because of his compete level), Yakov Trenin, and the last couple forwards should add some grit to the bottom of the lineup. Jeannot is the guy to target though in hits leagues, as the 24-year-old put up 17.5 hits per 60 minutes last year.

Grade – B- (last year was B-)