How ironically sad today’s NHL Saturday entry brings us to the Nashville Predators—right as the country elected a legally confirmed sexual predator to the White House! This is what happens when so many people in a single nation can’t read past a sixth-grade level. But hey, there’s enough sexism in this country that even the worst kind of man is considered a better option than the best kind of woman. On with the pucks …

No. 10: Kimmo Timonen, D—55 PS (1998-2007)

For a 10th-round draft pick, he exceeded expectations: two All-Star appearances (2004, 2007) and a Top 5 finish in a Norris vote (2007), too. He posted 22:29 ATOI in the regular season and 24:29 ATOI in the postseason. As an original Pred, he helped build the team into a perennial playoff contender, as he manned the blue line for the organization’s first three postseason appearances (2004, 2006-2007). He was awesome.

No. 9: Mattias Ekholm, D—56 PS (2011-2023)

As a fourth-round pick, he kind of defined “grinder” for the team over 11-plus seasons: no All-Star appearances and only one Top 10 Norris finish (2019). He only put up 21:48 ATOI in the regular season, in although he did really step that up with 24:35 ATOI in the postseason. He was a member of the franchise’s first team to reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017 as well, as he did have a solid impact on the playoff teams.

No. 8: David Legwand, C—56 PS (1999-2014)

As the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, we’d have to call him a bust: no All-Star seasons and not a lot of statistical impact over 14-plus seasons with the organization. His best season? Came in 2006-2007 with just 7.3 Point Shares. That’s not saying a lot, as he averaged about 4.0 PS per season with the team, which is about a third of what you’d expect from the No. 2 overall pick in any draft, really. Nothing to see here at all.

No. 7: Ryan Ellis, D—57 PS (2011-2021)

Another defenseman, he was the No. 11 overall pick—but never made an All-Star team and never earned any Norris votes. He managed just 20:51 ATOI in the regular season, despite upping that to 23:48 ATOi in the postseason. He was also a member of the 2017 Western Conference champions, but generally, this is another bust for the team to get so little production out of such a high draftee. It’s pretty shocking, actually.

No. 6: Tomáš Vokoun, G—72 PS (1998-2007)

Another original Pred, he had appeared in one game for the Montréal franchise before ending up in Nashville at age 22. The Canadiens had grabbed in the ninth round as a project, so the fact he did so well with the Predators is impressive: in fact, we gave him the 2006 Vezina. His 161-159-46 record in the regular season for the team doesn’t tell the whole story, of course; he played in just two postseasons with the club.

No. 5: Juuse Saros, G—73 PS (2015-present)

The No. 99 overall pick, who knows what the team expected. But what they’ve gotten is quite a lot: we gave him back-to-back Vezinas in 2021 and 2022, and even though he hasn’t been able to help the Preds made it past the first round of the postseason during his career, he’s been a revelation. His 186-126-33 regular-season record includes 25 shutouts and a .917 save percentage. He has four straight seasons in the Vezina Top 6.

No. 4: Filip Forsberg, C—75 PS (2012-present)

It seems like just yesterday he entered the league, but he’s been around for awhile now, making two All-Star teams (2015, 2024). He finished fourth in the Calder voting after that first All-Star appearance; he topped all skaters in the 2017 postseason with a plus-14 rating as he obviously helped the team reach its first-ever Stanley Cup Final. At age 29 last year, he posted his best-ever PS mark (11.7), too, so he’s getting better still.

No. 3: Shea Weber, D—89 PS (2005-2016)

This list is dominated by guys who spend their days in the defensive zone, and this second rounder is no exception. He was a five-time All Star with the Predators (2009, 2011-2012, 2015-2016), and we gave him the Norris in 2014, as well. He also made the Norris Top 10 in his final eight seasons (2009-2016) with the Nashville organization, which is pretty impressive, all things considered. His best season? Was 2011-2012 (11.4 PS).

No. 2: Roman Josi, D—119 PS (2011-present)

A second rounder here, too, he’s been a stalwart standout on the blue line for a very long time in Nashville: three All-Star selections (2016, 2019-2020); a Norris vote victory in 2020 and a second Norris from us in 2022; and five other Norris Top 10 vote finishes. He has posted six seasons of double-digit PS, including a career high in 2022 (13.9); his 25:48 ATOI in the postseason is very robust, including that 2017 playoff run.

No. 1: Pekka Rinne, G—124 PS (2005-2021)

Clearly the best netminder in franchise history, he was an eighth-round draft pick who just did everything for the team—and then some: fourth in the Calder vote (2009); five-time Top 10 Vezina vote getter (2011-2012, 2015, 2018-2019); and the Vezina vote winner (2018). He also was a three-time All Star (2016, 2018-2019), the backstop who got the team to its first Cup Final, and a 369-time winner in the regular season.