Roman Josi that other Predators D-man making his mark as o

Posted by seestyle on August 4th, 2022

NASHVILLE The word in Nashville is that if you dont know about Roman Josi, you will soon enough.

Hes that other defenseman for the Predators. Not the hulking one with the monster slap shot. That one next to him who teammates already know has developed into one of the best defensemen in the NHL, even if it seems like he gets left out of that discu sion at times in other parts of the continent.

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His hockey sense, his skating ability, just the way he sees the game, its very unique, Predators goaltender Chris Iannetta Jersey Pekka Rinne said. The last two years I think hes really showed everybody that hes a top D-man in this league. Its been great to see that. Its been great to witne s that.

The 25-year-old defenseman from Switzerland is plenty popular among the Predators, who describe him as a happy, relaxed, easy-going teammate. He also gained some notoriety in this growing hockey metropolis after being named one of the citys most eligible singles by , an honor that annually includes pro athletes and had previously gone to Colin Wilson in 2011 and Rich Clune in 2014.

Josi got a fun laugh out of the experience and his teammates got even more at his expense.

I cant give any of Bryan Shaw Jersey my chirps, but we had a lot of fun with that, thats for sure, Ryan Johansen said.

I think he actually enjoyed that, though, Rinne said. He likes to call himself male model.

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On the ice, his teammates have marveled at his natural ability and his rapid progre sion next to Shea Weber. Josi has finished in top 10 in the league in time on ice per game each of the past three seasons, and was fourth in the league in points among defenseman in 2015-16. Last year he tied for fifth. Todd Helton Jersey

He was named an All-Star for the first time this season.

I think hes earning the respect around the league based on the way he plays the game, Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. A lot of times his offense is very noticeable. He collects points, he figures into nice plays and scores goals, sets up goals. Hes probably a little more underrated defensively, with how good he is defensively.

Playing in a small market that doesnt attract a lot of attention around the league has certainly contributed to Josis underrated status. To that end, Josi says with a laugh, Id rather be underrated than overrated.

I think if he was playing in a Canada or a big American market, it would be a no-brainer, people would know him, Rinne said. But in this locker room weve known since he came Adam Ottavino Jersey in the league, I think everyone knew his potential and now hes really flourishing.

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Johansen admits he didnt know much about Josi before arriving in Nashville mid-season, but he was instantly impre sed.

He would probably be the top guy on my list that I didnt know as much about as I do now, Johansen said. Honestly, just coming to the rink and watching him is fun. Its just fun being on the ice with him and his capabilities on the ice, the way he gets up and down the ice, hes all over the puck. Hes got a chance to be the best defenseman in this league for a lot of years.

Those who have had to face Josi have taken notice as well.

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"He skates well and hes not a small guy, Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said. When he starts moving, he is tough to contain. Hes really hard to forecheck and he also plays really hard in his own end. Hes really good at breaking up cycles.

Getting paired with Weber early in his career his second season has proved to be a tremendous learning experience, even if the two play different styles.

Hes one of the best defensemen in the world and as soon as I started playing with Ryan McMahon Jersey him, I saw all the details he has in his game, all those little things, even off the ice, there are so many things I learned from him, Josi said. There are definitely things that Ive watched him do and try to do the same things.

Cogliano even had reservations about the underrated tag, given how consistently well Josi has played over the past few seasons.

I dont think theres any secrets about him now, Cogliano said. Hes a premier player in the league and hes one of the best defensemen. You have to try and take away speed. He creates a lot of offense with his speed. You put him in the same category Wade Davis Jersey as a Drew Doughty and an Erik Karl son, guys who can create offense from nothing and their team goes kind of on how he plays and jumps up in the play to make the team much more dangerous. Hes a great player, and him and Weber together are arguably the best pairing in the league.