Predators Grades: Offseason Signings Underwhelming at Midseason

Barry Trotz and the Nashville Predators sought to build on an impressive 2023-24 season, adding multiple big names in hopes of expanding on their Stanley Cup aspirations.

A 47-30-5 record saw Nashville stun the NHL with a 99-point, wildcard spot finish in Andrew Brunette’s first year as head coach, but it all fell to the wayside after a six-game, first-round exit at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Trotz added over $100 million in contracts to the Predators’ cupboard in free agency, and all he has to show for it is 33 points and a 13-21-7 record that sits Nashville two spots from the NHL’s basement.

Let’s break down the best and worst from Trotz so far from the Predators’ 2024 free agent class.

Nick Blankenberg: B

After leaving the Columbus Blue Jackets and signing a two-year, $1.55 million contract on the third day of free agency on July 3, Nick Blankenburg has emerged as a pleasant surprise for the slumping Predators.

The undrafted Michigan product has stepped up in the face of injuries, playing 19 games for the Predators this season and recording two goals, two assists, and four points. Blankenburg’s plus-9 plus-minus rating also paces the Predators by a significant margin.

For an undersized depth defenseman, the 26-year-old Blankenburg has played admirably well for a Predators team well-versed in the doldrums of the NHL this season.

Jonathan Marchessault: B-

After a slow start, former Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Marchessault is one of the few free agent signings that have worked out for Trotz and the Predators so far.

Since Dec. 1, the 34-year-old has 10 goals, eight assists, and 18 points in 16 games, leading the team in goals and points during that span. Surprisingly, noted playmaker Filip Forsberg has just one goal but 16 assists across the same period of time.

Back to Marchessault: The five-year, $27.5 million contract he signed with Nashville at his age has to be daunting for Predators fans, but he’s already in his mid-30s and has not slowed down just yet unless we include the slow start.

Marchessault has quickly ascended to second on the Predators in scoring behind Forsberg with 14 goals, 16 assists, and 30 points in 41 games. Marchessault, one of Vegas’s original “misfits”, lives for the big game. As long as the Predators can remain even slightly competitive, Marchessault should continue to bring positive value on the ice.

Steven Stamkos: C-

When the Tampa Bay Lightning let Steven Stamkos, their longtime captain and future Hockey Hall of Famer, walk in free agency, they raised lots of eyebrows and drew lots of eyeballs. Negatively so.

So far, it looks like Julien Brisebois and the Lightning were right.

Stamkos, 34, signed a whopping four-year, $32 million contract in free agency, and for his $8 million cap hit, the Predators have squeezed only 12 goals, 13 assists, and 25 points out of him in 41 games.

The two-time 50-goal-scorer has just five goals and eight assists at even strength, so Stamkos’s decline is evidenced by his reliance on producing on the power play.

For instance, in his last year in Tampa Bay a season ago, Stamkos had 21 goals and 21 assists at even strength and 19 goals and 20 assists on the power play. Right now, the NHL legend is not even on track to reach half of some of those totals, and he’ll be 38 years old when his contract expires in 2028.

If anyone can turn things around, Stamkos can, but his days as a top-line player already appear to be firmly in the rearview mirror.

Brady Skjei: D-

Brady Skjei signed one of the largest contracts on the open market of this year’s free agent class, inking a seven-year, $49 million pact on July 1, but he’s flattered to deceive for most of his short tenure in Nashville thus far.

Switching from Rod Brind’Amour’s system to Brunette’s system is no small task, especially not for a 30-year-old rearguard like Skjei. After scoring 31 goals and a total of 85 points for the Carolina Hurricanes over the last two seasons, Skjei has managed only three goals, 10 assists, and 13 points in 41 games.

In short, the Lakeville, Mn., native has fallen a long way from being the two-way threat that made him such a smash hit in Carolina and New York in prior years.

Skjei’s long-term, big-money deal is already looking like one of 2024’s worst, but he has the talent and the experience to work through a slow first half and show his true value to Nashville.

Scott Wedgewood: Incomplete

Although he signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Predators on the first day of free agency on July 1, Scott Wedgewood has already been shipped out of town.

The 32-year-old journeyman played only five games for the Predators, posting a 1-2-1 record to the tune of a 3.69 GAA and a .878 save percentage.

So, Trotz cut bait with Wedgewood, sending him to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Justus Annunen and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

And, for the sake of comparison, Annunen is 3-2-0 in Music City with a 2.28 GAA and a .930 save percentage.

Wedgewood had the unenviable task of stepping up to the plate for the Predators and replacing departed top prospect Yaroslav Askarov, who is now finding success at the NHL level with the San Jose Sharks. He gets an incomplete grade as he was only in Nashville for a cup of coffee at the end of the day.

Vinnie Hinostroza: C

With only five games played at the NHL level so far this year, Vinnie Hinostroza hardly qualifies for this list, but he gets kudos from us for making the 2025 AHL All-Star Roster.

Due to injuries, Hinostroza, 30, has been pressed into action in Nashville, appearing in each of the Predators’ last five games. The journeyman, who is now with his sixth NHL franchise, has one assist so far on top of his 11 goals, 22 assists, and 33 points in 26 AHL games with the Milwaukee Admirals.

With Luke Evangelista set to be out for a while, it would seem likely that Hinostroza will remain with the big club for the foreseeable future, but the Predators still need to work out the injury situation on defense, too.

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