Top 50 Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators made their debut in 1998, bringing hockey to the Volunteer State.
As a new team, the Predators have not yet won a Stanley Cup, but they did make it to the Finals in 2017 and have one of the more dedicated fan bases in American hockey.
This list is up to the end of the 2022/23 season.
Note: Hockey lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
When Jason Arnott arrived in Nashville, he was many years removed from his Calder runner-up year. This is not to say that Arnott was not still a good player, as he most certainly was. In fact, Arnott had a .83 PPG in Nashville, a strong average in any era. Arnott, a Stanley…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
A high First Round Pick (6th Overall) in 2000, Scott Hartnell, made the team as a rookie, scoring only 16 Points but gaining valuable experience in his limited ice team. It would not be limited after that. Hartnell was a fan favorite (though it would be more so in Philadelphia), and his…
Paul Kariya is best known for his time with the Ducks, but that is not the only organization he ever played for, as the Left Wing played two years for the Predators. Kariya’s best days were behind him when he first suited up for Nashville, but he was still better…
James Neal was a First Team All-Star for Pittsburgh in 2012, and three years later, he was traded to Nashville. Neal was not as productive in terms of Points with Nashville as he was as a Penguin, but he provided depth and leadership to a Predators squad that went to…
Plucked from the Vancouver Canucks in the Expansion Draft, Scott Walker entered the Predators organization with four years of NHL experience under his belt. It was in Nashville where the Right Wing found his greatest success and most time on the ice. Walker had 40 Points in his first full year…
From Sweden, Calle Jarnkrok was a Draft Pick from Detroit who was traded to Nashville before making it to the National Hockey League. As history showed, the Predators were the winners of the transaction. Playing at Center, Jarnkrok debuted for the Predators for 12 Games in the 2013-14 Season before becoming…
Matt Duchesne signed with Nashville in 2019 following ten seasons with Colorado, Ottawa and Columbus. Bringing a veteran presence at Center spent four seasons with the Predators, peaking with a career-best in Goals (43), Points (86) and Shots (229). Duchene scored 56 Points in 2022/23, his last in a Predators…
Greg Johnson was an original Nashville Predator, having been chosen from Chicago in the Expansion Draft. The Predators would be the last NHL team he ever played for, and by far, where he had his greatest individual success. Johnson scored a career-high 50 Points and was a stalwart on the penalty…
As of this writing, Center Colton Sissons has played his entire NHL career with the Nashville Predators, a team he debuted for in 2013. Sissons is a lower line Center who is mainly used on the grinding line, which has worked well for Nashville, but he is capable of lighting…
Undrafted players generally don't make the NHL, but Delaware-born Defenseman, Mark Eaton, defied the odds, making the Philadelphia Flyers a year after signing him. Eaton would then be traded to the Nashville Predators, and he would find his niche as a lockdown Defenseman. Eaton played for the Predators for five years,…
Chris Mason made his NHL debut in the 1998-99 Season, appearing in three Games, and it took another two years before he appeared in another NHL Game, a single one in the 2000-01 campaign. Mason signed with Florida in 2002 but never made it to their main roster and would be…
Cody Franson debuted for the Nashville Predators in 2009, four years after the native of British Columbia was drafted in the Third Round. Franson had a very good rookie year, finishing 11th in Calder voting, with 21 Points and a +15 Plus/Minus. The season after, Franson scored 29 Points with a +10…
Whenever there is a new expansion team in sports, it opens up new opportunities for players struggling to find homes at the elite level. One of the most significant recipients of playing time when the Nashville Predators began operations was Drake Berehowsky, who was traded to the team nine days before…
Nick Bonino played for Anaheim, Vancouver, and Pittsburgh, where he was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion. The Center joined the Predators in 2017, months after he was on the winning side that defeated Nashville in the Finals. Bonino would play for Nashville for three years, playing on the third or fourth…
Kevin Klein played his first 403 Games in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, who selected him in the Second Round in 2003. Klein only played 18 Games for the Predators in his first three years, spending most of his time in the AHL, but by 2008, he was never sent…
Undrafted in 1997, Andy Delmore signed with the Philadelphia Flyers and made the team, bouncing between the parent club and the minors for three years before he proved he belonged as an NHLer. The Flyers dealt him to Nashville for a Third Round Pick, and Delmore responded with two surprising campaigns…