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Four surprise players who give Nashville Predators optimism for the future

It's easy to focus on all of the negatives surrounding the 2024-25 Predators, but let's try to get optimistic here.

ByChad Minton|
Dec 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby (83) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Dec 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby (83) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
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Adam Wilsby, Nashville Predators
Dec 5, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby (83) plays the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | David Kirouac-Imagn Images

1. Adam Wilsby- Made his NHL debut earlier this season

Let's start with the First Star of the game from the grimy win over the Rangers and that's Adam Wilsby. He finally got his first NHL goal, and it came on a slick move into the slot that had him looking like Roman Josi 2.0.

Wilsby is now 10 games into his NHL career, and he's already showing high confidence, offensive flare and wise instincts on the defensive end. He just looks like a born natural to play defenseman in the NHL.

Going into the season Wilsby was considered a rising prospect with a decent chance to get an NHL call-up eventually, but no one figured he'd be playing such heavy minutes. Roman Josi, Alexandre Carrier and Jeremy Lauzon have all been missing extensive time due to injury, giving Wilsby a chance to stick around and proving to coaches he's here to stay in the big leagues.

I like Wilsby's confidence and hockey IQ. He plays smart, plays physical but also plays with speed. He's a blend of everything you want from a defenseman. He was drafted by the Predator 101st overall in 2020 and has played two full seasons and one partial season for the Milwaukee Admirals, so he got solid development before getting thrust into NHL duty.

You can't help but be very excited about the future of Nashville's blueline with Wilsby showing how ready he is for heavy NHL minutes.

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