Predators Will Have Top UFA Defensemen on Radar to Upgrade Back-End

It is a big loss to lose Ryan McDonagh after putting in great work this season, but the Nashville Predators have a ton of money and potential targets in free agency to fill that void.

The free agent crop this summer is nothing to overlook like past years. There are going to be some very good top-4 d-men and a lot of other second pairing or bottom pairing upgrades the team can target as well.

The top-6 defensemen listed for the Predators right now are Roman Josi, Dante Fabbro, Jeremy Lauzon, Luke Schenn, Spencer Stastney, and Marc Del Gaizo. That is a downgrade from last season and Nashville is going to need someone who can play more minutes and has more proven experience.

Related: Early Look at Predators' Blueline After McDonagh Trade

I am fine with Del Gaizo starting as the seventh defenseman and/or Schenn being in and out of the lineup next season. Del Gaizo is inexperienced and still has to learn the NHL while Schenn was less effective as the season went on.

While a top-4 addition to the back-end is a must, we'll also take a look at options to upgrade the bottom pairing at the same time.

Top-4 Defensive Targets for Nashville

There are four options that stand out as the best of the best available for the Predators this offseason. Two come from the Carolina Hurricanes with Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei while there's veteran Chris Tanev and bounce-back candidate Brandon Montour.

Pesce has been such a huge piece for the Hurricanes the last number of years. He is one of the game's elite shutdown defenders who plays the right side and kills penalties very well. The 29-year-old won't produce points, but will easily log over 20 minutes a night and limit chances.

Pesce and Skjei both have stellar analytical numbers across the board. It helps that they are on the Hurricanes, but their contributions help with the team's success greatly. Skjei is more offensive, putting up 13 goals and 47 points, but he is the only one of the four elite options that plays the left side.

As the right side needs the upgrade much more, this might slightly play a factor. I don't believe it should as McDonagh was a left shot d-man as well and that turned out fine pushing someone over to their off-side. These two made up half of the top-4 in Carolina, which has been a very good team for a number of years. Though the system is different in Nashville, there would be a lot of good habits brought over from Carolina.

Tanev is proving just what kind of elite shutdown defenseman he is through the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Dallas Stars without a doubt made the right decision to add him at the deadline as he shut down Jack Eichel at 5-on-5 in the first round and Nathan MacKinnon in the second round. Tanev is on the older side at age 34, but a contract for him doesn't have to be lengthy. The good news is injuries weren't really a factor for him this season and he looks at the top of his game.

Montour took a while to get going this season as he was coming off a season-opening injury. Now in the playoffs he looks like he is back to peak performance. The Florida Panthers will have the first crack at re-signing him, but if he's too costly or chooses to test free agency, the Predators should go after him hard.

Montour adds the element of offense from the back-end that the team hasn't had throughout their pairings and can control a game when he is on. Though he had eight goals and 33 points in 66 games this season, he had 16 goals and 73 points in 80 games the season prior and finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting.

Secondary Defensive Options for the Predators

While the bag should be thrown at those players to ensure the team brings in at least one, there are some strong secondary options for the back-end the Predators can fall back on or go after as well as a top dog.

Related: McDonagh Trade by Nashville May Have Selfishly Assisted in Making Stamkos a UFA to Sign

There are a couple defensemen that would be good options for many teams, but might not fit in right with the Predators. These two would be Shayne Gostisbehere and Nikita Zadorov. Gostisbehere would be on his off-side on the third pairing and he needs power play time. With Josi on the team, the offensive defenseman wouldn't be as impactful. As for Zadorov, he takes risks that don't always pay off, and when it comes to physicality, the Predators have Lauzon. Zadorov is also going to be a little more costly than he's worth after the playoffs he had I believe.

Now some solid options to add for less money or as a secondary option include Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Matt Roy, Sean Walker, Ilya Lyubushkin, or even bring back Alexandre Carrier if possible. He was kept to hopefully get a contract done and he had a strong playoffs.

Josi and Ryan O'Reilly aren't getting any younger and the future of Juuse Saros is uncertain. This would be the offseason to make waves and see how much better the Predators can get to have a shot at the Stanley Cup.

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