After finishing the 2022-23 season with a three-game cup of coffee with the Minnesota Wild that ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Stars, Gustav Nyquist is now a Nashville Predator. As this free agent season begins, he has signed a two-year deal worth $6.37 million, an average cap hit of $3.185 million that takes him through the 2024-25 season.
Nyquist is a typically reliable, versatile forward who will look to bounce back after a down year split between Minnesota and the Columbus Blue Jackets. He also has not had any real playoff success since a run to the Western Conference Final as part of the San Jose Sharks back in 2019 and will be itching for another shot.
How Nyquist Fits with the Predators
The Swedish winger will turn 34 in September, suggesting his production will be on a downward slide, and there is some evidence of that. Last season, in 51 games, he scored 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points. Typically, he would score between 15 and 20 goals and about double last season’s point total. Two seasons ago, he did just that with 18 goals, 53 points for Columbus in 2021-22.
Even though his production was down last season, there was a spark once he arrived in Minnesota before last season’s trade deadline. In his three regular-season appearances with the Wild, he scored a goal and picked up four assists. And that spike in offense came despite averaging three fewer minutes (14:41) than he played with Columbus last season. His playmaking prowess maintained that momentum, as he picked up five assists in the six-game, first-round loss to Dallas.
So, Nyquist still has his hockey smarts and can put up assist-heavy points. But don’t count on him putting up 20 or 25 goals the way he did in his days in Detroit. However, one thing he did add to his game while playing in Columbus was a lethality while killing penalties that he didn’t display in his younger days. Over the last three seasons, he scored seven shorthanded goals, including four in 2021-22, ranking third in the NHL. This gives the Predators another useful tool.
Final Thoughts
A day after the Predators bought out the remainder of Matt Duchene’s eight-year contract, they made several moves as free agency opened. They added Luke Schenn, Ryan O’Reilly, and then Nyquist. After a disappointing 2022-23 where the team missed the playoffs, they are looking to get right back into the hunt, not just to make the postseason, but to contend for the Cup. The franchise has never won it all, and the closest it came was a Final loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.
O’Reilly is a critical addition that played for the St. Louis Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup championship, and Nyquist adds some middle-six depth on the wing. With Roman Josi leading on defense joined now by Schenn, they will have a formidable blue line, and if they can get a bounce-back year from Filip Forsberg, the additions of O’Reilly and Nyquist should help stabilize the offense.
All that remains to be seen is whether the acquisitions are, particularly Nyquist’s, worth the price.
More must-reads: