2014-2019: The Laviolette Era Brought a New Look for Smashville
The 2014-15 season saw the introduction of new Head Coach Peter Laviolette. He was the former coach of the Stanley Cup winning Carolina Hurricanes and was looked to be a promising coach for the future of Nashville. In his first season with the Predators, he brought the squad to another first round exit with this one coming from a 4-2 series loss against the Blackhawks. However, the next few seasons with him were a very exciting time for the fanbase.
After trading for Ryan Johansen from the Blue Jackets, the Preds took the next step and managed to win another round. With a game seven win against the Ducks, Nashville moved on and matched with the Sharks. In this seven-game serious however, the result wasn't as favorable with the Sharks moving on instead. We saw the rise of Mattias Ekholm, Josi, and recently added P.K. Subban who was crucial to what the Predators did the very next season.
The 2016-17 season is the best Predators season of all-time. We entered the playoffs as a wildcard team with the task of taking on the western conference points leader in the Blackhawks. However, we did anything but fall, moving on in a four-game sweep against Chicago to rival with the Blues. With the arrival of P.K. Subban that year via the Weber trade, the Blues were no match as we took them down 4-2. In the team's first conference finals appearance, we stunned the Ducks (4-2) and moved on to the Stanley Cup Finals.
In the finals, we fought against the defending Stanley Cup champions in the Pittsburgh Penguins. We took the Penguins to six games but ultimately fell short of the cup and lost on home ice. Even though we lost, we grew stronger in the meantime and became the league's next powerhouse. We were the President's Trophy winner the following season and advanced to round two where we lost to the Winnipeg Jets in seven hard fought games.
The last full season under Laviolette's control was the 2018-19 season. We placed first in the central division and were ready to take on the Dallas Stars. Despite the efforts of Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson, the Predators disappointed in the playoffs and fell 4-2. Nashville was pretty good under Laviolette and had some bright spots, but we began the gradual decline to where we are today.