Welcome to the Nashville Predators 2022-23 report card series. In this series, we at The Hockey Writers look back at each Predators player from the past season, break down how their campaign went, and assign a letter grade reflective of their overall performance. This edition will focus on center Cody Glass.
Glass’ Season With The Predators
This past season, Glass proved he belonged in the NHL for the first time in his career. He played 72 games during the 2022-23 campaign, surpassing his career high in games played, formerly 39. He scored 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points, his highest goal, assist, and point totals ever in a year. He had 35 takeaways, 62 hits, and a Corsi For of 54 percent, which is impressive considering his contributions on the defensive end, which is the strongest aspect of his game by far. While Glass is not a supremely talented offensive player, he is one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. He is still young, so his offense can turn around; although, even if he remains a 30-40 point player, his defense will easily keep him in the league.
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Glass had 30 takeaways to 16 giveaways at five-on-five and a plus/minus of plus-9. He started 8.8 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone, the highest so far of his career. While the surface numbers look decent, his advanced analytics tell the whole story. His defensive wins-above-replacement (WAR) was in the 97th percentile among all forwards at five-on-five, meaning he was among the top-three percent of defensive forwards (From JFresh’s Subscription-based Patreon). His offense landed at the 14th percentile, showing he has areas of his game to improve; however, he is an elite shutdown third-line center that is only 24 years old.
Glass’ Future With The Predators
With the Predators signing Ryan O’Reilly in free agency, Glass will likely find himself on the third line to begin the season. While Glass and O’Reilly are similar in skill defensively, with Glass arguably being better, his offense is nothing compared to the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner. However, Glass should be given more ice time on the penalty kill and power play. With Ryan Johansen’s and Matt Duchene’s departures, two of the Preds’ top-six forwards, he has a chance to shine.
The Predators re-signed Glass to a two-year, $5 million contract this offseason. The short bridge deal helped keep the cap hit low. The term allows him to prove his elite defensive play is sustainable while he continues to develop his offense. A young, offensively gifted winger will likely ride shotgun with Glass. The Predators’ probable injection of youth means predicting his linemates at this stage is impossible. Not much is needed for Glass to emerge as one of the NHL’s best two-way, top-six centers. If he can become a reliable 50-plus point scorer in the coming seasons, which is a big if, he could find himself in the top ten of Selke Trophy voting within the next three years.
Final Grade For Cody Glass: B
On the surface and analytically, Glass has work to do to round out his game. His offense needs improvement, but his defense more than makes up for it. A 24-year-old with elite defense is rare. He will become a terror to play against if his offence improves just a smidge. As it stands, he comfortably receives a B. As stated, his play past the opponent’s blue line must improve. Still, his skating, stick-checking, and hustle make him a fantastic defender capable of shutting down the league’s finest.
Advanced stats were taken from Money Puck
