Nashville Predators Wrap-Up: Long Wait is Almost Over

It almost seems too good to be true, but we should be seeing NHL hockey next month. Excitement is building for Nashville Predators fans everywhere.

By this time next month we should be seeing NHL hockey, and we’ll finally see the new-look Nashville Predators that General Manager David Poile has assembled.

Things like a financial stalemate, travel restrictions and division realignment have been just a few of the stumbling blocks that have kept us from seeing the Predators on the ice.

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After months of speculation and ever-changing dates, January 13 is the new target date for the upcoming NHL season.

The NHL is currently in the process of hammering out all of the details that must be addressed before the season can start.

The working timeline has the seven teams that didn’t make the playoffs starting their training camps on December 31. Training camp for playoff teams could begin on January 3.

The issue of where teams will play and whether fans will be in the stands in limited capacities is another lingering question.

Since the vaccine to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has garnered FDA approval, the NHL has to be hopeful that more fans will be allowed to attend games towards the end of the season.

A 56-game schedule is expected to be announced. That amount of games should keep the season on track to end in late June.

The NHL is banking on a normal 2021-22 season, which will feature the introduction of the Seattle Kraken expansion team.

A return to normalcy is something that we are all looking forward to.

This week we look at some Predators prospects making a splash in the World Juniors, voluntary workouts in Bridgestone, and the Everblades have a big weekend.

Prospects In The World Juniors

The rosters for the World Junior Championships were recently released. Several Predators prospects were named to their respective country’s teams.

Philip Tomasino was named to Team Canada. Iaroslov Askarov, Egor Afanasyev, and Semyon Chistyakov made the cut for Team Russia. Team Finland also added Juuso Parssinen to their roster.

Tomasino’s time with Team Canada could be cut short once the NHL announces the date for training camp.

There is speculation that Tomasino may make the Predators’ roster for the upcoming NHL season. It would take some injuries or shaky play from the projected roster players to make room for Tomasino.

It is good to see all of these prospects making the cut for World Juniors and furthering their development in preparation for careers in the NHL.

Predators Back In Bridgestone Arena

As the excitement builds for the season, we see more Predators’ players participating in voluntary workouts.

Recently, the Predators social media team showed us pictures of the ice being put down in Bridgestone. Shortly after that, we started to see photos of some of the players participating in workouts.

Here are a couple of guys that are looking to have big seasons when play finally begins.

Predators Helping Kids In Need

Colton Sissons, Dante Fabbro, and Ryan Johansen recently teamed up with the Preds Foundation and did some shopping to help underprivileged children in Nashville and surrounding areas.

The donations benefit Youth Villages, an organization designed to help children succeed by helping to provide a stable family environment and support network.

Preds ECHL Affiliate Win The Weekend

The Predators’ ECHL affiliate team, Florida Everblades, began their season over the weekend with two back to back wins.

The Everblades stunningly won their home opener by defeating the Jacksonville Icemen 6-1. The next night they defeated the Orlando Solar Bears 4-2 to complete the weekend sweep.

Congratulations to the Everblades. Keep up the excellent work.

The Predators have an excellent social media team. They do a great job keeping the fans up to date on team news and what they are up to.

While the Predators offseason rolls along, the start of training camp and more concrete details on next season should be announced soon. Changes are happening with the Predators, and we will bring you all of the news when it happens.