Nashville Predators Training Camp Preview
The Nashville Predators took the league by storm during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the number eight seed, but they fell two wins shy of the ultimate goal: raising the Stanley Cup. They lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins who happened to be an offensive juaggernaut for much of last season.
Now that they have that bitter feeling in their mouths heading into the season, maybe it will keep them motivated and want it even more. The thing that makes this Nashville team go is their blue line. It is one of the best in the NHL. They know how to transition from defense to offense and make plays. It's very important to set up teammates especially on the power play.
Roman Josi and P.K. Subban do that very well, but they are also prone to turning over the puck. They acquired defenseman Alexei Emelin from the Montreal Canadiens in the offseason. Nick Bonino signed a four-year deal with the Predators after winning two straight championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Losing Mike Fisher, Colin Wilson, and James Neal will be tough though. They will also need to find a new captain. It very well could be Forsberg, Subban, or Johansen.
Projected lines: Line 1: Kevin Fiala-Ryan Johansen-Viktor Arvidsson
Line 2: Filip Forsberg-Nick Bonino-Craig Smith
Line 3: Scott Hartnell-Calle Jarnkrok-Potnus Aberg
Line 4: Austin Watson-Frederick Gaudreau-Colton Sissons
Defense 1: Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis
Defense 2: Mattias Ekholm-P.K. Subban
Defense 3: Alexei Emelin-Yannick Weber
Pekka Rinne will be the starting goalie and Juuse Saros will be the backup.
Expect these guys to step up in case of injury: Cody McLeod, Vladislav Kamenev, Matt Irwin, and Samuel Girard.
Head Coach Peter Laviolette will have his group focused and hungry this season. The Predators are a very gritty team. It is very possible they could win the Central Division and make another possible playoff run. It was a surprise when they swept the Chicago Blackhawks in the playoffs last season, but they proved that it was no joke. The Predators will be around to contend for a while.
