In 1998, the Nashville Predators made David Legwand the first ever Draft Pick in team history, and in terms of longevity and character, it was an A+ all around.

The American-born Center spent his first year in the minors (save for one Game), and while he never had the skills to be a first line Center in the NHL, he was a workhorse who provided consistency to Nashville for years.  Legwand was a regular in his second pro year, and while his peak scoring year was a respectable 63 (2006-07), he had seven other seasons where he achieved at least 40 Points in a year while wearing a Predators uniform.  He would also appear on the penalty kill often.

The Preds only made the playoffs four times while Legwand played there, but considering they were an expansion team, this was no reflection on Legwand.  He was traded to Detroit during the 2013-14 Season, and he is still the all-time franchise leader in Games Played (956), Goals (210), and Points (566).

Already the greatest Swiss-born hockey player of all time, Roman Josi has to date played his entire NHL career with the Nashville Predators, the team that drafted him in the Second Round in 2008.

Josi continued to play in Switzerland for two years, honing his skills there, and then had another entire season in the minors.  His first two NHL years could be considered average, but he evolved, using his high-tier skating skills and passing ability to become one of the top offensive Defensemen in the game.

Josi scored 40 Points in 2013-14, beginning a seven-year streak where he hit that point with at least 12 Goals.  He had two 60-Point seasons, the latter in 2019-20, where he won the Norris Trophy as the league's best Defenseman.  Prior to that, Jossi finished in the top ten in balloting four times.  He has also become a team leader and was one of the biggest reasons that the Preds made the 2017 Finals.

In 2021/22, Josi had his best statistical season, setting personal bests in Goals (23), Assists (73) and Points (96), and obtaininghis second First Team All-Star Selection, though the Norris eluded him as it went to Colorado's Cale Makar.  After another good year, Josi was the runner-up for the Norris, and was a First Team All-Star for the third time after an 85 Point year.

Josi is already the best player in Nashville history, and their team captain isn't done yet.

Pekka Rinne was an afterthought in the 2004 NHL Draft, where Nashville took the Finnish Goalie with the 258^th Overall Pick.  For a "throwaway," Rinne is to date the best Predator Goalie of all time and likely will be for years.

Rinne played in three Games from 2005-06 to 2007-08, but he broke through in 2008-09, playing in 52 Games and finishing fourth in Calder voting.  Nashville had a new backstop, and he was ready to elevate the Predators.

In the 2010-11 Season, Rinne had his breakout campaign, with a 2.12 GAA that won him a Second Team All-Star, a runner-up for the Vezina, and a fourth place finish in the Hart Trophy.  Rinne was now an upper-tier Goalie, and this was not a one-year aberration.  

Rinne led the NHL in Wins (43) and Saves (2,153) in 2011-12, with a 2.39 GAA, and he was third for the Vezina.  Rinne's next two years were a step back, but he rebounded with another Vezina runner-up year (2014-15), with a Stanley Cup Finals appearance two years later.  It was evident that with Rinne in the net, Nashville had the building block from the end.

The Predators went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017, and Rinne was incredible to get them there and had they beat Pittsburgh, he would have won the Conn Smythe Trophy.  They didn't, but his accomplishments should never be forgotten.  Rinne finally won the Vezina the year after, proving his backstopping prowess as a top hockey Goalie.

Rinne finished his career with the Predators, winning the King Clancy Award in 2021, which turned out to be his last season in North American hockey.  Retiring, the Predators announced that his #35 would be retired, earning the Goalie the honor of being the first Predator to have his jersey retired.

While it was projected that Shea Weber was going to have a good career in the National Hockey League, the native of British Columbia turned out to be an absolute steal for the Nashville Predators, who landed him late in the Second Round.

A large and imposing Defenseman, Weber debuted for the Predators in 2005-06, appearing in 26 Games, but it did not accurately foreshadow what was to come.  Weber exploded with 40 Points in 2006-07, showing strong two-way play.  Using his size to lock down attackers, Weber became one of the most potent rushers, and his booming shot made him a terror on the power play.  Weber would net at least 40 Points as a Predator eight times, with all of those years netting 15 Goals or more.

Weber was the player who Nashville built their team around, and individually, he was a four-time post-season All-Star; two First Team and two Second Team.  He was not just their best player but emerged as the team leader and was recognized as such with the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2016.  It would be the last honor that Weber received in Nashville, as he was traded to Montreal for P.K. Subban.

With the Predators, Weber accumulated 443 Points in 763 Games, with a Plus/Minus of +48, a very impressive tally considering that Nashville was not a contender for much of his stay.