Roman Josi surprises Nashville: “One of the best defensemen in NHL history”

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

When Nati director Lars Weibel and Nati coach Patrick Fischer planned their annual trip to North America to see the Swiss NHL stars, it still seemed like Nati’s most important player would be available early for the World Cup. Roman Josi (33) and his Nashville Predators are chugging towards an early end to the season. The chances of reaching the play-offs and surviving the first round were estimated at seven percent in the prediction model of the sports portal “The Athletic”.

But of course the computer simulations worked without Josi. The Predators captain has put his team on his shoulders in recent weeks and led them to a playoff spot. After 14 games in which the team from the country metropolis has always scored points, the Predators are in the first wildcard spot and are already seven points ahead of the St. Louis Blues and the ranks that are not eligible to participate in the Playoffs. . The ‘Athletic’ model now has a 95 percent expectation that Nashville will advance to the knockout stages. And 31 percent that the team will advance to the second round.

“He’s a bit overlooked. That often happens when you’ve been there a long time and you’re not the shiny new toy,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette (50) says about Josi, who has played in Nashville since 2012. “In my opinion he is the best defender in the world. He literally takes over the matches. We rely on him all the time because he plays so well and is such a good leader.”

“The way we’re playing right now is just fun.”

The Czechs Andy & Rono go even further than Brunette and process analytical data in graphs. For her, Josi is “one of the best defensemen in NHL history.”

After 68 games, Josi has reached 67 points and scored 17 goals. And since the beginning of this year, Josi (38 points) has been the best point collector among defenders. In Nashville, the man who twice won World Cup silver with the national team is in any case once again considered a candidate for the ‘Norris Trophy’ (best defender in the competition), which he won in 2020.

And what does Josi say? He talks about the team. “Of course the points series is great, because we need the points. The way we are playing at the moment is just fun,” he explains on the club’s website. “I feel like we work really hard every night, play fast and play as a team. Everyone gives everything and it’s fun to play like that.”

Source : Blick