The Nashville Predators made one of the offseason’s most eye-catching moves on July 1, sending Mavrik Bourque and Ilya Lyubushkin to Broadway in exchange for a 2027 2nd-round pick and a 2028 3rd-round pick. It was an unusual way to open free agency day, but it gave Nashville one of the more discussed young players from that offseason.
Now, about 15% of the way into the season, the early returns on Bourque are still waiting to show up on the scoreboard.
Last year with the Dallas Stars, Bourque delivered 41 points, finishing with 20 goals and 21 assists in his second full NHL season. He averaged about 15:29 of ice time per game and started roughly 51% of his shifts in the defensive zone. That was a solid foundation.
This season has started much slower. Through 13 games, Bourque has only three assists and no goals. That’s not a disaster, but it does stand out when stacked against other offseason additions such as Nils Hoglander, Alex Kerfoot, Adam Edstrom, Ross Colton and Jack Druy.
Part of the adjustment is role-related. Bourque has mostly played center in the NHL, but with the Predators he’s been used there only some of the time. He’s trying to settle into a new spot in Nashville’s top six while the lineup has also shifted after the Matthew Wood trade, and he hasn’t found a rhythm yet.
The talent is not in question. Bourque led the AHL in scoring in 2023-2024 and piled up 51 assists that season. In theory, playing alongside high-volume shooters like Steven Stamkos should help him get going.
The underlying numbers haven’t been much kinder. Bourque is getting more offensive-zone usage now, with 65% of his zone starts coming there, but the production still isn’t following.
His Corsi sits at 48.8%, which means the Predators are giving up slightly more shot attempts than they’re creating when he’s on the ice. He has also generated only 25 shots so far this season.
That’s a step back from his 53.1 Corsi with Dallas last year. Some of that can be tied to team context, since the Predators’ offense has been just as middling as it was a season ago, ranking 20th in goals for both years. Even so, Nashville clearly expected Bourque to help move the needle.
The Predators have shown patience, and they backed that up with a six-year, $33 million deal. For now, though, they’re still waiting for Bourque to become more than a defensively responsible winger who can take faceoffs.
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For Nashville, the intrigue is less about where Edvinsson is skating and more about what kind of market could develop if Detroit decides to move him. There has already been speculation about whether the Predators would get involved, with the conversation centering on trade returns, fit within the organization and the fact that Edvinsson would have some leverage if a deal ever comes together. [Read more 🡒]