Preds Top 20, No. 12: Roman Josi Becomes Preds All-Time Scoring Leader

The Nashville Predators 2022-23 season has officially come to an end, and what a season it has been. From momentous firsts to bittersweet farewells, this year was full of memorable moments both on and off the ice.

We've already taken a look back at the Top 10 goals scored by the Predators this season. Now, we're counting down the Top 20 moments and milestones that highlighted a special season of hockey in SMASHVILLE.

We'll take our trip down memory lane in chronological order, so we'll head back to the Windy City as we continue our countdown at No. 12.

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Roman Josi was already a four-time NHL All-Star, the Predators career assists leader and the franchise's first-ever Norris Trophy winner. But when Nashville faced the Central Division Rival Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 21 at United Center, the Preds captain shattered yet another franchise record.

In the opening minutes of the third period, Josi shelved a backhander past Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrázek for his 566th career point - tying forward David Legwand's all-time points record.

Less than five minutes later, Josi connected with Tommy Novak on a power-play goal and tallied his 567th point to become the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

"It's definitely a huge honor, just being here for that long," Josi said. "It's something I never dreamed of obviously when I first started in the NHL. There were just so many people that put a lot of trust in me, so many people I'm thankful for and teammates who have been here for so long and staff."

Josi signed an eight-year, $72,472,000 contract with the Predators on Oct. 29, 2019 with a cap hit of $9,059,000. At the time, Poile called it "the most important negotiation we've ever had" - words he probably never expected to utter when he took a chance on a teenager from Bern, Switzerland, in the second round of the NHL Draft 11 years earlier.

"This is a great story for the Nashville Predators, for our whole organization and our scouting staff," General Manager/Director of Hockey Operations David Poile said. "With a second-round pick you draft somebody when they're 18 years old, and you think that you see something, maybe even more than anybody else. And in this case, I think all of our scouts were exactly right."

While Josi may have shocked the hockey world as a second-round pick in 2008, his place atop the franchise leaderboards is anything but surprising to anyone who has followed his career up to this point.

"I think it speaks volumes not only about his talent but his longevity and what he means to the organization," Head Coach John Hynes said following the win in Chicago. "Having the opportunity to coach him and deal with him every day - I'd like to say it's not surprising. He's such a talented guy that's driven and committed, and the consistency level that he plays with is certainly exceptional. You don't get recognized for those things and accomplish those things if you're not a highly-talented player that's really driven, and that's what he is."

Worth a click:

Video: NSH@CHI: Josi sets Preds points record on Novak's PPG
Video: NSH@CHI: Josi sets Preds points record on Novak's PPG
Video: NSH@CHI: Josi sets Preds points record on Novak's PPG
Video: NSH@CHI: Josi sets Preds points record on Novak's PPG
Video: NSH@CHI: Josi sets Preds points record on Novak's PPG
Video: NSH@CHI: Josi sets Preds points record on Novak's PPG
Video: NSH@CHI: Josi sets Preds points record on Novak's PPG
Video: NSH@CHI: Josi sets Preds points record on Novak's PPG