Nashville Predators 2024 training camp roster set, here's what stands out

No one is really going to argue against the notion that the Nashville Predators are absolutely a better team than they were in their Game 6 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Predators have lost some key players, but added some big time players to come out to what results in a net positive on paper. Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skeji are players that will make this a much more dangerous team against anyone in the NHL including the heavyweights.

The training camp roster has been announced by the team's official website, with 62 players attending. Including the players under NHL contracts and minor league contracts, there are also a few professional tryouts.

The first training camp practice is a week from today on September 19, and quickly thereafter the Predators will get into their six-game preseason schedule against the likes of the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.

Here's what stands out from the training camp roster and who to watch for.

Where will the newcomers initially be placed in the lineup?

Training camp is usually a time to try a bunch of different combinations to see what sticks, so there will be no reason to read too much into who Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault start off playing with and on what line.

There has been endless speculation since Stamkos and Marchessault were signed in free agency on where Head Coach Andrew Brunette will put them in the lineup. The overwhelming expectations is they'll be linemates on Nashville's second line, with Tommy Novak centering.

When we start seeing the first line rushes and intrasquad scrimmages, that will be our first glimpse into what Brunette is thinking. It's pretty obvious that projected second line makes the most logical sense to put Stamkos and Marchessault, but it still has to be sorted out in training camp first.

I suspect we will see Stamkos play some center as well, even though the preference is to have him at wing. Again, Brunette is going to want to see Stamkos at both positions and test out a lot of different line combinations to see what produces the best results.

To a lesser degree, I'll be looking to see if Brady Skjei is matched with Roman Josi predominantly. That's the expectation because to be quite honest, nothing else really makes sense unless Dante Fabbro gets the call up there.

Tomasino remains an RFA

We're getting down to the final few days for the Predators to make a decision and come to an agreement with Philip Tomasino, or see him lost in free agency.

The Predators managed to get Juuso Parssinen and Marc Del Gaizo fresh one-year deals, leaving Tomasino as the only player currently unsigned with training camp looming. As of now, he's listed on the training camp roster.

It would be a shame, similar to the Eeli Tolvanen fiasco, if Tomasino were to be lost for nothing. Like Tolvanen, Tomasino is a former first-round pick and has always had high hopes of eventually being a top-6 player with hopes of being a dynamic offensive producer.

Unfortunately, Tomasino's role has been a rollercoaster with the Predators. Not to mention his work ethic and desire to play at the intensity level required in a Brunette system has always been called into question as recent as this offseason.

The Predators have the salary cap space remaining to re-sign Tomasino, but only if he is willing to take a smaller deal around the $1 million range. The fact that it's dragged out this long and late in the offseason, something gives me a suspicion that he's not coming back and won't be in Predators training. I hope I'm wrong on this one and comes to an agreement to stay in Nashville.

Exciting prospects to watch

First and foremost, I can't wait to see Tanner Molendyk throw on the Predators sweater and showcase his elite skating abilities. The guy is world class with his speed, skating and his transition game.

How about this transition play where Molendyk takes it end-to-end and nearly finishes with a goal after making multiple defenders miss. He's just gliding up the ice like it's nothing.

It should make for an entertaining portion of training camp to see how Molendyk sizes up against NHL and AHL competition. He has played his last four seasons in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades and has shown steady improvement in his offensive output in each season.

There's a trio of forwards I'm pumped to watch get out there and that's Zachary L'Heureux, Joakim Kemell and Fedor Svechkov. All three just played their rookie seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals and they all showed a lot of promise in their development.

This trio of top end prospects in the Nashville Predators system are expected to one day be everyday NHLers, but they each have different paths forward. L'Heureux can be argued as the most NHL ready due to his physical and aggressive attributes that make him an ideal candidate for a bottom-six role.

Svechkov is a prototypical two-way forward who reminds me a lot of Colton Sissons. Again, bottom-six role is probalby his floor, but Svechkov's offensive game has been improving as well and it will be something to watch in training camp to see how his offensive game looks in preseason action.

Finally out of this trio, Kemell is the offensive specialist. His shot and accuracy is ridiculous and is a lot like that of Filip Forsberg's. His first season in North America he put up 41 points in 67 games, 16 of those being goals.

All three of these guys are already competing at the Nashville Predators Rookie Showcase, with the first game action coming on Friday, September 13 against the Florida Panthers rookies.

Watching the Goalies, and newcomer Magnus Chrona

Well, with no Yaroslav Askarov in the mix now, maybe the goalies won't steal as many of the training camp storylines as they would have originally. But Magnus Chrona should get a lot of attention.

Chrona was part of the trade return for Askarov with the San Jose Sharks in August. He has had a rocky go of it from his days with the Sharks and in their minor league system, but now he's joining a much better AHL roster in the Admirals.

There will be a competition for the No.1 spot in Milwaukee between the pipes. Matthew Murray was also added this offseason to the goalie pipeline, but he is under a standard contract and not participating in the rookie camp. Murray will be at Predators training camp, so him and Chrona will be under a close eye to see who outperforms the other for Milwaukee's main starter role.

Scott Wedgewood was added in free agency from the Dallas Stars to be Juuse Saros' new backup, so expect him to get plenty of reps in the preseason to make sure he's ready to go. With Askarov out of the picture, Wedgewood has no competition for his backup role, and some say he never really did even when Askarov was here, hence why Askarov wanted out.

Defensemen Prospects looking to make a splash and move up the ranks

Lost in the shuffle of training camp is the prospects further down the pipeline looking to continue on the difficult journey to the NHL. The undrafted players, and the ones and who have a much longer way to go to get into the NHL.

Defenseman Jeremy Hanzel is a sixth-round pick from 2023 by the Colorado Avalanche who was sent to the Predators in the Yakov Trenin trade at the 2024 trade deadline. He made his AHL debut with the Admirals this past season and is slated to play a big role for them on their blueline in 2024-25.

Another defenseman who is getting ready for his first fulltime season in the AHL is Ryan Ufko. He is a fourth-round pick from 2021 by the Predators and has completed his four years in the NCAA ranks and now making the difficult transition to the AHL. He has already put up six points in his first nine regular season games, and another 10 points in 15 playoff games for the Admirals.

The Admirals have another defenseman prospect looking to get fulltime action in the AHL this season and that's Jack Matier. A fourth-round pick from the same draft and round that Ufko was taken in, also drafted by the Predators.

Matier is a massive body at 6'5" and sometimes gets overlooked in the Predators pipeline of defenseman. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes some strong impressions at training camp and rookie camp to solidify his chances of being in Milwaukee fulltime.