Adam Vingan

USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee

CHICAGO — The future face of the Predators is still boyish.

There's no rush for forward Filip Forsberg. He'll grow into that role. But as the three-year anniversary of his arrival in Nashville nears, it's apparent that the 21-year-old is being groomed to assume that mantle.

"There's a bunch of young guys in the league that obviously get a lot of responsibility, so I don't really see it like that," Forsberg said Monday of how he handles the pressure of being heavily relied on at such a young age. "I love to play a lot, and obviously I just want to do the best that I can whenever I'm out there."

Filip Forsberg hat trick lifts Predators over Maple Leafs

At the 2013 trade deadline, the Predators swung a trade with the Capitals, swapping forwards Martin Erat and Michael Latta for the former first-round pick. It was thought to be one-sided at the time and is even more so now. After his Predators career began in stop-start fashion, Forsberg bloomed last season, shattering Nashville's single-season rookie scoring record by leading the team with 26 goals and 63 points.

He also learned a valuable lesson in consistency. Leading all NHL rookies in scoring with 40 points in 45 games at the All-Star break, Forsberg scored 23 points in his final 37 games and was left off the final ballot for the Calder Trophy that was being readied for him midseason.

"I'm just trying to figure out how to play on a really good, high level all year (and) every game," Forsberg said. "Last year was a really good first half, not so good second half."

This season, Forsberg has overcome a slow start by scoring nine goals in as many games, and by becoming the youngest player in team history to record a regular-season hat trick Tuesday against the Maple Leafs, he now owns Nashville's goal-scoring lead with 23.

"He seems to be very grounded," Predators general manager David Poile said. "He seems to be very focused. I think that shows (in) his play. We're always looking for that consistency, whether you're a young player or an old player. It's usually harder to get in younger players. Filip has been pretty consistent in his first two years with us."

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With Forsberg having proved he is capable of contributing outside the offensive realm, Predators coach Peter Laviolette has deployed Forsberg in more defensive and late-game situations. The most noticeable change is on the penalty kill, where Forsberg is averaging 1:45 of shorthanded ice time per game after receiving only 1:55 total last season.

"His minutes have grown; his responsibility has grown; our trust in Filip has grown," Laviolette said. "We use him to kill a game now. We use him on the penalty kill, power play and certainly all the offensive situations we've used him for for a year and a half. Just a guy that seems to keep getting better and better. He's going to get better and better as he gets older."

Said Poile: "When you're striving to be a top forward, you've got to be able to play in all situations. ... He's tracking certainly to be a guy that we're going to count on for a lot of years to be a top forward, both in producing goals and offense, but also a guy we can rely on defensively."

Looming is the matter of re-signing Forsberg, a pending restricted free agent whose entry-level contract expires this offseason. A hefty payday likely awaits, but those conversations have been tabled for now. Forsberg undoubtedly will be a fixture of the Predators' long-term future, but he and the team are focused on more immediate matters.

"Not that much, especially not right now," Forsberg said when asked how much he thinks about contract negotiations. "Especially in the spot we are, you can't really think about anything else but getting the two points and (trying) to get our spot secured for the playoffs."

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Reach Adam Vingan on Twitter @AdamVingan.

FILIP FORSBERG THIS SEASON

First 40 games: 10 goals, 26 points

Past 21 games: 13 goals, 16 points

Past nine games: Nine goals, 12 points

NEXT GAME

PREDATORS at BLACKHAWKS

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

TV/radio: NBC SN/102.5 FM