The Nashville Predators 2024-25 season is less than a month away. The puck drops on their regular season on Oct. 10 against the Dallas Stars. The organization has much to take care of before that game day arrives, as the team has training camp and the preseason to get through. Also, Predators’ head coach Andrew Brunette must determine what teammates gel together on the same line. This includes creating four-line combinations on offense. Who plays with who will be intriguing, especially now that new star wingers Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault will be incorporated into the forward ranks. Mixing those two talents with other Predators forwards like Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly, and Tommy Novak, among others, will be intriguing to watch for the fanbase.
Filip Forsberg-Ryan O’Reilly-Steven Stamkos
This trio could be incredibly dangerous for Nashville. Filip Forsberg remains one of the Predators’ best players in franchise history. In 698 regular season games, he has 287 goals and 318 assists for 605 points. He is only putting up better stats as he gets older, too.
The 2023-24 season numbers for Forsberg were career-highs for him across the board: 48 goals and 46 assists for 94 points in 82 games. His 48 goals beat his previous high of 42 in 2021-22. His 46 assists topped his career-best of 42 that he also tallied back in 2021-22. He boosted his career-high in points, as a result, by 10 points. If he can put up those kinds of numbers, what could he do playing on a line with Steven Stamkos?
Stamkos comes to the Predators from the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has been with that organization his entire career. Tampa Bay selected him first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and he was the franchise’s captain from 2014 through last season. He left the Lightning as a free agent and signed a deal with Nashville for four seasons and $32 million.
Stamkos showed last season that, despite getting older, he is still dominant with goal production. He scored 40 goals for the Lightning in 2023-24. Only Nikita Kucherov (44 goals) and Brayden Point (46 goals) had more than Stamkos. His leadership skills will also be beneficial, not just for his line in particular, but for the entire roster. Stamkos can lead by example both on and off the ice. It can go a long way, especially for some of the younger players who can be mentored and guided. Two Stanley Cup championships under his belt certainly help with the respect he has earned in the hockey world.
Lastly, Ryan O’Reilly centers this potential first line. Like Stamkos, O’Reilly also brings Stanley Cup experience from winning with the St. Louis Blues against the Boston Bruins in 2019. He was also captain of the Blues during his time in St. Louis. The 2023-24 campaign was his first in Nashville. In 82 games with the Predators, he scored 26 goals and registered 43 assists for 69 points.
Jonathan Marchessault-Tommy Novak-Gustav Nyquist
The second line could be a force for the Predators. Coming in for his first campaign in Nashville is winger Jonathan Marchessault. The 33-year-old played his last seven seasons for the Vegas Golden Knights. He was one of the original members of the inaugural squad for the 2017-18 campaign. Like Stamkos, Marchessault proved last season that he can still produce quality numbers. He notched 42 goals and accrued 27 assists for 69 points in 82 games. If he can build solid chemistry with his possible linemates, then he has a good chance of getting 35-40 goals with the Predators.
Related: Golden Knights Will Miss Jonathan Marchessault
Tommy Novak is projected as Nashville’s second-line center. He has suited up in the NHL for the last three seasons and debuted for the Predators in 2021-22. During his first campaign in the league, he posted a goal and six assists for seven points in 27 games. Novak followed that up with 43 points in 51 games for 2022-23 (17 goals and 26 assists). In his most recent season, he posted his current career-high in points with 45 in 71 games. He had 18 goals and 27 assists.
Providing help for both Marchessault and Novak on the second line is Gustav Nyquist. He will be entering his 13th NHL season and has played throughout the league in that span. Nyquist began his career with the Detroit Red Wings before finding his way to the San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, and now Nashville. The 2024-25 season will be his second campaign for the Predators. He scored 23 goals and produced 52 assists for 75 points in 81 games last season for the Predators.
Mark Jankowski-Colton Sissons-Luke Evangelista
The potential third line for the Predators consists of all returning talents from last season. Colton Sissons has been with the organization since he was drafted by the club in 2012. Last season, he provided 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in 81 games. In his entire career, Sissons has suited up in 618 regular season games. In that span, he has 88 goals and 112 assists for 200 points.
To Sissons’ left is Mark Jankowski. The Predators are Jankowski’s fourth organization since he entered the league in 2016-17. He started out with the Calgary Flames before he had brief stops with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. He has played in Nashville for the last two campaigns. During his time in Tennessee so far, he has accumulated the following points:
- 2022-23: seven goals and five assists for 12 points in 50 games
- 2023-24: seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 32 games
The third line is completed by winger Luke Evangelista. He has two NHL seasons under his belt. His first one saw him score seven goals and accrue eight assists for 15 points in 24 games. Evangelista played his first full NHL campaign in 2023-24. In 80 games, he notched 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points. This could be an underrated third line for Nashville. Jankowski, Sissons, and Evangelista could be an impactful half of the bottom-six forward group.
Cole Smith-Michael McCarron-Juuso Parssinen
Concluding the projected forward lines for the Predators in 2024-25 is the fourth line of Cole Smith, Michael McCarron, and Juuso Parssinen. Smith joined Nashville as an undrafted free agent. He first suited up for the Predators in the 2020-21 campaign. Last season, he played 80 games and got 23 points (nine goals and 14 assists). In 158 games in his young career, Smith has 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points. His point production has improved with each campaign. If he can take another step statistically, that can further strengthen the club’s depth scoring.
Michael McCarron has been playing for the club since 2020-21. He had three prior seasons of NHL experience with the Montreal Canadiens. While a member of the Habs, he collected the following numbers:
- 2015-16: one goal and one assist for two points in 20 games
- 2016-17: one goal and four assists for five points in 31 games
- 2017-18: one assist for one point in 18 games
McCarron did not appear in an NHL game from the 2018-19 campaign through 2019-20. His next NHL game was with the Predators for 2020-21. He suited up for six games that season and did not register a point. He gradually gained more games and became a regular on Nashville’s roster last season. In 2023-24, McCarron scored 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points in 70 games.
Then, there is Juuso Parssinen. He has suited up in two campaigns for Nashville. In 89 career NHL games, Parssinen has 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points. Last season, he had eight goals and four assists for 12 points.
This fourth line completes the full projected 12 forwards for the Predators. These could be the starting lines to kick off 2024-25, or Brunette may find combinations that he and his coaching staff like better. Either way, there are many talents to like for those who root for the Predators. 2024-25 begins a new era of hockey in Nashville.
