Filip Forsberg

 ( 1994 Births ) 

During the 2016 offseason, Forsberg and teammate Mattias Ekholm represented Team Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Upon rejoining the Predators for the 2016–17 season, Forsberg spent the majority of the season playing on the top line with Ryan Johansen and fellow Swede Viktor Arvidsson. The trio were subsequently referred to as the "JoFA line" due to their first name initials and reference to the Swedish hockey brand Jofa. While he started the season leading the team with five assists through six games, Forsberg again struggled to find consistent goal scoring. His struggles continued through November and only two of his 16 points were goals by the end of the month. While Forsberg and his linemates all struggled to score, they began to pick up by December. He ended January with five game winning goals in one month to pass Martin Erat's previous franchise record of four. In February 2017, Forsberg scored back-to-back hat-tricks against the Calgary Flames and the Colorado Avalanche, making him the first player in Predators history and the first NHL player in over seven years to accomplish the feat. He also tied Steve Sullivan's franchise record for most hat tricks in franchise history with four. As a result of these accomplishments, Forsberg was named the NHL's First Star of the Week for the week ending on 26 February. He was also recognized as the NHL's Second Star of February after finishing the month leading the NHL with 11 goals. Forsberg continued to score through March and accumulated 10 goals over five games to set a new franchise record. By mid-March, he led the team with 28 goals and helped the Predators clinch a berth in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. Forsberg finished his sophomore season tied with Arvidsson for the team lead in goals with 31. He also became the first player in franchise history to record 30 or more goals in consecutive seasons.

During the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, Forsberg remained on the Predators top line with Johansen and Arvidsson as the Predators faced off against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference first round. He scored two goals in Game 3 to help push the game to overtime and an eventual Predators win. Forsberg tallied two goals and three assists as the Predators swept the Blackhawks in four games, while the trio combined for 15 points. However, the "JoFA line" struggled in the next round series against the St. Louis Blues and combined for only three points over five games. Despite this, the Predators defeated the Blues and advanced to the Western Conference Final for the first time in franchise history. In the first three games of the Conference Final against the Anaheim Ducks, the "JoFA line" combined for four goals and six assists. Forsberg scored goals in four constructive games to help the Predators maintain a 3–2 series lead over the Ducks. However, an injury to Johansen in Game 5 resulted in the "JoFA line" being split up and Forsberg playing with Colton Sissons and Pontus Aberg. While playing with his new linemates, Forsberg scored an empty-net goal in Game 6 to become the franchise leader in postseason goals. The empty-net goal allowed Forsberg to push his points streak to seven games and continue to lead the team with eight goals and 15 points. His goal also helped the Predators secure a series win and advance to the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. Forsberg finished the playoffs with nine goals and seven assists for 16 points.

Before the start of the 2017–18 season, Forsberg was one of four forwards the Predators protected from the 2017 NHL expansion draft. As such, James Neal was chosen by the Vegas Golden Knights in the draft. In September 2017, Forsberg was named an alternate captain alongside Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Johansen. He quickly became the first Predators player of the season to reach double digits in points with six goals and five assists through eight games. He scored his 100th career NHL goal on 14 November to help the Predators secure a 6–3 win over the Washington Capitals. He continued to lead the Predators in scoring through November and December before suffering an upper-body injury on 29 December during a game against the Minnesota Wild. At the time of the injury, he had accumulated 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points and was one of only nine NHL players to play in all regular-season games since the 2014–15 season. Forsberg missed a month of game play to recover but tallied two points in his return on 1 February 2018. During his absence, the Predators maintained a 7–2–2 record and averaged 2.3 goals per game. However, he was subsequently suspended for three games due to a "late, high hit causing an injury" in his second game back against the New York Rangers. After returning to the Predators lineup, he became the second player in franchise history and 13th NHL player overall to score on a penalty shot in overtime. He continued to produce offensively for the Predators through February and March en route to their fourth consecutive berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored two goals and one assist on 1 April to help the Predators set a new franchise record with their 51st win of the season. Forsberg recorded his fifth career hat trick in the Predators final game of the regular season to finish with a team-leading 64 points.

As the Predators finished the season first in the Central Division, they met with the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference first round. Forsberg recorded two goals in Game 1 and added another two in Games 4 and 6 to tie Austin Watson for the team lead in goals by the time the series ended. Forsberg quickly accumulated three goals and six assists through the first six games of their second-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. While he finished the playoffs matching his previous seasons points total in fewer games, the Predators failed to advance to the Western Conference Final. Shortly following their elimination, Forsberg, Arvidsson, and Mattias Ekholm were selected to represent Team Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

Forsberg began the 2018–19 season playing alongside his usual linemates Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson. The "JoFA line" combined for 28 points through the first nine games of the season while also helping the Predators maintain a five-game win streak. After recording his sixth regular-season hat trick on 27 October, Forsberg beat his previous franchise record for most goals in a single month. This also marked the fastest pace to 10 goals in franchise history. Despite their early season success, an injury to Arvidsson necessitated Craig Smith replacing him on the Predators' top line in mid-November. After recording 14 goals and 22 points, Forsberg suffered an injury on 29 November 2018 and subsequently missed 17 games to recover. During his absence, the Predators went through a six-game losing streak and maintained an 8–7–2 record. When he returned to the Predators lineup on 7 January 2019, he was placed on their third line in an effort to slowly reacclimate him. Forsberg played one game on the Predators third line before returning to the first line with Arvidson and Johansen. He missed one game in March due to a lower-body injury but returned to the Predators lineup the following game and recorded two goals. On 16 March, Forsberg recorded his 300th career NHL point to help give the Predators the lead in their 4–2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Forsberg finished the regular-season fourth on the team with 60 points as the Predators advanced to the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, the "JoFA line" were not as productive in the postseason and they combined for only four points in their first-round series against the Dallas Stars. Forsberg tied with Johansen and finished with one goal and one assist over six games.