Nashville Predators: Are Josi and Subban the Perfect Match?
The Nashville Predators are used to having a solid defensive group guard their blueline. How much will it change after exchanging superstars in the offseason?
The Nashville Predators have already been lit up by the presence and hype of P.K. Subban, so it’s no surprise that the idea of P.K. and Roman Josi playing together makes me ooze with Christmas Eve joy- and anxiety.
The wait for the home opener against Chicago can’t get here soon enough because Smashville knows it’s going to be the start of something incredible at Bridgestone Arena.
Let’s go over how Weber and Josi’s pairing went last season. As we all clearly remember, Shea Weber is known for having a booming slap shot. And when you win the All-Star Game’s hardest slap shot contest then it’s not crazy to think some defensemen might be getting out of the way when he winds up.
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That left Josi as the trigger man in that relationship. He has the speed and quickness that allowed him to attack if he wanted, or to help set up the offense- both of which he did regularly last season.
Josi would lead the charge into the offensive zone and Shea would skate behind him and wait back at the blueline. Nothing wrong with that. In Peter Laviolette‘s system, he wants his defensemen to attack. So if Josi attacked there was a safety net of Shea Weber behind him, but if he chose to rotate the puck around he could help set up Weber for the one-timer.
Weber finished last season with 20 goals, 14 of them coming on the powerplay. Josi had 47 assists, 18 of which were notched on the powerplay. Seeing a pattern?
I’m not going to assume all Shea’s goals were contributed by Josi, but I think it’s safe to say he had a huge part in it. His speed, vision, and relationship with Weber allowed him to know how and where to place the puck for Shea’s deadly strike.
P.K. Subban, however, is no Shea Weber. And vise versa. These are two elite defensemen for different reasons. Subban isn’t a guy who skates behind and waits to be fed the puck. In fact, he’s exactly like Josi.
He’s fast, loves to attack, and you know what? He’s got a pretty sweet slap shot himself. The biggest question- is it possible to have too much of one thing? Will playing two guys who join the rush and attack on the same line going to cause defensive lulls?
My answer: Not an issue, because we have a line like that now. Right below Josi and Subban are two defensemen who deserve just as much praise. Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis.
Both of these guys were huge for our offensive boost last year, being a fun duo to watch all season long. Ekholm had 8 goals and 27 assists in 82 games while Ellis had 10 goals 22 assists in 79 games last season.
P.K. Subban (76) Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
These two have a great chemistry together that you can see it when they play, and you’d be crazy if you didn’t believe these two were extremely talented in the offensive zone. So if Ekholm and Ellis can find success together as two offensive defensemen, why can’t Josi and Subban? Both of these defensemen had a common ally.
Both of these defensemen had a common ally- Andrei Markov and Shea Weber. Weber was Josi’s safety net, just as Markov was Subban’s in Montreal. So how do they avoid any slip ups?
The key to adjusting their game to one another’s skill set is one simple thing: Communication. It’s easier said than done, but in any sport communication is what makes the world go round. Josi and Subban must communicate who goes on the rush and who needs to stay behind, they need to communicate who will quarterback the powerplay, and they need to communicate if something breaks down on defense. These are two smart individuals who can be game changers together, and all they have to do is learn each
Josi and Subban must communicate who goes on the rush and who needs to stay behind. They need to communicate who will quarterback the powerplay. They need to communicate if something breaks down on defense.
These are two smart individuals who can be game changers together, and all they have to do is learn each other’s mannerisms on the ice and learn to communicate. They know this.
The Nashville Predators are lucky to have two of the best defensemen in the world as a possible first line pairing. If they work hard on their chemistry, there is no reason we should worry. Instead, we should get to see The Greatest Show on Ice scoring goals and leading us deep into the playoffs.
When paired up with a new partner there will always be some growing pains, but once you break through great things will happen. Roman Josi and P.K. Subban are going to provide great moments and some incredible strides in their first season together for the Nashville Predators.
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