Exploring Gustav Nyquist’s potential impact as a Predator

A season or two ago, I remember thinking that Gustav Nyquist, then a Red Wing, would be a solid fit at the trade deadline. Nyquist has since then suited up for the Sharks, the Blue Jackets, and the Wild. In this year’s postseason with the Wild, he potted 5 assists. When I heard that Nyquist signed with the Preds, I was relatively neutral–Nyquist has a lot of opportunity to both score and lead in the 615.

Nyquist, 33 years old, will provide some veteran experience in the middle of Nashville’s lineup. Nyquist hasn’t exactly lost a step in the last few years as much as he’s not really found a great team that he fits with. He can contribute on the power play, although I’d rather he not. He can kill penalties and can take a faceoff or two. The adjective that best fits him would be “versatile,” and even though he’s got some years on the young 20-year olds in Nashville, it’s likely he could be a neat fit.

Nyquist’s new contract with Nashville is a clear signal that the Predators aren’t going into a full rebuild, but the term “rebuild” has been defined so differently across the NHL that it’s difficult to ascertain what a rebuild actually is. Does Barry Trotz simply want his younger players to win a little more often than they lose? Rebuilds are painful…but Nashville’s version of a rebuild might not be.

If Nyquist can regain some of the form he had with the Red Wings, we might get some value out of him. Bryan noted in his overview of Nyquist that Nyquist’s play isn’t exactly trending up. He takes a lot of penalties, and that’s a little scary for a team that will have a bunch of youngsters on the penalty kill. As noted in several other outlets, Nyquist will have to stay healthy in order to make an impact in Nashville. He doesn’t have tremendous size, but on the wing of a young center, Nyquist can certainly put the puck in the net.

Andy & Rono have more here:

The upside here is that the contract is just two years. Nyquist has been noted as someone who is fairly responsible defensively, so we’re not looking at a pure scorer. I’m not sure he’s worth just over $3 million a season, but I’d be glad to be proven wrong.

Trotz commented to the Nashville Post that he’s looking for serial winners. Is Nyquist someone who can come to Nashville and help win a Cup? He must fit into that group in Trotz’s mind, along with Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn. Trotz even floated the idea of putting Nyquist next to newly re-signed center Cody Glass. Other players who’d benefit from Nyquist’s speed would be Luke Evangelista (can you imagine the speed of that line?) and Kiefer Sherwood. Nyquist would provide a veteran linemate for these young guys. And, for a team looking to get faster, Nyquist is your guy. Former OTFer Nick tweeted this over the weekend:

It seems that Nyquist is part of a group of veterans that Trotz envisions as a guiding group for the younger Predators. Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, and Juuse Saros are joined by Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Schenn, and now Gustav Nyquist. The version of Nyquist that appears on the ice for Nashville is the biggest question. Are we looking at an older player who can’t find his footing? Or could he be a catalyst and guiding force? Even if Nyquist’s play isn’t great, Trotz clearly pictures a few seasons that feature the Swede in the Nashville locker room.

Nyquist arrived in Nashville on Wednesday and the team’s PR folks added this video of him:

At best, Nyquist is a speedy winger on a reasonable contract. At worst, Nyquist will take up a roster spot unless he is scratched or traded elsewhere. Often maligned in Detroit for being inconsistent, Nyquist has developed into a reliable player that we should not worry about in the lineup. I’m hopeful for the former Red Wing to make an early impact with Nashville, and while it’ll be hard to measure his impact off the ice, I’d like to see some game-winning goals from the Swedish forward.

Maybe Nyquist himself doesn’t lift the Cup in Nashville, but perhaps the players he skated with will. If the fit is rough but there is good production, could Nyquist become trade bait? Sure. What if the fit is great? EVEN BETTER. I’m not sure what the future holds, but what the Preds have right now is a quick-skating winger who can put the puck in the net.