NHL : Nashville Predators – 2025/2026 Review
Nashville improved on its miserable 2024-25 season, but 86 points still werent enough to reach the playoffs, making it three straight years on the outside looking in. The offense got a real lift from several aging veterans, but the club as a whole is still stuck in the middle: not good enough to chase a title, not bad enough to justify a full rebuild.
Key numbers
2025-2026 record : 30-44-8 (214 goals for, 274 against)
2025-2026 NHL standing : 7th in the Central Division
2025-2026 top scorer : Steven Stamkos (42)
2025-2026 top playmaker : Ryan O’Reilly (49)
2025-2026 points leader : Filip Forsberg (75)
Average age of the roster (2026-2027) : 28,8 years
Available cap space (2026-2027) : 7.67 M$
Recent moves (offseason)
Arrivals :
- Ross Colton col (F)
- Jack Drury col (F)
- Adam Edstrom (F)
- Nils Hoglander (F)
- Alexander Kerfoot (F)
- Mavrik Bourque (F)
- Ilya Lyubushkin (D)
Departures :
- Fyodor Svechkov (F)
- Zachary L’Heureux (F)
- Erik Haula (F)
Franchise outlook
Nashville Predators – Future contracts and draft picks
Nashville has made its choice. After months of uncertainty over the direction of a fading core, the arrival of Chris MacFarland as the new general manager has confirmed a win-now approach, not the rebuild many around the league thought was coming.
The problem is that this core is nearing the end of its competitive shelf life. Roman Josi and Steven Stamkos have just two years left on their deals, and the window is closing fast, even if Juuse Saros is locked in as the man in net through 2032-33.
Filip Forsberg and Brady Skjei give the team a bit more medium-term stability, but the front office now has to decide quickly whether it is all-in for the next few seasons or ready to start turning the page toward younger legs. The draft cupboard is still well stocked, with a first-round pick every year through 2029, which at least gives them a safety net if this win-now bet goes sideways.
The veteran who needs a bounce-back
Nashville is still built around a veteran group, but there are a few fresh faces to help the attack this season. The addition of Mavrik Bourque, brought in from Dallas and signed for six years, gives them another scoring option after a 20-goal year with the Stars, while Ross Colton and Jack Drury add depth down the middle.
On the blue line, Ilya Lyubushkin joins an already sturdy group featuring Roman Josi, Brady Skjei, Nicolas Hague and Nick Perbix. The real question mark is Jonathan Marchessault, who had the worst season of his career with just 31 points. He admitted it himself, saying he was not in the right headspace and wants to turn things around. In front of him, Steven Stamkos showed that an older player can still surprise people, potting 42 goals at 36. That at least gives Nashville some reason to believe Marchessault can recover too.
Behind that aging core, an intriguing young group keeps pushing. Luke Evangelista has grown into a genuine top-six forward with 56 points, while Matthew Wood impressed in his first full season. There is a balance between experience and youth here. The only question is whether the veterans can carry the load for one more year while the next wave keeps developing.
Player to watch : Juuse Saros (G)
Saros faced more shots than anyone else in the NHL last season and made more saves than anyone else too, a brutal workload that lined up with his worst year in several seasons: an .894 save percentage, down from previous campaigns, and an average of more than 3 goals allowed per game. Justus Annunen also had a strong enough season to steal some starts down the stretch, a sign that the faith in Saros as the undisputed starter has taken a bit of a knock.
This season, with better support in front of him and deeper defensive options, the big question is whether Saros can get back to elite form with a more sensible workload, or whether the last two tough years are the start of a more permanent slide for the goalie who carried this team on his back for so long.
2026–2027 target
Projected Nashville Predators lines 2026-2027
The new general manager has been blunt about how much work lies ahead for Nashville, saying he wants to build methodically instead of just chasing a wild card spot, which he admits is a tough ask anyway. For this season, that means realistic progress rather than a guaranteed return to the playoffs: a better spread of the scoring, which leaned far too heavily on just three veterans last year, and a defence that needs to stop coughing up goals at the rate it has over the past two seasons.
If Nashville is still in the wild-card hunt in April, that will be a sign the summer changes worked. If it slides back down the standings, the debate over the pace of the rebuild, speed it up or slow it down, will be right back at the top of the agenda.
My prediction
This summer’s additions were very smart for Nashville. No headline star, but there is more depth and more skill in the room. That said, I do not see them making the playoffs just yet. The progress, though, should be well worth watching over the next few years.
Photo credit : wallpapersafari.com | christinen
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