2. The Anaheim Ducks
If you want to know why the Predators should fear the Anaheim Ducks, just go watch their playoff series last season. These two teams hated each other and with good reason. It’s hard to like a team that has Ryan Kesler and Corey “the saint’ Perry on it. The Anaheim Ducks have an interesting mix of old and young players on it. Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Corey Perry make up the old guard while younger players like Ondrej Kase, Nick Ritchie, and Rickard Rakell will look to make a bigger impact.
The Ducks boast another top five center corp with Getzlaf, Kesler, and Rackell. Their wingers look fairly good as well, but the offense isn’t the crown jewel. The defense is second only to the Predators. Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, Josh Manson, and Brandon Montour make up the best defense under twenty-five years old. The goaltending is exquisite if John Gibson can stay healthy, otherwise not so much. You can see an example in game 6 of the Predators vs Ducks series from last year. I expect these two teams to meet again in the playoffs, and I expect it to be just as nasty as it was last year.