The Nashville Predators‘ ever-dwindling hopes of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs reached an end on Monday night, with a 3–2 loss against the San Jose Sharks on home ice and a 5-3 win for the Los Angeles Kings.
While the team made a valiant late-season push with four wins in the previous six games heading into the contest, they ultimately fell short of the postseason, making Thursday’s home season finale against the Anaheim Ducks a meaningless game for their future this season.
By missing a shot at the Stanley Cup this spring, it marked the third time in the last four seasons and the second consecutive campaign that they have not made the playoffs. The last time the Predators qualified, they were eliminated in the first round by the Vancouver Canucks in 2024.
At the same time, it also extends a dire decade for the Predators. Since falling in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, the team has qualified for the postseason only five times, winning just one round in 2018 and none since.
Heading into the 2025-26 campaign, expectations were measured for Nashville, having struggled to hit form in 2024-25, despite shelling out major contracts to Steven Stamkos, among others.
This season’s campaign also marked a transition period for the team, with Barry Trotz announcing he would step down as general manager at season’s end, sparking the club’s search for a third GM in franchise history.
On the ice, both Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly led offensive efforts, cresting the 70-point mark, while Stamkos rebounded from a dismal 2024-25, boasting a 40-goal season and 63 points by the end of Monday’s contest.
Behind the bench, the season also marked the penultimate year of head coach Andrew Brunette’s contract, which is set to expire after the upcoming 2026-27 season, but also includes an option for the 2027-28 campaign, should the new GM stick with him and his coaching staff.
