Thanks For Playing: Nashville Predators

Each spring 16 NHL teams play for Lord Stanley's Cup. At the end one team is left holding the cup while the other 15 teams can only think of what might have been.

This is about one of the 15 teams who wasn't so lucky.

Nashville Predators:

How They Finished: 44-27-11  99 points
2nd in Central Division, 5th in Western Conference 

What Went Wrong: 

Ryan Kesler.

That name alone is the reason why Nashville's season is over.

Kesler was responsible for 11 of the 14 goals scored in the series against the Predators. He scored 5 goals against Nashville with two of them being game winners. (Game three & Game four)

But Kesler's scoring wasn't the only thing that stood out. He also had 24 shots, 12 takeaways, 16 hits and a 105-73 record on faceoffs. His play confirmed what I thought Nashville biggest problem would be in the series.

Their defense wasn't deep enough to stop both the Sedin twins & Kesler.

The tandem of Shea Weber & Ryan Suter did a great job keeping the Sedins in check holding them to only 2 goals & 5 assists in the series but the rest of the team had no answers for Kesler or the rest of the Canucks.

The Canucks were a much deeper team than Nashville & while the Predators did play well in the series they didn't have the players to keep with Vancouver.

Where Do They Go From Here: 

Despite losing the series the Predators should feel good about how things went this season.

They won a playoff series for the 1st time in franchise history and they have a good nucleus of talent to build around.

Pekka Rinne looks like he will be the next elite goaltender in the NHL. Weber & Suter proved with their play that they can successfully match up against any of the top players in the NHL.

What the Predators could use is someone who can score goals. Shea Weber led the team in goals with 16 this season while three other players finished 2nd on the team with 10 goals each.

Joel Ward led Nashville in the playoffs with seven goals but is a free agent. Nashville's projected cap space is $18.5 million so they should be able to afford him while looking for another goal scorer either via trade or free agency.

Nashville is a well coached team that was finally able to take the next step this season. Their core players are locked up for the next couple years and they aren't that far away from being an elite team in the NHL.

If you are a Predators fan there is a lot to be positive about.