A truly elite first line in the NHL is a powerful weapon. It can change the course of a game as well as the course of a playoff series. We all saw what happened to the Predators once they lost Ryan Johansen in the playoffs last year. They felt apart offensively as their best weapon was broken up to create more depth scoring. Regardless of last season, the Nashville Predators struck gold when they found JoFA, so let’s discuss their performance this year.
Ryan Johansen is a dynamic playmaking center who moves the needle. Although he’s recently been injured, Johansen wasn’t having a superb season on paper as he’s amassed 5 goals and 26 points in 40 games.