The Nashville Predators have a stacked roster heading into the 2024-25 NHL season. The offense will be led by newly-signed forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, along with other Predators in Ryan O’Reilly, Tommy Novak, and Gustav Nyquist among others. Nashville is covered in net as well, with the two goalies most likely being Juuse Saros and Scott Wedgewood. As for the defense, what could those pairings look like this upcoming season? Head coach Andrew Brunette will use training camp and the preseason to look at who gels well with who. These are projections on what the Predators’ pairings could look like.
First Pairing: Brady Skjei-Roman Josi
Captain Roman Josi is a lock to be on the first defensive pairing for Nashville. He is one of their best talents in franchise history, and he is the current all-time point producer on the backend for them. Since 2011-12, Josi has produced the following stats for the club:
- 2011-12: five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 52 games
- 2012-13: five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 48 games
- 2013-14: 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in 72 games
- 2014-15: 15 goals and 40 assists for 55 points in 81 games
- 2015-16: 14 goals and 47 assists for 61 points in 81 games
- 2016-17: 12 goals and 37 assists for 49 points in 72 games
- 2017-18: 14 goals and 39 assists for 53 points in 75 games
- 2018-19: 15 goals and 41 assists for 56 points in 82 games
- 2019-20: 16 goals and 49 assists for 65 points in 69 games
- 2020-21: eight goals and 25 assists for 33 points in 48 games
- 2021-22: 23 goals and 73 assists for 96 points in 80 games
- 2022-23: 18 goals and 41 assists for 59 points in 67 games
- 2023-24: 23 goals and 62 assists for 85 points in 82 games
Based on the last few campaigns, Josi is playing his best and most offensive hockey in his career. He can win the Norris Trophy for the 2024-25 season. He will have a lot of competition, as many worthy candidates will impress. Josi will definitely be among the best blueliners this upcoming season though, and will be in that Norris conversation.
Related: Nashville Predators Sign Brady Skjei to 7-Year Contract
Josi’s potential partner on the blue line is newly signed Brady Skjei. The 30-year-old defender signed a seven-year contract in free agency with Nashville. Skjei brings offensive capabilities and is a reliable defenseman. He comes to the Predators from the Carolina Hurricanes. During his tenure in Raleigh, Skjei put up the following numbers:
- 2020-21: three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 52 games
- 2021-22: nine goals and 30 assists for 39 points in 82 games
- 2022-23: 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points in 81 games
- 2023-24: 13 goals and 34 assists for 47 points in 80 games
If Skjei and Josi develop solid chemistry with one another, both defenders could potentially put up career numbers. Nashville is going to get significant offensive contributions from at least these two defensemen.
Second Pairing: Jeremy Lauzon-Alexandre Carrier
The second pairing on the backend for the Predators could be Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier. Lauzon previously suited up for both the Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken. He joined Nashville during the 2021-22 campaign when he was traded for a 2022 second-round pick from Seattle. Since arriving in Nashville, he has posted the following numbers:
- 2021-22: one goal in 13 games
- 2022-23: three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 67 games
- 2023-24: six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 79 games
On the other side for Nashville could be Alexandre Carrier. He recently signed a three-year contract extension worth $11.25 million. The soon-to-be 28-year-old has become an integral piece on the blue line for the Predators. Last season in 73 games, Carrier scored four goals and registered 16 assists for a total of 20 points. His current career-high in the league for points happened in 2021-22, when he tallied three goals and accrued 27 assists for 30 points in 77 games.
These two defenders might not score as much as the first pairing, but they will produce significantly on the defensive side. Predators GM Barry Trotz already sees Carrier’s value to the team, which is why he signed him to that three-year extension. As for Lauzon, he has become a regular NHLer during his time with the Tennessee-based franchise. He played in 67 games for them during the 2022-23 campaign, and 79 in 2023-24. They could be a key pairing during Predators games.
Third Pairing: Spencer Stastney-Luke Schenn
The last defensive pairing for the Predators is a mix of a veteran and an upcoming blueliner. Luke Schenn has played in the NHL since he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, he has played for the Leafs on two separate occasions, the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, two stints with the Vancouver Canucks, the Tampa Bay Lightning (where he won two Stanley Cup championships), and now he is about to start his second season in Tennessee. Last season for the Predators, Schenn suited up in 63 games. In that span, he scored a goal and provided six assists for seven points. He is close to playing in 1,000 NHL games. In 996 games, he has 43 goals and 155 assists for 198 points.
On the other side of this pairing is Spencer Stastney. The 24-year-old was selected by Nashville in the fifth round (131st overall) of the 2018 Draft. He does not have a lot of NHL games under his belt yet, but the potential is there for him to become a significant contributor for the club on the backend. Below are the stats Stastney has produced in his young tenure with the team:
- 2022-23: two assists in eight games
- 2023-24: two goals and two assists for four points in 20 games
Stastney has an impressive hockey background. He was part of the U.S. National Under-17 Team and the U.S. National Under-18 Team in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He also played college hockey at Notre Dame for four years. He may only have 28 games in the NHL so far, but I believe if he has a good training camp and preseason, he will be among the six defenders for Nashville in the 2024-25 season.
The blue line for the Predators brings a lot to the table. They can generate offense in talents like Josi and Skjei, and the other four can be solid defensively to give the opposition issues. These may be how the defensive pairings go, or Brunette could decide to go in another direction. Predators fans will know soon what the defensive core will look like for this upcoming campaign.
