Nashville Predators Have a Fish Out of Water
The Nashville Predators forward Cody Bass just isn’t clicking.
The Nashville Predators do their best to assemble a team that they think is capable of going the distance and bringing a Stanely Cup to Nashville. In a recent article, The Sportster highlighted what they thought was the worst player on every NHL team. For the Predators, that player was center Cody Bass.
In 69 NHL games, Bass sports 5 points, 41 shots on goal (less than one shot per game), and an average time on ice of 6:49. So why exactly do the Preds keep him on the roster? One potential reason his ability to throw his body around and make his presence felt, even if that presence is short-lived.
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Something also alarming is the number of games Bass has played in the NHL. Originally drafted in 2005 by the Ottawa Senators, Bass saw most of his time spent on farm teams where he saw mild success. His best year was in 2013 where he accrued 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) and 135 minutes of penalty time.
The decent success he saw early in his career hasn’t translated when facing tougher competition and speed in the NHL. As The Sportster pointed out in their article, “Bass just isn’t fast enough to play his style of game in the NHL. He likes to throw the body around, but if you can’t catch the players you can’t be effective.”
Players in the NHL are faster than ever and teams that have been traditionally thought of to be bruisers are shifting towards being more speedy and less physical. Even the Preds are embracing this philosophy as the defensive unit has been faster and more mobile than ever with the arrival of P.K. Subban.
With the landscape of NHL teams changing, it seems like Bass will be lost in the winds of change. Let’s be clear about one thing – watching bass deliver crushing hits or fight an opponent is fantastic, but ultimately if he isn’t producing goals or creating scoring chances is it really worth it? It’s hard to say yes.
Especially given that the Preds are struggling right now to string together wins, they need players who are going to provide consistency productivity in the offensive department. Labeling someone as the worst isn’t any fun to do, but let’s just say there is significant room for improvement.