Filip Forsberg is heading to Toronto as the Nashville Predators‘ 2024 NHL All-Star representative. He joins the 32-player group representing their respective teams participating in the All-Star festivities between Feb. 1-3.
Related: Predators’ Filip Forsberg Named 2024 NHL All-Star
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Aside from the one player per team selection process, a fan vote will decide the remaining 12 players (eight skaters and four goalies) joining their fellow NHLers in Toronto, regardless of team. With the potential for more than one Predator to play in this year’s All-Star game, let’s look at two players deserving of some All-Star votes.
Ryan O’Reilly
The Predator’s big free-agent signing from the summer is the obvious choice to join his teammate in Toronto should fans vote for a second player from Nashville. Ryan O’Reilly quickly filled the vacant number-one center role, providing a solid two-way presence while improving the Predators’ power play.
O’Reilly’s case is clear. On the Predators, he is second in goals (15) and points (35), fourth in assists (20) and leads the team in takeaways (36) and faceoff percentage (51.97) among players to take more than 20 draws. He has an expected goals for percentage (xGF%) of 54.50, a 51.63% Corsi For, and has become the perfect partner for Forsberg under head coach Andrew Brunette’s system. Additionally, O’Reilly has logged the third-most power play minutes on the team, the sixth-most on the penalty kill — third among forwards — and is second in ice time in all situations.
O’Reilly is an all-situation top-six forward who grabbed the first-line center spot by the horns and his first half of the 2023-24 season has gone as well as any Predators fan could’ve hoped. He’s helped the team return to playoff contention, and even though the Western Conference is a dogfight, he and the Predators show no signs of slowing down.
O’Reilly’s All-Star case falls short of the resume of William Nylander, Mikko Rantanen, Mika Zibanejad, a slew of Vancouver Canucks forwards, and other players are piecing together for fans to pick between. However, he still deserves some votes and recognition for everything he brings to the Predators.
Roman Josi
The Predators’ captain last made the All-Star game during the 2021-22 season, where Roman Josi was in the midst of a career-defining 23-goal, 96-point campaign. This season, the former Norris…
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