2015 Pool Projections: Nashville

The Nashville Predators had been one of the most active teams to start the free agency period in July, making additions to their forward group and another inclusion to their blueline and they did so at a reasonable cost. The complexion of their team also changed with a trade that brought in some more bonafide scoring power and now the Central Division just got a whole lot tighter, going into the 2015 season.

Projecting the Predators for the coming year will be difficult and it will be a decision between whether or not we think that the group of new faces will meld together with the existing talent and themselves.  The projected roster we have here is likely far from what is going to be iced, because there is quite a bit of young talent that will get a long look, but we'll be giving it our best guess.

Of course, these projections will likely be changing towards the hockey pool draft, more signings, movements and promotion/demotions will all have an effect on this team.

Forwards	14/15 Proj	Cap Hit	Defense	14/15 Proj	Cap Hit	Goaltenders	14/15 Proj	Cap Hit
James Neal	55	5.000	Shea Weber	60	7.857	Pekka Rinne	80	7.000
Mike Ribeiro	55	1.050	Roman Josi	35	4.000	Carter Hutton	5	0.725
Olli Jokinen	45	2.500	Seth Jones	25	0.925
Craig Smith	40	2.000	Anton Volchenkov	15	1.000
Calle Jarnkrok	40	0.715	Victor Bartley	5	0.667
Matt Cullen	35	3.500
Colin Wilson	35	2.000
Derek Roy	30	1.000
Gabriel Bourque	30	0.775
Viktor Stalberg	25	3.000
Paul Gaustad	20	3.250
Eric Nystrom	20	2.500
Richard Clune	5	0.850
COUNT		13	COUNT		5	COUNT		2
SUBTOTAL		28.140	SUBTOTAL		14.449	SUBTOTAL		7.725
						BUYOUTS & OTHER		0.000
						TOTAL		50.314
			PLAYERS		20	CAP SPACE		18.686
Filip Forsberg	40	0.894	Mattias Ekholm	15	1.038	Marek Mazanec	5	0.610
Mike Fisher	25	4.200
Colton Sissons	10	0.635

First Round Picks

If you're expecting a return to form for goaltender Pekka Rinne, like I am, then he is a lock for a first round selection in your pool, as he would be in mine, assuming we're 24 teams deep again this year.  Rinne will have a different team in front of him, which may have its growing pains, but I think he has some real potential to reach some excellent point levels again.

Last year, there was a big push on defensemen and there was some boosting of numbers for some, which leads me to believe that a guy like Shea Weber could find himself in a spot where he could float up to a low-first round spot, given the right circumstances.

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

Acquired from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline, forward Calle Jarnkrok has some real potential to be a gifted offensive forward and he strikes me as the most intriguing player on this Nashville team, going into the 2015 season.  Jarnkrok was a 2nd round pick in 2010 for Detroit and played in 12 games for the Predators after the trade, scoring 2 goals and 9 points in the process.  I have him projected for a late-round pick in the draft and given the new direction of this Nashville team, it could play in his favour.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

The addition of James Neal from Pittsburgh does give the Predators a natural goal-scorer and a trigger man for anyone who can get him the puck.  Nashville also added a guy who can dish the puck in Mike Ribeiro, so these two will be looked upon to carry the offense early on in the season.  Yet another addition in Olli Jokinen should add a bit of punch to the second line, while a player who actually played in Nashville last season, Craig Smith, may not find the same kind of numbers, since he has dropped down in the depth chart a little bit to these new faces.  This isn't your normal looking Predators team, as they may have a little bit more bite up front this season.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

In support of Weber on the offensive front will be Roman Josi, who emerged as a solid option from the back end, but I can see a slight drop, since teams will be better prepared to shut him down in 2015.  Sophomore Seth Jones got a good taste of the NHL in his rookie campaign, playing in 77 games and I think he can replicate his 25-point season.

Goaltending Situation

In behind Rinne, it may be a really good battle between the two goalies who fought it out for the number one job in Rinne's absence.  Carter Hutton will probably go in with a leg up on the job, but Marek Mazanec did impress in some games, but just wasn't nearly as consistent.  In the end, the battle may not matter for us poolies, since Rinne is going to eat up so many minutes, it will be hard to even catch a glimpse of their goaltending depth.

Team To Pick From Late?

The Predators are not normally a team that you would associate with scoring a lot of goals or finding key pieces to your hockey pool team from, but you may be able to find a gem in there somewhere.  Matt Cullen, Colin Wilson or even another newcomer, Derek Roy, could feature late in the draft.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

Salary cap-wise, the Predators are a budget team and their projected roster above is only sitting marginally above the cap floor and they only have one major restricted free agent to deal with in defenseman Ryan Ellis.  Ellis will likely be in line for a bridge deal, as he really tries to find that solid footing as an offensive defenseman in the NHL and if he signs a short-term deal to get him there, both he and the Predators could really benefit.

Injuries

One key injury to note, as forward Mike Fisher won't start the year in the Predators' line-up, as he suffered an Achilles injury and won't be available until halfway through the season, at the very least.  His projections have been tempered to allow for his late return.