A report broke recently that stated the Nashville Predators were going to be hosting the Carolina Hurricanes at Bristol Motor Speedway for the 2027 NHL Winter Classic. The report was wrong, and it has since been officially announced that the Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche at the next Winter Classic, which will be held at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
Still, it seems far past the time that the Predators were involved in another outdoor game, and with the success of the MLB Speedway Classic, Bristol might make a ton of sense as a location. You also have an incredible new stadium being built downtown to house the Titans, leaving you with a few great choices for a venue if the league wants to bring the game here, which should be a no brainer since they've had success with every event they hosted in the city thus far.
While sometimes the game itself comes second to the actual visuals and pageantry of the event, a regular season hockey game that counts for the standings is still played. So who might be compelling opponents for the Predators to play? Here's our wish list of teams.
The Carolina Hurricanes
The team that was suggested in the erroneous report does make sense as an opponent. There is a shared region, which means travel is easy, and you can have a variety of events around the game. It is also technically an Eastern vs Western Conference matchup, which provides a rarer game.
Also, the Hurricanes are an exciting team that plays a style of hockey that would create a back-and-forth slug-it-out offensive style game with the Predators. It makes for good TV
The Winnipeg Jets
An interesting wrinkle for this one would be to hold it in Atlanta, considering the Jets used to be the Thrashers, and it would be a nod to their heritage.
The Jets are a Central Division rival, but are typically left out of things unless they snag some attention during the Heritage Classic. Plus, it brings a unique team to the television audience, and helps ensure that the house is totally packed to the gills with Predators fans. It also extends some goodwill up to our northern neighbors.
The Pittsburg Penguins
This one might be a little bit more tailored to Predators fans who are looking for revenge.
Losing in a Stanley Cup Final isn't something that can ever really be cured. However, you can always take some of that sting away if you beat the team in another marquee NHL event, like a Winter Classic or a Stadium Series-type game. If the Predators can manage to defeat the Penguins, it would be a nice way to get one back on the Pens.
The Minnesota Wild
The NHL, and both teams' marketing teams, would have a field day with this beast head vs beast head matchup. Plus, it doubles as a Central Division rivalry, and could actually be an interesting storyline.
The Wild and the Predators were back-to-back expansion franchises and have run pretty parallel to one another in terms of successes, and have dedicated fan bases. This would serve as a tentpole marker for the two, and a win would be one of the more significant moments for either franchise.