Nashville Predators: Important Takeaways from Training Camp
Training camp and the preseason are almost over for the Nashville Predators, and the vibes are overall positive about what they’ve accomplished as the start of the 2021-22 regular season is just a week away.
Almost every team probably feels the same mood of optimism coming out their training camp. A clean slate for every team, regardless of what the analysts and so-called experts are predicting.
It seems especially true for a young and constantly changing Nashville Predators team that will look considerably different from this past May when they took the Carolina Hurricanes to six games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Predators coaching staff and front office has had a lot to figure out this offseason, and it culminated into a training camp with plenty of roster competition for the starting lineup, including some younger player elevating their NHL stock.
Head Coach John Hynes has finally gotten his first true training camp with the Predators, and now we can look at some key takeaways as the final preseason game is set for this Saturday back at home at Bridgestone Arena.
New Line Combinations, Fresh Approach?
One of the majors reasons for so much frustration on this team’s shortcomings over the past few seasons is due to the same approach being thrown out there and hoping for a different result. It just never happened, and now it finally looks like we’re going to get a taste of something new.
Hynes had the daunting task of reconstructing these lines coming out of training camp, including finding the always critical top line. The writing is on the wall now with which three players will end up on the opening night top line, per Brooks Bratten of the team’s official site:
A considerable chunk of the veteran core at the forward position was lost over the offseason, but the likes of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene stuck around.
Although the uncertainty remains regarding the long-term futures of these three polarizing players, it’s encouraging to see Hynes elevate them to this level. The chips really are on the table for this trio to produce at a high level, and Hynes is putting them in a position to do that, and I couldn’t agree more.
The trio has had a very productive preseason in limited action. Forsberg has produced two goals and three assists in just two preseason games so far. He really showed out against the Hurricanes on Tuesday by dishing out the game-winning assist on Philip Tomasino overtime winner:
Johansen and Duchene have also made their presences known in a positive way. They’ve looked very comfortable out there together, with Duchene on the other wing and Johansen retaining his top line center role.
Johansen scored the opening goal in the win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday, while Duchene tallied a goals and an assist in what was a very productive night for the entire trio.
Mark one major item off the training camp to-do list. The Predators have their top line to start off with against the Seattle Kraken a week from today. Or at least that’s what is fully expected.
Nashville Predators have inexperience in their depth
This isn’t anything new necessarily, but it’s pretty obvious that the Predators will be relying on a lot of youth in their depth in both their forwards and defensively.
The rise of Egor Afanasyev and Philip Tomasino this offseason and training camp has made for an interesting decision for Hynes to make on whether or not to fast track them to the NHL, or give them some time to develop more on the AHL level.
It comes down to how much Hynes leans towards the safe route of going with a veteran like Nick Cousins or Rocco Grimaldi, or throwing someone like Tomasino right into the fire.
Tomasino just dazzled everyone with maybe the goal of the preseason with his overtime game-winner on Tuesday, and he has one more chance to impress even more in the last preseason game on Saturday.
One thing seems pretty clear; the depth will be constantly changing at first as the season progresses. Who we see on opening night might quickly become a healthy scratch. Tomasino and Afanasyev are not waiver eligible, so they can be moved up and down without the concern of someone else claiming them.
It’s going to be a fluid process sorting out the bottom six and the bottom defensive pairing, and is a contributing factor to why the preseason expectations are low for the Predators. But if they strike gold quickly with someone like Tomasino, then those expectations might quickly rise.
Growing pains are likely, though. It’s going to require some patience and tinkering with the lineup each game to find what’s really working consistently.
Shaking off the rust between the pipes
Juuse Saros has played in the last two preseason games for the Predators and hasn’t disappointed. He played in both game wire-to-wire and made a combined 56 saves on 59 shots faced.
I’d say that’s a good way to get yourself ready for the season-opener and get that confidence to a high level for the real deal against the Seattle Kraken. Preferably I’d like Saros to get a little more action in the final preseason game, and let backup David Rittich play the last two periods on Saturday.
Saros has to break the curse of starting off seasons slow. Even with a decent safety net lining up behind him with Rittich, it’s still paramount that Saros doesn’t miss a beat right out of the gate.
It may just be preseason, but Saros has gone against some stiff competition this so far, particularly against Carolina in what had the feels of a regular season game has he made 40 saves.
Saros should be a leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy this year assuming he avoids the notorious slow start. He looks like he’s in midseason form already.
Nashville Predators are going to be that annoying, chippy team no one wants to deal with
Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and say it now before the puck is even dropped on the 2021-22 regular season. The Nashville Predators are going to be the agitators. The teams that tick off the opposing fans because they play aggressive, play maybe past the whistle at time and going to battle for every loose puck.
Think about some of the key role players who play this style; Luke Kunin, Tanner Jeannot, Yakov Trenin, Colton Sissons, Nick Cousins, Mattias Ekholm, Mark Borowiecki, Matt Benning, and even Forsberg at times.
I just don’t see the Predators winning too many games the pretty way this season. It doesn’t mean I want them to play dirty per se, but they’re definitely going to have to play with a physical edge to them that aggravates the more finesse teams.
I’ve seen that on fully display through the preseason, and it’s been said to have been happening in the practices as well. The practice session I attended just as the preseason had just started featured a lot of aggressive puck battles and intensity.
You have to be pleased with how Hynes has implemented his style into this team with a full training camp, and now it’s time to see how it translated into the regular season. Buckle in because I’m sure there will be no shortage of drama.