Filip Forsberg keeps stacking seasons that only deepen his case as the best forward in Nashville Predators history, and the 31-year-old enters his 15th NHL season with another big year in play.
Forsberg already owns the franchise records for both all-time goals and single-season goals, sitting at 358 and 58. That total of 358 goals also puts him sixth among Swedish NHL players, a reminder that his production has reached well beyond Nashville’s walls. Even with that résumé, he’s still often talked about as one of the league’s most underrated stars.
His rise started in earnest in his first full season with the Predators in 2014-15, when he scored 26 goals and finished with 63 points to place fourth in Calder Trophy voting. He pushed higher the next year with 33 goals and 64 points, then became a major piece of Nashville’s 2017 Stanley Cup Finals run with nine goals, seven assists and a +14 differential.
After that, the goal totals kept coming. Forsberg posted three straight 20-goal seasons, then put up 32 points in the shortened 2019-20 campaign. The next season was his best scoring year at the time: 42 goals and 84 points, his first point-per-game season.
In 2022-23, a concussion limited him to 32 missed games, and he finished with 19 goals and 42 points. He answered with a new career high the following season, producing 48 goals and 94 points.
Even in a tough 2024-25 season for Nashville, Forsberg still delivered 31 goals and 45 assists. Last season brought his third 40-goal campaign, though his point total dipped to 75.
There’s reason to think more is coming. Nashville’s top six now includes Luke Evangelista, Ryan O'Reilly and recently acquired Mavrik Bourque, giving Forsberg more help around him and more chances to pile up goals and assists as the Predators try to make a playoff push.
The current lineup projection from Daily Faceoff has Forsberg as the second-line left winger alongside Matthew Wood and Bourque, and that setup makes sense for Nashville. Steven Stamkos, O'Reilly and Evangelista produced stronger numbers than any other Predators trio last season, so spreading the offense around is a sensible move. It also keeps the scoring threat balanced, especially after both Forsberg and Stamkos reached at least 40 goals last season.
Wood and Bourque fit Forsberg well, too. All three are dangerous when they’re working near the net.
Forsberg generates more expected goals around the left circle, Wood does similar work from the other side, and Bourque operates between them. That should force opponents to deal with multiple shooters instead of locking in on one.
Both Wood and Bourque can also pass the puck, which should help that line avoid getting bogged down.
As long as Forsberg keeps getting top power-play minutes, there’s every reason to expect offense. A season in the neighborhood of 40 goals and 70 to 80 points feels well within reach.
In Other News...
Roman Josi Has Predators Fans Facing Their Toughest Debate Yet
Roman Josi has spent so long at the center of the Nashville Predators' identity that it is hard to imagine the franchise without him. He is the longest-tenured player in team history and owns several of the clubs biggest records, the kind of resume that usually makes a player untouchable in the eyes of a fan base.
Still, the harder conversation around Josi has nothing to do with what he has done for Nashville and everything to do with what he has not yet gotten to chase. For a player with his stature and a Hall of Fame-caliber legacy in the making, the question of whether he should someday get a better chance at a Stanley Cup has begun to surface, even if there is no trade heat building around him right now. [Read more 🡒]