[Signing] Marchessault (5X$5.5m) Stamkos (4x$8m) Skjei (7x$7m) to Nashville

[Erick Estrada]

Stamkos is a big time add for the Preds. This should put them into conversation for a home playoff matchup in the first round.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

The Skeij signing is too much for too long, guy just had a career year and won't replicate it.

The others seem market value to me.

The Preds could be competitive this year but it's a really tough division.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by boogerz

Coming into today, they had a Norris-caliber defenseman, a Vezina-caliber goalie, and an Adams-caliber coach

Now they have a solid, but old top six that can put pucks in the net.

Hard to blame Nashville for trying when you're that close to being a contender (on paper).

Going through Colorado/Dallas seems unlikely IMO.

[memphusk]

Especially if Stamkos shows up with a chip on his shoulder.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

After thinking about it more, the thing is, the Preds just basically created a 2-3 year window of being competitive, with a top tier goalie. Yes, all of their key players are old except for Forsberg and Saros, and those guys will be 30 this year also.

But they have all of their picks for the next two years, and if you're up against the current central division, it kind of makes sense to just keep your picks, build the team through free agency and try to stock the cupboards at the same time so that when the Stamkos deal expires you have a decent young supporting cast and hopefully then you have a quick 1-2 year rebuild after the Dallas and Colorado cores get older and potentially become too expensive to keep.

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by t0rrent98

Nashville for the 2025 Stanley cup. lol.

I'll be cheering hard for that.

[Enoch Root]

Yeah, the Preds are pretty old.

But their core is now: Forsberg, Josi, Stamkos, O'Reilly, Marchessault, Skjei and Saros

That is better than most, IMO

The Central is insanely tough, but the Preds are going to be part of the conversation

[Five-hole]

This reminds me of the Wild signing Suter and Parise and people thinking they would be a top tier team as a result. They were better, sure, but never really got anywhere.

Adding big pieces like this in FA doesn’t seem to do as much as it might seem.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Five-hole

This reminds me of the Wild signing Suter and Parise and people thinking they would be a top tier team as a result. They were better, sure, but never really got anywhere.

Adding big pieces like this in FA doesn’t seem to do as much as it might seem.

They don’t need to do much. They were already one of the top tier teams through the last 3/4 of the season.

This helps.

[Oil Stain]

I feel like Stamkos is pretty much just a PP merchant at this point in his career. Not sure the Preds will be able to feed him one timers as well as Tampa did.

I think the contract ends up looking regrettable.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I feel like Stamkos is pretty much just a PP merchant at this point in his career. Not sure the Preds will be able to feed him one timers as well as Tampa did.

I think the contract ends up looking regrettable.

For Stamkos to be effective, the powerplay has to be adjusted to fit him. Not sure the setup the preds were using until now, but you pretty much need to setup the same way that Tampa, Boston and Washington have done over the years with their right-handed snipers. The good thing for the Preds is they have the players to make that work. Make the triangle with Stamkos on his off-wing (left side) Forsberg on his off-wing (right side) and Josi at the point.


If the preds try to create a powerplay structure like the flames have done for the past decade with a left-handed playmaker (Gaudreau/Huberdeau) playing the point and skating in to either shoot or pass to the right side… then Stamkos will not be effective and this likely looks like a bad contract pretty quickly. Honestly, I would love to see the flames adopt this powerplay setup with Sharangovich/Coronato in the one-timer position on their off-wings, Huberdeau on his off-wing as a shooter/playmaker option, and Weegar at the point.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

They don’t need to do much. They were already one of the top tier teams through the last 3/4 of the season.

This helps.

Good yes but I would argue that they aren't great and their age is going to quickly work against them. Not that many teams have a core as old as the Predators core and if there is any regression at all that occurs they could be in a lot of trouble really quick.

[Paulie Walnuts]

So Nashville sent McDonough to Tampa and that virtually ate up the cap space to sign Stamkos who he wanted to reunite with ? lol

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Good yes but I would argue that they aren't great and their age is going to quickly work against them. Not that many teams have a core as old as the Predators core and if there is any regression at all that occurs they could be in a lot of trouble really quick.

Unlike most teams with cores that age, the Predators have plenty of draft capital. Assuming the Lightning don't collapse and finish bottom 10, the Preds have two 1sts, two 2nds and three 3rds in '25, and all their picks in '26 and '27.

They're in a good spot to restock their system by the time their current group ages out.

[D as in David]

Preds could potentially get another piece by trading Askarov but who knows what that return would be. Very witching.