Ross Colton arrives in Nashville with a clear job description: steady the bottom six, chip in enough offense to matter, and bring the kind of reliable minutes that help a lineup hold together.
The Predators picked him up from the Colorado Avalanche in a move made by general manager Chris MacFarland, who also happened to be the former Avs GM. Colton, a 6-foot, 195-pound center, played 73 games last season and finished with 24 points - nine goals and 16 assists - while averaging 12 and a half minutes of ice time per night.
That usage tells you plenty about the lane he’s been in. In Tampa and Colorado, Colton has operated in a defensive role, with the offensive environment around him helping boost the numbers. He’s a skilled player, no question, but asking him to chase his previous career high of 40 points feels like a stretch as he gets set to turn 30 before the season begins.
There is a path to a useful offensive bump, though. Colton Sissons produced 30, 35 and 21 points in Andrew Brunette’s system at ages 29, 30 and 31, and Colton could follow a similar track if he’s skating at least 14 minutes a night.
For now, the more realistic hope is that Ross Colton handles the role better than Michael McCarron did when he was pushed into a bigger one. He’ll also likely be asked to work his way out of defensive-zone starts.
What Nashville should like is the way Colton drives play. Since becoming an NHL regular, he has never posted a Corsi below 55 percent.
He skates well, throws at least two hits a game on average, and has the motor to keep opponents pinned in their own end. He also gets his share of shots off.
The finishing touch was missing last season. Colton’s shooting percentage dropped to 9 percent, and the goals never really came in the way they had before.
A rebound toward the 15-goal range he’s hit in the past would not be a surprise. The question is whether the 30-year-old curve starts to bite.
His style may not age gracefully, and his best years could already be behind him. That doesn’t mean he can’t still help; it just means his value may lean more and more on the defensive side if he wants to keep his place in the lineup.
Faceoffs are another piece of the puzzle. For a center, they matter, and that’s not the strongest part of Colton’s game.
Even so, the setup looks favorable for him in Nashville. The opportunity is there, and the Predators will need him to land in the right role so he can do what he does best. What happens next will come down to how well he maximizes that chance.
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Predators Need Jack Drury To Solve A Problem They've Had Too Long
The Predators made a clear bet on stability when they traded for Jack Drury and quickly locked him into a five-year contract, signaling they see more than just a depth add. Drury has built his reputation on defensive reliability, strong faceoff work and a sharp hockey IQ, traits that fit a Nashville team looking for more control down the middle. He is expected to slot into a bottom six center role, but there is a sense around the organization that his responsibilities could stretch beyond what he handled with the Colorado Avalanche.
For a club that has spent too long trying to solve its center-ice issues, Drury offers the kind of low-drama presence coaches tend to trust. His offensive resume is modest, but the Predators and general manager believe his game can steady shifts, support matchups and create a more dependable foundation for the rest of the lineup. Whether that leads to a larger role will be the next question, and it may say as much about Nashvilles plans as it does about Drurys ceiling. [Read more 🡒]