Veteran Winger ‘Excited’ to Bring Experience, Leadership to Nashville’s Roster
Gustav Nyquist was all smiles when he arrived in Nashville on Wednesday, four days after signing a two-year, $6.37 million contract with the Predators on the first day of NHL free agency.
The Halmstad, Sweden native was one of a handful of splashy signings made by Preds General Manager Barry Trotz on his first official day on the job. Nyquist’s versatility at even strength and experience playing up and down the lineup made him an appealing option for the Predators, and he didn’t last long on the free-agent market.
A veteran of 703 NHL games with Detroit, San Jose, Columbus and Minnesota, Nyquist has amassed 428 points (175g-253a) in his career. He recorded 27 points (11g-16a) in 51 games split between Columbus and Minnesota in 2022-23, then added five assists in six postseason games for the Wild.
“This guy’s a good player, and a really good teammate,” Trotz said. “He’s had great success, and Gus will be a really good complement to a guy like [Cody Glass] who needs a winger who’s a little more experienced and can help him continue to grow. So I think that’s going to be a really good fit.”
Nyquist and his wife, Danielle, feel that Nashville is the “perfect” place for them. With two young daughters and a baby on the way, Nyquist said that his family factored heavily in his decision to sign with the Predators.
“Nashville is great,” he said. “I don’t think you can find a player in this league who comes into Nashville and is not excited to come here. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the place from former players and current players… It’s a great city. I’m really happy that we’re here.”
At age 33, Nyquist brings valuable experience to a young Predators roster in the middle of an organizational reset led by a new general manager and a new head coach.
“I think it’s an exciting stage of this organization, a little remodel,” Nyquist said. “Some older guys [are signing] to help the exciting young guys in this organization. Then you’ve got building blocks with really good players in every position, really – [Filip] Forsberg, [Roman] Josi and [Juuse] Saros. The positions are covered.”
As one of the “older guys” in the room, Nyquist embraces the opportunity to be a leader and a resource for his younger teammates.
“I’ve been a young guy in this league once, too, and it can be a lot sometimes,” Nyquist said. “[I want] to be a good voice in the locker room for the young guys. We already have such good leadership in place and with [Ryan] O’Reilly and [Luke] Schenn coming in… It’ll be a great mix.”
Nyquist’s enthusiasm to join the Predators has been reciprocated by his new teammates. Several of them have already reached out to welcome him to Nashville, including Roman Josi, Ryan McDonagh and fellow Swede and 2018 World Championship gold medal winner Filip Forsberg.
“As a player, it’s nice to feel wanted,” Nyquist said. “I really felt like management was pushing to get me here, and that’s always a nice feeling as a player. I look at the team, and I’m excited. I think we can be a really good team.”
Nyquist will spend the rest of the summer making the move to Nashville with his family and counting down the days until he takes the ice at Bridgestone Arena for the first time in Preds gold.
“I haven’t won too many games in this building, so I guess that’s a good thing now that I’m a part of it,” he laughed. “It’s an intimidating building, so it’ll be fun to be on the right side.”
