Nashville Predators: 3 players they need to move on from after playoff exit
2. Yannick Weber
Getting rid of Yannick Weber would be addition by subtraction for the Nashville Predators. He was their second-worst defenseman this season, trailing only Jared Tinordi. Tinordi shouldn’t be back either, but at least his $700,000 cap hit is reasonable enough for him to have a role as a depth defenseman.
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Weber put up just three points in 41 games, averaging a shade over 14 minutes per game. Whenever he was on the ice, the Predators were, objectively, a far worse team than they were without him on the ice.
Among the seven Predators defensemen who played at least 400 minutes, Weber ranked 5th in relative shot attempts percentage, 6th in relative shots allowed per hour, 6th in relative shots for percentage, 6th in relative expected goals for percentage, and 6th in scoring chances for percentage.
During the playoffs, the Predators were outscored 2-0 at 5v5 with Weber on the ice. He doesn’t even kill penalties either, which makes him a liability.
There’s no way you can argue Weber should have a roster spot for next season. Personally, I’d put Dante Fabbro and Alexandre Carrier on the third pairing. Plus, I’d add a veteran option in case Fabbro or Carrier struggle. Adding a better defenseman to play with Mattias Ekholm should help.