"Disappointing" was the best way to describe the Nashville Predators 2024-25 season. 

After making big splashes in free agency, the team struggled to get going out of the gate, leading to the franchise's worst 82-game season in over two decades. 

One of the biggest reasons why the Predators were as bad as they were was that their most significant expected contributors underproduced. 

Last season was considered a "fluke," but this fall, the expectation to contribute is higher. If players aren't producing, they could find themselves on a one-way flight out of Nashville at the trade deadline or the end of the season. 

Here are five players that face the most pressure heading into the 2025-26 season. 

Steven Stamkos, center

The Predators are having a lot of trouble developing depth down the middle, and general manager Barry Trotz opted not to add new faces at the position.

While first-line center Steven Stamkos isn't expected to do everything and didn't have a bad year last season, the effort to build center depth starts with him. 

Last season was Stamkos' worst season when playing 40-plus games since his rookie year in 2008-09. Over his career, Stamkos has played fewer games in a season and still more than the 53 points in 82 games he had during the 2024-25 campaign. 

Prior to arriving in Nashville, during the 2023-24 season, Stamkos posted 81 points in 79 games and had recorded at least 80 points in three straight seasons before signing with the Predators.

Stamkos needs a productive year, getting back on the pace he was at in Tampa. Another "down" year could signal that he's entering the twilight of his career, and it could be a long, complicated process with his 4-year, $32 million contract. 

Michael McCarron, center 

Continuing on the theme of center depth, Michael McCarron needs to have a significantly more productive year. 

Yes, it's the third/fourth line, and those players are known for being more physically focused when it comes to their roles, but that shouldn't stop them from finding the back of the net, at least occasionally. 

McCarron 14 points, 102 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -21. He had the eighth highest penalty minute total in the league, and among the top 20 penalty minute leaders, had the worst plus/minus. 

While Trotz does favor bigger players, as McCarron is 6-foot-6-inches, McCarron needs to show he can contribute to this growth of depth down the middle instead of constantly putting the Predators on the penalty kill. 

Erik Haula, forward 

Why did the Predators bring back Erik Haula? 

He had a nice three-year stretch from 2021 to 2024 where he had three straight 35+ point seasons, but saw a slight fall off this previous year. To his credit, he missed 13 games, scoring 21 points in 69 games. 

Trotz said one of the ways the Predators are going to fix the gap at center is by getting more support from the wingers and defensemen. With Haula projected on the third line, his scoring impact is going to be a lot bigger on this roster, especially as a veteran. 

 Haula has proven in his career that he can be a scoring force, recording 55 points in 76 games with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 and 44 points in 78 games with the Boston Bruins during the 2021-22 season. 

The Predators' first and second lines are in good places in terms of generating offense. The third-line production would likely begin with a veteran like Haula. 

Nic Hague, defense 

The Predators are banking a lot on Nic Hague and expecting him to play a significant role in their defense. 

Trotz has talked about Hague being in the Predators' top four, either paired with Roman Josi or Brady Skjei. Hague has also mentioned that he wants to get to a more offensive side of his game, similar to the way he played in juniors.

However, during his past six seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, he's played in the bottom pairing and really hasn't been as offensively involved. Last season, he had 12 points in 68 games, which would've tied for fourth in the Predators' defensive corps last season. 

Hague has height (6-foot-6-inches) and winning experience, winning the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023, so he could be taking the next step in his career with the Predators. 

However, compared to his past stat lines, that needs to be proven this season. Hague has committed to Nashville for four years on a $22 million contract. 

Michael Bunting, forward

The left wing spot on the second line will be a key indicator of the Predators' offense's performance this year. 

They can truly have a lot of power in those first two lines while putting in some decent pieces in place on the bottom six. Ryan O'Reilly has proven to be one of the Predators' most essential players, and Trotz has talked about how important it's going to be to keep Luke Evangelista at right wing. 

But what about Michael Bunting, who is projected to fill that left wing spot on the second line. 

He arrived near the end of the regular season via a trade with the Penguins, where he had scored 29 points in 58 games. In the final 18 games of the regular season, he scored nine points and logged 20 penalty minutes. 

Bunting has a solid stat line, but who's to say that Haula won't take that spot on the second line, or another winger may come up for it? Bunting will need to stand out a little bit more this year, and he'll really get a feel for this lineup playing a full season with the Predators.