The 2025-26 Predators: Bounce-Back Season or More Heartbreak?
After a brutal 30-44-8 finish in 2024-25 — dead last in goals per game — Nashville is in a delicate balancing act heading toward the playoff bubble. Filip Forsberg remains the engine, sitting at 53 points through 65 games and carrying an offense that ranked 31st league-wide a year ago. Roman Josi returned from a scary early-season upper-body injury (confirmed unrelated to his POTS diagnosis) and has racked up nine points across 12 straight games since coming back. Fedor Svechkov is growing into the No. 2 center role, and 20-year-old Matthew Wood adds the kind of high-ceiling upside Andrew Brunette needs. GM Barry Trotz's announced retirement at season's end adds a front-office wildcard to an already pivotal year in Smashville.
Catfish, Loud Chants, and the Most Electric Barn in the NHL
Predators fans throw catfish onto the ice during playoff runs — a Nashville-born counter to Detroit's octopus tradition, first documented in 2003 and now one of hockey's most iconic rituals. On any given night at Bridgestone Arena, 17,159 fans are on their feet chanting 'Let's Go Preds' with a volume and energy that's earned the building a reputation as one of the loudest in the league. The arena sits blocks from Lower Broadway's honky-tonk strip, and the city's bar-district chaos bleeds right into puck drop. Whether you're a die-hard or a first-timer who wandered in off Broadway, Smashville grabs you.
Nashville vs. Detroit: A Rivalry Built on Catfish and Pride
The Predators-Red Wings rivalry cuts deeper than divisional points — it's a culture war on ice. Nashville's famous catfish-throwing playoff tradition was born directly as a counter-statement to Detroit's octopus ritual, giving this matchup a layer of identity that no other rivalry in the NHL can match. Josi even buried a goal in a 6-3 Predators win over Detroit earlier this season, which felt like a statement. The Dallas Stars push for Central Division positioning every year, and Winnipeg's physical Jets are always in Nashville's way in the wild card race, but Detroit is where the soul of Smashville's fan identity lives.
Preds Fans, You Need a Smarter Way to Follow This Team
Following the 2025-26 Predators means tracking Josi's health daily, monitoring Saros's save percentage trends, decoding whether Stamkos and Marchessault have finally found their footing in Nashville, and keeping tabs on whether Brunette is buying or selling at the trade deadline. That's a lot of noise to cut through. Scoutcast delivers a personalized audio Predators briefing every morning — Forsberg's latest stats, Svechkov's ice-time trends, Central Division standings, and the moves that actually matter. Skip the scroll. Just hit play and know your Preds before you walk out the door.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Predators opened the 2025-26 season on Oct. 9 hosting Columbus and close it April 16 against Anaheim at Bridgestone Arena. The 82-game slate included a trip to Stockholm for the NHL Global Series in November and an Olympic break in February for Josi and Saros.
Nashville is hovering around the playoff bubble in the tough Western Conference. The Preds finished 30th in 2024-25 and need Saros to bounce back and the offense to improve significantly from last year's 31st-ranked goals-per-game output to punch their ticket in April.
Forsberg has 28 goals and 25 assists for 53 points through 65 games in 2025-26, once again leading the Predators in scoring. He's the team's offensive engine — last season he led Nashville with 76 points (31G, 45A) in 82 games, ranking 11th in the NHL in goals over the past two seasons.
Josi missed 12 games early in the 2025-26 season with an upper-body injury — confirmed unrelated to his POTS diagnosis. He has since returned and logged nine points across 12 straight games, reclaiming his spot on the top pairing and first power-play unit.
Preds fans throw catfish onto the ice during playoff games as a Nashville twist on Detroit's famous octopus ritual, first documented in 2003. It's become one of the most distinctive fan traditions in hockey and a core part of Smashville's identity.
Stamkos had a disappointing first year in Nashville with 53 points in 2024-25, well below his Tampa Bay production. The Predators and coach Andrew Brunette are counting on a bounce-back 2025-26 campaign from the veteran captain now that he's had a full year to settle in.
Svechkov is in his second NHL season as Nashville's No. 2 center behind Ryan O'Reilly. After 17 points in 52 rookie games, he's seeing expanded ice time in 2025-26 and is viewed as one of the key pillars of the Predators' long-term offensive rebuild alongside Matthew Wood.