There were more than a few raised eyebrows when the National Hockey League awarded an expansion team to Nashville more than 30 years ago. Expanding into Florida, a popular destination for Canadian snowbirds, made sense. Putting teams in growing metropolises like Dallas and Phoenix also made sense, even if many hockey fans objected to existing teams being relocated to those locales.
But Nashville wasn’t seen as the same type of destination at the time, which was also well ahead of legal Tennessee sports betting.
However, the city embraced its new team, and aside from the time a Canadian billionaire openly tried to buy the team and move it to Hamilton, Ontario, the Nashville Predators have enjoyed a relatively peaceful and successful existence in Tennessee since the first puck dropped in 1998.
As we reach the end of the 2024-25 season, BetTennessee has created an All Quarter-Century Team for the Predators. We used Hockey-Reference.com point shares statistic to identify the top four Predators who played center, left wing and right wing as well as the top six defensemen and top two goalies. Only stats since 2000 were considered for this team.
The players listed below are the main contributors to a franchise that’s enjoyed 19 winning seasons and 16 postseason trips since 2000. The only thing missing has been a Stanley Cup, although the Predators did reach the Final in 2017.
Player | Years With Team | Quarter-Century Point Shares |
David Legwand | 2000-2014 | 53.6 |
Ryan Johansen | 2016-2023 | 33.3 |
Jason Arnott | 2006-2010 | 27.9 |
Mike Fisher | 2011-2018 | 26.4 |
Legwand played one game in the Preds’ inaugural season and was a mainstay through the team’s first 15 years in the Music City. He scored 20 or more goals five times during his tenure with the Predators and ranks second on the team’s all-time goals list.
Player | Years With Team | Quarter-Century Point Shares |
Filip Forsberg | 2012-Present | 80.6 |
Martin Erat | 2001-2013 | 48.2 |
Viktor Arvidsson | 2014-2021 | 29.7 |
James Neal | 2014-2017 | 18.5 |
Among the forwards, there is no doubt that Forsberg has been the best to don a Predators sweater. He’s the all-time leading goal scorer with 318 and ranks second in points at 681. The Swede has also tallied another 31 goals and 28 assists in 81 postseason games.
Player | Years With Team | Quarter-Century Point Shares |
Craig Smith | 2011-2020 | 39.3 |
Steve Sullivan | 2003-2011 | 29.0 |
J.P. Dumont | 2006-2011 | 28.6 |
Patric Hornqvist | 2008-2014 | 27.4 |
Smith, by virtue of having the longest tenure, tops this list, although he also played center for the Predators. His 162 goals rank sixth all-time for Nashville.
Player | Years With Team | Quarter-Century Point Shares |
Roman Josi | 2011-Present | 120.9 |
Shea Weber | 2005-2016 | 89.1 |
Ryan Ellis | 2011-2021 | 56.5 |
Mattias Ekholm | 2011-2023 | 56.0 |
Kimmo Timonen | 2000-2007 | 47.9 |
Ryan Suter | 2005-2012 | 46.0 |
When your hockey team brands itself “Smashville,” then it’s a pretty good indication that the team embraces defense, and these six players have been among the best blueliners in recent years. That said, Josi is also a very good offensive player, as fans across Tennessee betting apps know well. The former Norris Trophy winner is Nashville’s all-time assists leader with 534 and points scorer at 724.
Weber began his Hall of Fame career in Nashville and represented the Predators in five All-Star games. He also ranks in the top five for goals, assists and total points in franchise history.
Player | Years With Team | Quarter-Century Point Shares |
Pekka Rinne | 2005-2021 | 123.8 |
Juuse Saros | 2015-Present | 79.9 |
The Predators’ success over the past two decades has been in large part due to Rinne and Saros. Rinne won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best netminder in 2018, when he went 42-13-4 with a league-high eight shutouts. He finished in the top five in voting for Vezina three other times.
Saros, who emerged as a quite capable No. 1 goalie in recent years, has been a workhorse in the crease. He led the NHL in games played by a goalie in 2021-22 (67, all starts), 2022-23 (64, 63 starts) and 2023-24 (64, all starts) and finished in the top five in Vezina voting in each of those seasons.
USA today photo by Christopher Hanewinckel.
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
