They didn’t do so well in the season, as their new signings regressed quite a bit, and the team ended up toward the bottom of the league. Was it just a season where everything went wrong, or precursor to what the next few seasons could look like?

In this season, we’ll look at how the Predators’ 2024-25 season went, what they’ve done in the 2025 off-season, as well as how they line up in 2025-26.

How the season went

A big reason why the Predators snuck into the 2024 post-season is thanks to a run of 18 games where they got at least one point. This streak included an eight-game and six-game win streak, setting up an opening round showdown against the Vancouver Canucks. In the end, the Predators went home in six games, but there was optimism for the future.

There was even more optimism when the Predators “won” the off-season, signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. Both Stamkos and Marchessault were coming off 40+ goal seasons and it was believed they were going to bring some offence.

That wasn’t the case though, as the 2024-25 season didn’t start great. By the time Dec. 10 rolled around, the Predators had a 7-16-6 record, with their 20 points being the fewest in the league. They eventually snapped what was an eight-game losing skid, but two more six-game losing streaks sunk their season, finishing with a 30-44-8 record. Their 68 points were the second-fewest, only ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.

Neither Stamkos nor Marchessault were the reason for their struggles, but they regressed from the season before. After scoring 40 goals and 81 points in 2023-24, Stamkos scored just 27 goals and 53 points in his first season with the Predators. Marchessault went from 42 goals and 69 points in 2023-24 to just 21 goals and 56 points last season.

Skjei didn’t drop off like the other two players, finishing the season with 10 goals and 33 points. Their other notable defenceman, Roman Josi, had nine goals and 38 points in 53 games, but his season ended due to a concussion.

Filip Forsberg led the team in both goals and points, scoring 31 goals and 76 points in 82 games. Ryan O’Reilly had another strong campaign, scoring 21 goals and 53 points in 79 games. Youngster Luke Evangelista scored 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games. Other intriguing players who haven’t hit their prime yet are Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov.

Acquired before the trade deadline, Michael Bunting scored five goals and nine points in 18 games. And in net, Juuse Saros struggled, mainly because of the defence in front of him, as he had an .896 save percentage and 2.97 goals against average in 58 games.

Drafted players

Although the Predators finished with the third-fewest points, they dropped down two spots in the draft. With the fifth overall pick, they selected Brady Martin from the Soo Greyhounds. They had two additional firsts, selecting defenceman Cameron Reid 21st overall and winger Ryker Lee 26th overall.

With two second-round picks, the Predators selected defenceman Jacob Rombach 35th overall and netminder Jack Ivankovic 58th overall. The Predators stayed in North America with their fourth-round pick, using the 122nd overall pick to select defenceman Alex Huang.

Their final pick saw them select defenceman Daniel Nieminen with the 163rd overall pick in the sixth round.

Trades

The Predators already had plenty of veterans in the locker room in 2024-25, but they added another one early in the off-season, trading 22-year-old defenceman and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the New Jersey Devils for Erik Haula.

Their other trade this off-season had more significance, as the Predators traded Jérémy Lauzon and Colton Sissons to the Vegas Golden Knights for defenceman Nicolas Hague and a 2027 third-round pick.

Hague is a solid defensive defenceman, but this trade paved the way for the biggest off-season transaction, as the Toronto Maple Leafs sent Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights.

Free agent signings

The Predators focused on revamping their defence in the 2025 off-season. Hague, a then-restricted free agent, signed a four-year deal with an annual cap hit of $5.5 million. Their other notable signing saw them sign defenceman Nicklaus Perbix to a two-year deal worth $2.75 million.

Their first draft selection, Brady Martin, also agreed to an entry-level contract. There’s an outside chance he could make the Predators’ roster out of pre-season.

Departures

Their lone departures came in the Hague trade. Lauzon missed most of last season, playing just 28 games with an assist. He’s one of the hardest hitters in the league, so his presence on the blue line was sorely missed by the Predators.

Sissons was one of the longest-tenured Predators and one of just four players remaining from their Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2017 – Saros, Forsberg, and Josi are the three others. Last season, Sissons scored seven goals and 21 points in 72 games, a drop off from his career-high of 15 goals and 35 points in the 2023-24 season.

What the team looks like heading into 2025-26

So, how do the Predators look heading into the 2025-26 season? Well, most post-season teams have a strong centre core, but not the Predators. O’Reilly is pencilled in as their top-line centre, followed by Svechkov, Haula, and Michael McCarron, not particularly strong. On the wing, they have Forsberg, Marchessault, Stamkos, and Bunting in their top six, which is a bit better.

Wingers who could fit in the bottom-six are Joakim Kemell, Evangelista, Cole Smith, and L’Heurex. Their wing core is definitely one of their strong points, as is their defence. With the addition of Hauge and Perbix, their top four consists of those two on top of Josi and Skjei. Their bottom pair may feature Adam Wilsby and Justin Barron.

In net, Saros is set to start, while Justus Annunen will back up. If the Predators want any type of success in 2025-26, Saros will have to return to his career norm.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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