Predators can’t overcome early struggles, miss playoffs for 2nd straight season
What went wrong
Bad start: The Predators were 4-6-2 in October and 4-7-2 in November, a difficult beginning in a very competitive Central Division. Consistency was a problem for Nashville in the early going, and it took too long for them to right the ship. They also only had one winning streak longer than three games (five, from March 17-24).
Gave up too much: The Predators have allowed 3.23 goals-against per game this season, 25th in the NHL. Their goaltenders were busy, facing 29.5 shots per game (26th). They also scored less than three goals per game (2.94, tied for 19th). It was just a bad combination for finding success this season.
Trotz’s announcement: The Predators were already struggling when Barry Trotz announced on Feb. 2 that he was going to retire after three seasons as their general manager, although he’s staying in the role until the Predators name a successor. While Trotz will remain with the organization as an adviser, the uncertainty had to hit hard for a team that was fighting through another disappointing season.
Reasons for optimism
Stamkos’ second half: Steven Stamkos reached the 40-goal mark this season, and 12 of those goals have come since late February, when the NHL resumed play after the 2026 Winter Olympic break. The 36-year-old has 63 points (40 goals, 23 assists), third on the Predators behind Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg, who each have 73 points. This came after Stamkos had a disappointing first season in Nashville with 27 goals and 53 points last season.
