While forward Ryan Johansen has certainly lived up to expectations since being traded to the Nashville Predators, the team hasn't exactly set the league on fire since acquiring its new No. 1 center.
But with the team now hanging on to a wild-card position in the Western Conference, general manager David Poile isn't feeling any extra pressure to add more pieces ahead of the Feb. 29 trade deadline.
"If we don't make any trades this year, I'm comfortable," Poile said, per The Tennessean. "We've made a big trade. We've made a big trade that should have made our team better. And to this point, it hasn't, but I believe all the ingredients are there within our team to carry us into the playoffs and have success in the playoffs."
Since the Jan. 6 swap that sent defenseman Seth Jones to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Johansen has produced at near a point-per-game pace with four goals and 12 assists in 18 games.
While fellow forwards Filip Forsberg and James Neal have remained consistently productive, some secondary scoring would certainly help the team's playoff hopes as a number of Predators forwards are well below their scoring pace from a year ago.
Points per game
| Name | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Smith | .54 | .36 |
| Colin Wilson | .55 | .39 |
| Mike Fisher | .66 | .28 |
Poile admitted he is frustrated some players aren't playing at the level they are expected to, but is ultimately content with his team as it hopes to clinch a playoff berth for the second straight season.
"I am doing my job in terms of making calls, and if something is there that can improve our team, I will do that," he said. "But I'm comfortable with the makeup of our team. I'm just not totally happy with the production that we're getting on an individual basis and we just need to play a little bit better."
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