This is part of Nashville Predators day at PHT...
Expectations should have been fairly high for Colin Wilson heading into the 2015-16 season after scoring 20 goals the previous year and then adding five more (in only six games) in the playoffs.
He did not come close to matching those expectations -- or the previous year’s production -- in what was a mostly disappointing 2015-16 campaign, managing only six goals and 18 assists in 64 games.
That 0.09 goals per game and 0.38 points per game average were both, by far, the worst per-game production of his career, and it was a performance that nobody seemed to be happy with. Only playing in 64 games certainly impacted the overall numbers, but even if you project those numbers out over a full 82-game schedule it still only comes out to around seven goals and 30 points.
Just about the only thing that salvaged the season for him is that he once again hit a hot streak in the playoffs and ended up leading the team in scoring with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 14 games.
While the playoff scoring is great and made a huge impact as the team advanced to Game 7 of the second round, the Predators are almost certainly looking for a little bit more from a former No. 7 overall draft pick, especially one that is under contract for three more years and counts nearly $4 million against the salary cap.
With Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, James Neal, P.K. Subban and Roman Josi likely driving the offense for the team, Wilson doesn’t need to be a go-to-guy or a top-line scorer. But he has to do more than a seven-goal pace over 82 games.
If the Predators are going to take the next step in their organizational development and go from a very good playoff team to a Stanley Cup contender they are going to need more scoring from their depth players like Wilson to complement them.