Four Players Who Have Most to Gain in Nashville Predators Preseason
By Chad Minton
Gurianov Trying to Prove Himself with a New Team
Denis Gurianov once scored four goals in an NHL playoff game, and that’s pretty much the peak and his stock has taken a gradual downward spiral since then. Hence why he was available for such a modest price for the Predators in free agency.
If nothing else, Gurianov is going to provide roster competition and push others to perform at their best and not be content. However, it’s not unfathomable to think that Gurianov could find new life in Nashville and find a role in the bottom six.
Gurianov is going to be looking to impress in his preseason action to earn more than likely a fourth line role on opening night. That means he’s going to have to outshine fourth liners that were on last year’s Predators like Cole Smith, Kiefer Sherwood, Michael McCarron and Mark Jankowski.
At just barely 26 years of age, Gurianov’s NHL career is nowhere close to being one you should give up on. His time with Dallas, the team that drafted him 12th overall in 2015, ended with a lot to be desired.
Gurianov has a career high of 31 points set in the 2021-22 season, and put up 17 points in 27 playoff games for Dallas in 2020 when that team won the Western Conference.
If Gurianov can come into Predators training camp with a fire in his belly and perform well in his preseason action, then he has an excellent shot at rejuvenating his NHL career with the Nashville Predators.