The Nashville Predators definitely need to go back to the drawing board not just in the season, but even for the offseason after going off for their worst start in the NHL at this point in time. And it seems that it is starting to set in with a lot of critics expecting a major change in either the coaching staff or even the roster.

Or maybe they could ride it out all the way to the end of the 2024-25 season. Well, the Predators certainly looked like they won the offseason and the free agency when the team managed to snag former Tampa Bay Lightning star and captain Steven Stamkos, former Vegas Golden Knights ace Jonathan Marchessault, and elite two-way defenseman Brady Skjei from the Carolina Hurricanes.

The thing is, they haven’t enjoyed a big win ever since that big stride in the offseason. Perhaps you can consider their 5-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights, but that did nothing to change their woes in the season so far, which has been definitely disappointing than most people would expect.

Winning to Lose

In just a few hours back in July 1st, the Nashville Predators definitely went up as a contender for the Stanley Cup after committing more than $108 million on their new key players. Alas, the Predators now stand dead bottom in the league standings not just in the Western Conference, but even for the whole NHL.

Suffice to say, they don’t have a bigger record to boast over the San Jose Sharks or even the Chicago Blackhawks – the bottom two teams in the West so far. To begin the season, the Predators lost 10 out of its first 14 games. Save feeling sorry for the Predators though, as they have dug themselves their own graves for this season so far.

“There’s no going back and changing anything that’s happened, so you can’t feel sorry for yourself,” Stamkos said after a 3-2 loss at Washington. “We’re in the position we’re in, and we have to find our way back. The guys in this locker room last year had a similar start to the season and found a way, and for us new guys, adjusting to the system is coming. I think as much as we wanted it to happen overnight, sometimes it doesn’t necessarily happen that way.”

The Frustration is Mounting

The Predators boast a hefty number of elite offensive players in the game, and yet they are far from coming up with impressive strides that one has expected from them to begin the season.

“Frustration’s been leaking in a little bit,” said second-year coach Andrew Brunette, whose job status will almost certainly be debated if the losing continues. “I think frustration, at times in our mind, it gets confused a little bit with work and effort.”

Consistency is a major problem. Nashville is outshooting opponents 445-411 but being outscored 50-33, and that says a lot about how their defense has been to blame, but also the way their offense has been inefficient at times so far.

“A lot of times when you don’t score, you go back to some habits that allowed you to score in the past,” Brunette said. “It’s gotten us a little bit to the perimeter and it’s gotten us further and further from the net, and when you’re further and further from the net you’re probably further and further from scoring goals.”

They are certainly not joining the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, or the Dallas Stars – who were all deemed to be “easy to beat” for the stacked Nashville lineup.