The last man picked in the NFL Draft is called "Mr. Irrelevant," and why they don't refer to that in the NHL, Patric Hornqvist, who was the final pick in 2005, did not have an “irrelevant” career.
The Swedish Right Wing first debuted for Nashville in 2009, but it was the following season where he was a bona fide NHLer. Hornqvist had 51 Points in his first full year, dipping into the 40s the two years after, before falling to only 14 Points in an injury-riddled year. He played one more year in Nashville, his most productive with 53 Points, a career-high. The Predators traded Hornqvist to Pittsburgh in the 2015 off-season. As a Predator, Hornqvist accumulated 264 Points in 363 Games.
Hornqvist would win two Cups with the Pens, including scoring the Cup-winning Goal in 2017, ironically against Nashville.
Cliff Ronning was an established presence for years in the NHL, and seven Games into the 1998-99 Season, Ronning was traded to the expansion Predators, and they desperately needed his veteran presence.
Ronning was in his early 30s, but he could still score. The Center finished his year with 60 Points, and over the next two years, Ronning posted back-to-back years of 62 Points. His mentorship to young Nashville players proved invaluable in the team's early days, and while his overall numbers might not seem high, he was the Predators' leading scorer twice.
Nashville dealt Ronning to Los Angeles late in the 2001-02 Season to help with their playoff run. With the Predators, Ronning had 226 Points in 301 Games.
Colin Wilson was an incredible player at Boston University, nominated for the Hobey Baker, and a leader on their 2009 National Championship Team.
Wilson, the Seventh Overall Pick in 2008, left the Terriers after the Frozen Four for the NHL. He wasn't the sniper he was at BU, but Wilson provided solid play to the Predators, mainly on the third line. Playing with Nashville until 2017, Wilson had five 30-Point years, and his clean play kept him from costly penalties.
Wilson scored 237 Points in 502 Games for the Preds.
Unable to come to terms with the team that drafted him with the last pick of the Seventh Round of the 2001 Draft, Marek Zidlicky was one of three players that arrived in Nashville from the New York Rangers in exchange for Goalie Mike Dunham. Zidlicky proved to be the steal of the transaction.
The Czechoslovakian Defenseman had his best season as an NHL rookie, but he was already 26 and hardly inexperienced. Zidlicky had 53 Points, which would be his career-high, and he followed that with two more seasons as a Predator, where he cracked 40 Points.
After 2007-08, Zidlicky was traded to Minnesota. With the Predators, Zidlicky scored 175 Points in 307 Games.