Nashville Predators Puck Drop: A Brand New Season Begins

Welcome to The Puck Drop, a weekly roundup of all things Nashville Predators. We look at news stories, social media posts, and everything else regarding YOUR NASHVILLE PREDATORS.

The 2021-22 season has finally arrived. There have been some exciting moments already, including the Seattle Kraken finally taking the ice against the Vegas Golden Knights and Alex Ovechkin moving into 5th place on the all-time goal leaderboard.

It is exciting to have hockey back and with fans in the stands finally. Packed arenas, a new television deal, and players who are excited to once again play in front of fans will only help the NHL grow. More exposure to the sport is the best thing for the NHL, making the fan experience better as the sport becomes more popular.

This week we take a look at the home opener for the Predators, some huge signing news, and the NHL debut of a fan favorite.

Opening night for the Nashville Predators

On Thursday, the Predators welcomed the Seattle Kraken to town for their season opener. After all the offseason movement and questions, it was good to see Nashville finally take the ice.

Unfortunately, the Kraken proved to be too much for this young Predators team to handle. Although there were some bright spots in the game, Nashville’s errors cost them a win that was definitely within reach.

However, we cannot fret over one loss. It is only one game, and with the transition that the Predators are going through, some growing pains will happen.

There were some positives to build upon and some challenges to address, but things will turn around as the Predators look towards the future.

Ekky isn’t going anywhere

On Wednesday, GM David Poile announced that defenseman Mattias Ekholm had signed a four-year contract extension worth $25M. As a result, Ekholm will not become a free agent until the 2026-27 season.

In the press conference, Ekholm spoke of his love for the Predators and the city of Nashville. He talked about his desire to raise his family there and build a future on and off the ice.

This extension is good news for the Predators as they will need Ekholm’s leadership and on-ice abilities as this young team looks to become a Stanley Cup contender.

Congratulations to you and your family, Ekky. We are all glad that you are staying put in Nashville.

Philip Tomasino makes the opening night roster

A young prospect’s dream has finally come true. Forward Philip Tomasino made his NHL debut on Thursday against Seattle.

With the changes that the Predators have undergone, many fans have been clamoring for Tomasino to be on the roster for quite some time. This high-caliber prospect injects some youth into the lineup and hopefully some scoring, as the Predators will need lots of that this season.

Tomasino looked good throughout training camp and the preseason.  While it will take some time for him to grow into his new role, he is gaining valuable experience that will help shape his game.

Welcome to the NHL, Philip. We are excited to see what the future holds for your career.

NHL On TNT mentions the GOAT

Fans everywhere enjoyed the opening night of TNT’s coverage of the NHL, especially the intermission report commentating team that features Wayne Gretzky.

NBA legend Charles Barkley made a guest appearance and donned some goalie equipment to face the Great One in a shootout. While Barkley failed miserably against Gretzky, the commentators quickly pointed out that Barkley’s equipment came from none other than Pekka Rinne.

Predators fans love anything that involves Rinne and can’t wait until he comes back and visits Bridgestone. Or even better, how about a spot on the TNT or ESPN crew? We can only dream.