NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Predators opened training camp at Ford Ice Center in Bellevue Thursday morning, beginning the pursuit of a turnaround season after major disappointment last year.
Nashville was a trendy pick to win the Stanley Cup last year after making big splashes with the signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in free agency. But the team struggled out of the gate, losing 10 of its first 15 games. They never recovered, missing the playoffs and finishing 30th in the NHL.
They enter this season motivated to prove this group is capable of so much more than it showed last year.
“We’re all excited,” Predators captain Roman Josi said. “I think nobody was happy the way the year went. Individually, a lot of guys have a chip on their shoulder, and that’s not a bad thing. The expectations from the outside are a little different than they were last year, but everyone in here has a lot of confidence in our team.”
The Preds return much of their core of stars, but the group around them is younger and faster. The average age of the extended roster is nearly four years younger than this time last year.
The flop of last season, coupled with the youth, is why many of the experts are picking Nashville near the bottom of the Central Division this season, but internally, they remain firm in their belief that they will compete with the best teams across the league.
“For us, nothing’s changed, obviously,” Predators forward Filip Forsberg said. “We approach every year with the same goals and dreams. We want to make the playoffs. A lot of the pieces are still here from a team a year ago that was one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and now no one’s got us picked for the playoffs.”
The Predators welcome the return of Josi. After missing the final 25 games of last season, the captain was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a disorder that affects the nervous system and was causing headaches, fatigue and other symptoms.
Josi received treatment and developed a long-term plan to help him manage the symptoms. As the 35-year-old All-Star defenseman hits the ice for training camp, he believes he’s once again fully healthy and says he has no concerns about it affecting his game this season.
“There’s times where I might feel the symptoms a little bit,” Josi said. “But, like I said before, just having that clarity of what’s going on and not just being in the unknown of why I’m feeling a certain way, and having the tools to manage it a lot better now is huge for me and makes a world of difference. So I’m definitely back to 100 percent and feeling really good on the ice.”
All eyes will also be on head coach Andrew Brunette’s ability to get this team headed in the right direction after last season’s disappointment. General Manager Barry Trotz says he believes Brunette has a good plan and great relationships with the players on the team as they try to turn things around.
Trotz noted that the Predators surprised many around the league two years ago when Brunette led them to the playoffs in his first season behind the bench.
“We’ve proved the experts wrong the last two years,” Trotz said. “Hopefully, we do it again.”
