A Cinderella Story: Inside a Whirlwind Month for the Predators

The gloom was palpable inside the visitors locker room at Mullett Arena on Feb. 26. The room was quiet. The mood was somber. Players' heads were down, their expressions conveying sadness, confusion - and even fear.
The atmosphere, which would be typical following a loss, felt incongruous with a Predators team that had just cruised to a 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. But for the Preds, the win was the furthest thing from their minds.

The team had already planned to skate 11 forwards and seven defensemen against Arizona, after Juuso Parssinen had left the previous game in San Jose with an injury. But the Predators learned they would be down yet another forward after receiving word before puck drop that Tanner Jeannot - who had taken the ice with the team for warmups - would be held out of the game for trade-related reasons; his trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning would be finalized later that evening.
Nino Niederreiter had been dealt to the Winnipeg Jets the day before. Rumors were swirling around Mattias Ekholm, Mikael Granlund and others. President of Hockey Operations & General Manager David Poile had announced that afternoon that he would be retiring at the end of June and that Barry Trotz would be taking over as GM effective July 1.
As a cloud of uncertainty hovered over the room in Arizona, a visibly shaken Roman Josi struggled to articulate what he was feeling.
"It's definitely not an easy situation," he said. "I've never been through anything like that in my time here, and it's very emotional. It's very hard on every player. There's a lot going on. I feel like my mind was in a million places in this game. We are hockey players, and we've got to go about our business and play hockey. But we're people first, right? So it's okay to feel those emotions. It's okay to be sad or a little anxious about what's happening."
Matt Duchene echoed Josi's sentiments, making valiant attempts to convey confidence in his team despite the uneasiness in his voice.
"We stick together," Duchene said. "We love each other. It's been probably the most emotional 24 hours-plus I've ever been a part of with a hockey team, just for so many reasons. And we need to use that emotion to fuel ourselves and keep pushing. What a story it would be if we were to make the playoffs - that'd be just amazing, and we're going to really push for it. We have games in hand; we've got to win them. This team has not given up no matter what, no matter who's here and who's not."
His voice breaking, he added:
"I don't know what the end of this week's going to look like. But I know I really want to be part of the solution here moving forward. The biggest thing on my mind is just trying to help and do whatever I can to ensure that and help this team."
The following weeks would bring even more bittersweet change, from farewells to firsts. Ekholm was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. Granlund was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Cal Foote, Tyson Barrie and Rasmus Asplund joined the Predators roster. Dante Fabbro, Kevin Lankinen and Mark Jankowski were inked to one-year deals through 2023-24. John Leonard and Michael McCarron were re-called from Milwaukee (AHL). Luke Evangelista and Egor Afanasyev made their NHL debuts with the Preds.
As if that wasn't enough, it all happened as the team embarked on a 13-day, cross-continent road trip that spanned more than 11,000 miles and included stops in every time zone, not to mention daylight savings. Factor in injuries to top-six stalwarts Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen, as well as defenseman Alexandre Carrier, and the circumstances were unfavorable to say the least.
A lot can change in 18 days. Even with the odds stacked against them, the Preds finished the road trip with a 5-1-1 record and followed it up with a 2-1 win over Detroit at home. A team that had been all but written off after the trade deadline suddenly finds itself in the thick of the playoff race, just four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second Wild Card spot in the West.

For Duchene, whose tone in the locker room was decidedly more upbeat less than three weeks after that fateful day in Arizona, there was never a doubt.
"I don't think I'm surprised, but I think I'm really happy with what we've done so far," he said. "We could have easily just put our hands up and said it's not our year… We're playing to win, and if we felt like that was not able to happen anymore, we could have easily put our hands up and said, okay, whatever. The older guys have done a really good job with that. And then the young guys have come in and played really, really well. And they haven't just played to be on this team; they've played to win, and it's been great. Obviously, we're not near our mission yet. We have [16 games] left here, but I'm really, really happy with everything that's going on. I think we all are."
The prevailing storyline around this Cinderella team has been the so-called youth movement, with the influx of talent from players aged 25 and under like Evangelista, Tommy Novak and Philip Tomasino providing a much-needed spark on offense.
"I think the young guys have come in and really played to their strong suits," Head Coach John Hynes said. "I think we're a faster team. I think we're very competitive every night. You're not asking or begging for effort and competitiveness; it's naturally there. I think from a structure standpoint, guys are committed when they don't have the puck. From an offensive standpoint, guys are playing with some confidence and swagger. I think our different skill sets in the lineup now have really clicked."
While the impact of the young players has been undeniable, Hynes was also quick to give credit to the team's veteran core for leading the charge both on and off the ice.
"I really believe when you go through this type of transition with all the roster changes, [credit goes to] the veteran players that have been in the room," Hynes said. "They're all in, and they're doing a really good job leading by example of how to play and reiterating some of the messages that we're sending to the players."
The faces in the locker room may have changed, but the team's winning culture hasn't. The veteran Preds have taken every opportunity to instill the values of effort, mental toughness and a team-centric attitude in their younger teammates.

"They just really play hard for each other," Hynes said. "There's a good chemistry in the room. I think they respect each other and they show up for each other every night consistently, and that's how you get good results."
As for the veteran players themselves, they don't take their leadership role lightly.
"I think you're mindful of everything you say and everything you do," Duchene said. "There are a lot of eyes on us as older guys. You've got to almost put yourself in the shoes of the younger guys when you were that age, you know? I used to watch all the older guys and kind of see what they did, even if I didn't realize I was doing that. I think our message in the room and what we say has been really consistent and we haven't changed it just because the team changed. A lot of us could have just stopped trying to help these guys, but we coach them when we can and teach them when we can and support them as they're getting used to the league. To a man, with the older group, guys have done a good job."

Progress isn't always linear, however. There are bound to be bumps in the road - like Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks - as the younger players continue to adjust to the unique rigors of the NHL. Josi, Duchene and Barrie combined for Nashville's lone goal in the loss, highlighting further the importance of veteran leadership at times like these.
"We've got a really young group, and it seems like tonight we didn't have the normal energy and competitiveness that we've been playing with," Hynes said following the loss. "It's the first time with a really heavy schedule for a lot of these guys going through it. I thought that was a little bit of the issue tonight. I think when you have watched the team play as of late, we've had much more energy and spark to our game. And tonight, guys were working but we just didn't have it."
The NHL schedule isn't kind to newcomers, but Hynes, his staff and the Predators veterans remain confident in their young players as they forge on in their chase for a playoff spot. The key? Having a short memory.
"They've got to understand that in this league you can't get too low because there's another one coming at one o'clock on Saturday," Hynes said. "So let's not be frustrated with it. Let's take some lessons out of it tomorrow as a group, get some rest and make sure our minds are right and we're getting ready to go again."