Steven Stamkos believes the Nashville Predators still need to find more consistency if they are going to become a legitimate playoff team, even as he continues to produce at a strong rate in his third season with the club. The 36-year-old forward has 15 points in 13 games this season, and his latest reflections came in NHL.com's weekly Q&A feature, NHL Chat Room.
It is a useful moment to assess both Stamkos and Nashville. The Predators have missed the postseason in each of his first two seasons, and Stamkos made clear that the issue goes beyond one bad stretch or one isolated weakness. As he put it, the team has had problems with consistency and with keeping the puck out of its net over the last couple of years.
Stamkos: Nashville have not been consistent enough
Stamkos did not dress up the problem. He said the group has not been consistent enough to be viewed as a legitimate playoff contender, which is a fair summary of where the Predators have been stuck. That is the challenge for a team that has quality, but has not yet shown the level of reliability required over a full season.
His point is straightforward. Nashville cannot simply rely on bursts of form or isolated good nights. They need the kind of structure and steadiness that allow a team to handle the difficult weeks, not just the easier ones.
A strong start for Stamkos in his third season
Individually, Stamkos is doing plenty to support the conversation. He has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 13 games, which makes him Nashville's leading scorer going into Tuesday's 8 p.m. ET game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
That matters because Stamkos is still setting the tone. In his 18th NHL season, he is showing that he can remain productive while the team around him tries to find a more dependable level.
He also suggested that his own transition took time. Stamkos said it is never as simple as arriving at a new team and clicking immediately, explaining that new players and new systems require patience. He added that he has not changed his basic preparation, and that the difference now is feeling more comfortable in his surroundings and trying to be the player and person he knows he can be.
The Tampa Bay milestone adds another layer
The timing of those comments also matters. On Oct. 24, Nikita Kucherov passed Stamkos as the Tampa Bay Lightning's all-time scoring leader, moving on from a mark Stamkos once owned. Stamkos left Tampa Bay after winning two Stanley Cups and after building a record that once made him the franchise's leading scorer.
That milestone does not change the present picture in Nashville, but it does underline how much Stamkos has already accomplished. Now the focus is on what he can help the Predators become. If they are going to take the next step, his message suggests they will need more than effort and occasional form. They will need consistency, defensive discipline and a more convincing run over time.
For Nashville, that is the real test. Stamkos is producing, but the club still has to prove it can turn individual quality into a genuine playoff push.
