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News: 3 Former Predators Defensive Draft Picks Set to Dominate in Playoffs
For a very long time, the Nashville Predators have been known for their excellent defenseman draft selection. The impact of these D-men has been felt throughout the league regardless of whether they are retired, currently playing for their teams, or competing in the playoffs.
The Predators have drafted a lot of good defensemen throughout the years, and it is unrealistic to imagine they could have kept them all. Thus, three defenseman selected by Nashville in the 2024 draft are now competing for Stanley Cup contenders in addition to playoff clubs. Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Suter, and Sam Girard are among them.
Ekholm is the most influential of the three. We shall begin there. At the 2023 trade deadline, he was the group’s d-man and was most recently traded to the Edmonton Oilers. There was some selling done before to the trade deadline in the previous season because it didn’t seem like the Predators would make the playoffs. Ekholm is the star of the show for now, even if the Predators did receive more in return from the Oilers, including two first round selections, and the defense is very packed.
Mattias Ekholm
Ekholm is the most influential of the three. We shall begin there. At the 2023 trade deadline, he was the group’s d-man and was most recently traded to the Edmonton Oilers. There was some selling done before to the trade deadline in the previous season because it didn’t seem like the Predators would make the playoffs. Ekholm is the star of the show for now, even if the Predators did receive more in return from the Oilers, including two first round selections, and the defense is very packed.
With a +72 since the trade from the previous season, he leads the NHL and is performing admirably all over the rink. He has offensively regressed by around five years, but he has kept all of the skills that have made him a dominant shutdown number one d-man. When Ekholm and Bouchard are together on the ice, they have established themselves as the Oilers’ top pairing and continue to dominate play.
Without the Swede, the Oilers would not be where they are now, and if both teams make it to the second round, Nashville may have the misfortune of playing against him and Edmonton. The Predators selected Ekholm in the fourth round of the 2009 draft, and it was an incredible steal.
Currently 39 years old, Ryan Suter is in his 19th NHL season. Despite his role becoming more less as he ages, he continues to make contributions to his team, the Dallas Stars. Suter once garnered votes for the Norris Trophy in ten straight seasons between the ages of 25 and 34. Now, he is a third pairing defenseman on one of the Stanley Cup favorites this season.
Despite his reduced ice time, he continues to play a significant role in the team and serves as a terrific mentor to Nils Lundkvist, a 23-year-old who plays next to him. Suter continues to play physically, block shots, and kill penalties. This season, the Stars are seen as having a very deep roster.
Sam Girard
Of the three players the Predators selected in the draft, Sam Girard was the most recent, having been chosen in the second round in 2016. At the age of 19, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche just five games into his NHL debut, and he has been an important part of the team ever since.
Girard’s role on the Avalanche for the previous seven seasons illustrates exactly what Nashville sacrificed in a gifted and speedy young defenseman, therefore this was by no means a favorable trade for the Predators. Additionally, it kept demonstrating the Predators’ scouting and progress within the company. It also expressed optimism for players like Girard to keep rising to the surface the way they have.
Girard, regrettably, had a concussion a week ago and is currently out. But recovery times from that kind of injury are erratic. The Avalanche’s back end is perhaps the finest in the league when healthy, so they could really use him back in the lineup.
It’s likely that the Predators will face two or three of these former defensemen this postseason. These defensemen are just a few examples of the kind of NHL players the Predators will continue to produce and whose influence is being felt throughout the league.
