Five Players who will have most to gain in Nashville Predators training camp

We're just about a month away from the Nashville Predators hitting the ice for training camp in what will no doubt be an intense 2024-25 season with the highest caliber roster since 2018-19.

When you look at this projected starting lineup on paper, it's hard to find any real serious position battles for starting roles. I don't see a lot of realistic opportunities for players to work their way into the upper part of the depth chart, or earn a starting spot and bump someone else out.

However, with that said there's still a lot to gain in training camp besides just position battles. This group is going to have to quickly build new chemistry, similar to last year when Ryan O'Reilly and other joined the mix, but on a larger scale this year.

Here's my five players who have the most to gain in training camp and in the preseason games. The first preseason matchup is a doubleheader against the Carolina Hurricanes on September 22.

Let me preface this by saying that neither Phil Tomasino or Juuso Parssinen are on my list because they remain RFAs and we don't even know if they're going to be on the team when training camp gets here. Obviously if they get re-signed, they will have a lot to prove in training camp. Especially Tomasino.

1. Steven Stamkos: 1st year with team, looking to find chemistry

I'm putting Stamkos in this group not because the guy needs a lot of preseason reps. He's a future Hall of Famer, but he's making a major switch late in his career from the only team he's ever played for to now the Nashville Predators.

There's going to be kinks to work out. Timing might be off, and building that trust with the linemates will take some time. Not to mention learning a new head coach's' approach in Andrew Brunette after playing under Jon Cooper with the Lightning for the last 12 seasons.

Another critical task for Stamkos in training camp will be to find his most effective spot, either at wing or center. Everyone expects him to be on the wing because that's where he has primarily played in recent years, but something might be learned in training camp that pushes Brunette to consider starting Stamkos at center on the second line.

A strong training camp for Stamkos and a seamless switch from Cooper to Brunette, and playing alongside new linemates will mean huge things for Nashville avoiding a rocky start to the regular season.

2. Tommy Novak: Elevated role, is he ready?

The absolute top preference should be for Novak to start the regular season as the second line center so that Stamkos can remain at the wing. He can't show any kinds of glaring missteps in training camp that gives Brunette concern about putting him at such an important role of centering Stamkos and likely Jonathan Marchessault, your two prized free agency additions.

Novak is going to need to show high confidence, a balanced two-way game, solid hockey IQ and most off all, precision passing to maximize Stamkos and Marchessault.

There's very little doubt in my mind that Brunette doesn't try Novak on this line at first and see how he responds. If he excels in this role and gains the confidence from Stamkos and Marchessault as their center to play with, you'll be in outstanding shape with your top-six forwards going into the regular season.

You really don't want to break up such a successful top line in Forsberg, O'Reilly and Nyquist if you don't have to. That's why Novak's role is so crucial. It's not his spot set in stone. He has to go out and earn it in training camp and show it off in preseason action.

3. Spencer Stastney: Playing for a starting position out of training camp

Stastney is one of the very few players I give a realistic shot at winning a starting spot out of training camp. But it's not going to just be given to him, just like I don't automatically give Novak the second line center role even though that is highly preferred.

Stastney was signed over the offseason to a two-way deal after going to an arbitration rule. The front office clearly believes in Stastney and wants him hear for the long haul, but since he is on a two-way deal, there is flexibility.

With Stastney being waivers exempt, the Predators have a lot of flexibility here. He's a left shot defenseman as well, and when you look at the current NHL rostered defensemen for the Predators, they have three right shot guys and three left shot guys. Leaving Stastney as technically the seventh defenseman.

However, the prevailing thought is that the Predators are going to want to keep the highly-effective Alexandre Carrier/Jeremy Lauzon pairing together, and also stick Brady Skjei on the top pairing with Roman Josi even though they're both left shot defensemen.

This makes Fabbro more of the odd man out than Stastney, but again, Stastney needs a really impressive training camp to knock out the veteran Fabbro. He has to earn it. So this is actually the most interesting position battle in training camp for a starting spot, and it's Stastney's to lose.

4. Dante Fabbro: A "prove it" year for his NHL future

The overwhelming feeling is that Fabbro is playing not just for his Predators future, but for his NHL future. I still hold him in high regard as at the very least an everyday NHL starter, but he's going to be battling to get consistent starts this season.

Fabbro has to do whatever he can in training camp to give Brunette a reason to think he can't leave him on the bench. This could bring a scenario of Stastney starting the year off in Milwaukee, and Fabbro being the starter. That would force a realignment of the defensive pairings.

The conundrum here is if Fabbro is a starter, who will be his left shot linemate? He has always played well with Roman Josi, but is Brunette really going to make Fabbro a top pairing defenseman over free agency acquisition Brady Skjei?

This is why I'm thinking Fabbro has so much to gain in training camp. If he is lights out in training camp and really impresses the coaches, then top pairing is his best spot. That would also mean breaking up Lauzon and Carrier, and if that happens, I'd play Skjei with Carrier and place Lauzon on the bottom pairing with Luke Schenn.

Again, the more ideal scenario is Stastney earning it in training camp, but if for some reason he doesn't do enough and on the flip side Fabbro has an excellent training camp, then this could be your starting six defensive alignment for the season opener against the Dallas Stars.

5. Luke Evangelista: Poised for a breakout year?

I've seen Evangelista mentioned around the NHL landscape as a potential breakout player for 2024-25, and I totally agree with that sentiment.

Evangelista would be a top-six player going into the season if Trotz hadn't swung for the fences in free agency to make the Predators Stanley Cup contenders right now, and not a few years down the road.

Even so, Evangelista can have a strong training camp and give Brunette reason to think about moving him around the lineup if things don't go well in the first 10 games. There's just no way, no matter what Evangelista does in training camp, that Brunette is going to start the season sticking veterans like Gus Nyquist or Jonthan Marchessault in the bottom six.

However, Evangelista can continue to build the trust and confidence from the coaching staff that he's ready to be a top-six player when called upon. And we know injuries are inevitable, as will be growing pains and losing slumps.

Evangelista starting the season off with Colton Sissons is a great spot for him, actually. Not nearly as much pressure as getting top-six minutes, but he can still flourish offensively playing with the high hockey IQ Sissons on the third line.

Training camp for Evangelista will be about solidifying his role as the best player of the younger generation. This team has already moved on from Cody Glass, Egor Afanasyev and Yaroslav Askarov, all prominent figures in the Predators former youth movement that's now over. At least for now.

Evangelista is going into just his second fulltime season in the NHL after finishing ninth in the Calder Trophy voting this past season after notching 39 points in 80 games. Unlike many other young players that are rookies, Evangelista's starting role was never really in question and in danger of bein sent back down to the minors.

This is Evangelista's final year of his entry-level deal, so he's also playing for a hefty pay raise and his first NHL standard contract at some point in the near future.