As the Nashville Predators embark on the final stretch of the season there’s a lot to be on the lookout for. The trade deadline is March 8 and general manager Barry Trotz has already said the next 10 games are what will dictate him being a buyer or seller.
“It’ll clear itself out. It’s more about how we play here in the next seven to eight games as it’ll dictate our future this year,” head coach Andrew Brunette said.
Brunette said he wished he had an answer to the 13-13 record at home so far this season. The Predators have been banging their head on that issue all season and they can begin to change that against the Arizona Coyotes out the bye week.
“We’ll be saying this every game for the last 31 we have left,” Brunette said. “It’s going to be every night and home ice hasn’t been our friend, so let’s try to make it our friend.”
At the forefront of it all Brunette shared what he expects to see in the remaining games.
“Yeah, we have to be connected as a group,” Brunette said. “That’s all over the ice and off. the ice. This stretch is going to test everything and it’s going to test all the work we’ve done to this point. We’ve had some highs and lows with our group staying resilient through this whole period here.”
As the clock keeps ticking on the season one of the biggest question marks for Trotz is what the future of goaltender Juue Saros looks like. Among having pending free agents to re-sign the Predator’s destiny is in the hands of the players according to the first-year GM.
Goaltender Juuse Saros making a save during practice on Feb. 8, 2024.
Saros understands that conversations around his future have been taking place for quite some time now.
“Yeah, it’s part of the business but it’s kind of been that story for me since last year when we started trading guys,” Saros said. “Every couple of months it’s been thrown out there so it’s part of the business you have to accept and other people like to talk about those things.”
He’ll worry about himself though as he continues to battle alongside his teammates coming out of the break. Saros and Kevin Lankinen spent the bye week on the beach in Cabo with their wives, and Seattle Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen was on the trip as well.
In terms of the distant future, Saros hasn’t put much thought into having Yaroslav Askarov alongside him at some point. It’ll take more time for Askarov to make the jump from the Milwaukee Admirals to Nashville, but this season the Russian goaltender has posted a 17-6-1 record with three shutouts to go along with it.
“It’s always great to have good goaltenders in the organization but no I haven’t really thought about it,” Saros said of having Askarov down the pipeline.
Right now Saros’ focus is on how he plays games with it not being about the results he’s posted so far.
“Every game is so different. I think it’s more about the kind of game it is or how you feel and how you play,” Saros said. “Usually that’s when steadiness comes around, but it doesn’t always come hand in hand. It’s more about the feel of every game.”
The most positive takeaway Saros has from the season so far is how the Predators have found ways to win and stay competitive for a playoff spot.
As for a few of the younger forwards Philip Tomasino, Cody Glass, and Luke Evangelista have all been pushing to remain consistent at the NHL level.
Forward Philip Tomasino playing at Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2024.
“I feel pretty good, our line has played well here in the last few games,” Tomasino said of carrying over momentum. “I’ve only played with those guys for two games but I think we’ve connected and meshed really well so far. Gotta keep it going right now and keep getting better.”
The one consistent goal all of the players have is to make a push for the playoffs. It’s an invaluable experience they would like to have at this point in their career, especially with the veterans that surround them.
“It’s going to be exciting, all of them have been through different kinds of adversity in their careers,” Glass said of being surrounded by seasoned veterans. “We have players who have players who’ve gone through different things and won [Stanley Cups] in that fashion.”
Evangelista stated he’s trying to gain more of his coach’s trust so he can be an option for him every game.
“Trying to keep your spot in the lineup, it’s a dog-eat-dog world in the NHL and there’s some internal competition and throughout the league,” Evangelista said. “Trying to play my part and be a positive impact in the lineup whenever I can be.”
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photos courtesy of Nashville Predators
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