The Nashville Predators descended upon Ford Ice Center Bellevue on Wednesday for the first on-ice sessions at the 2023 edition of Training Camp.
With a new General Manager in Barry Trotz, a new Head Coach in Andrew Brunette and plenty of new faces throughout the lineup, there will be plenty of storylines to follow as the Preds prepare for the 2023-24 season.
Here are five questions facing the team as camp gets underway:
1. Is the team healthy?
In short, yes. The Predators were bitten by the injury bug late last season, leaving them without key players like Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg and Alexandre Carrier down the stretch. All three addressed the media following the first on-ice sessions at training camp on Wednesday and confirmed that they are 100 percent healthy and recovered from their respective injuries.
New free-agent signing Gustav Nyquist also missed time due to injury last season and was traded from Columbus to Minnesota at the deadline while still recovering. He made his debut with the Wild near the end of the regular season and was productive in his return, recording five points in just three games. He went on to tally five assists through six playoff appearances with Minnesota before signing with Nashville.
“I wouldn't have played if I wasn't 100 percent,” Nyquist said. “I felt good [to come back] for those last few regular-season games, and I had a good summer.”
2. How will things shake out on the blue line?
The offseason addition of Luke Schenn has created a traffic jam on the right side of the blue line, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Trotz indicated when the team signed Schenn that he would like to see Schenn alongside Josi on the top defensive pairing. Ryan McDonagh’s shutdown ability and Tyson Barrie’s offensive spark created an effective pairing last season, so there is cause to believe they would be reunited this season. That leaves one final pairing, with more candidates than there are open roster spots. Jeremy Lauzon seems the obvious choice to fill the spot on the left side, but there is no shortage of options on the right, including:
- Dante Fabbro, who has the most NHL experience but has yet to have a breakout year offensively and will be expected to produce if he intends to sign with the Preds beyond 2023-24.
- Alexandre Carrier, who had trouble staying healthy last season but was rewarded with a one-year contract in the hopes that he can build upon his stellar rookie season in 2021-22.
- Jake Livingstone, who signed with the Predators as a collegiate free agent in March and averaged 15:27 of ice time, recorded one assist, blocked 11 shots and dished out six hits in five NHL games.
- Spencer Stastney, who made his NHL debut with the Preds on April 1 and recorded two points (2a) in eight games with Nashville before returning to Milwaukee in time for the Admirals’ postseason run.
3. Can Filip Forsberg replicate his special 2021-22 season?
A new system under Brunette is expected to provide a jolt to the Predators offense, but the team’s overall production will be dependent in large part on Forsberg’s ability to score at the rate that he did during the career season he enjoyed in 2021-22.
Forsberg, the franchise leader in goals with 239, skated in just 50 games in 2022-23 before suffering an injury in February that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Just two seasons ago, he set career highs in goals (42) and points (84). With a fast-paced, possession-heavy system under Brunette and a new mix of forwards, including veteran center Ryan O’Reilly, the Preds will hope that Forsberg can return to his 2021-22 form and give their offense new life.
“I’ve been working hard with our skating coach [Jacki Munzel], and she’s been great,” Forsberg said on Wednesday. “I’ve been trying to do all of the things that I do well. I also try to keep working on my shot, keep working on my hands and being strong on the puck… Hopefully, that will pay off in the season.”
4. Will last season’s call-ups make the team out of camp?
All eyes will be on Philip Tomasino, Luke Evangelista and others who were called up from the AHL last season to bolster an injury-depleted Preds team. These young up-and-comers were integral in Nashville’s playoff push that fell just short; but can they compete at the NHL level for a full, 82-game season?
Take Tomasino, for example. After recording 32 points in 76 NHL games as a rookie in 2021-22, he didn’t make the Predators roster out of training camp last fall and was assigned to Milwaukee to start the season. After recording 32 points in 38 AHL games, the Preds recalled Tomasino in February in the wake of Forsberg’s injury. Tomasino was ready to answer the call, recording 18 points in 31 games while averaging 15:36 of ice time per game. After last year’s lackluster training camp proved that NHL roster spots are not guaranteed, Tomasino will look to prove at this year’s camp that he is ready for a full-time role.
5. Can the Predators lessen the burden on Juuse Saros?
Saros was unquestionably Nashville’s most valuable player in 2022-23, one season removed from being named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. He led the NHL with 46.7 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.com. He led the league in games played (64) and minutes (3,810) for a second straight season, in addition to sitting atop the NHL leaderboards in shots faced (2,099) and saves (1,928).
The Preds will certainly need both Saros to be at his best if they plan to reach the playoffs, but a revival on offense could help reduce the pressure on their starting goaltender. Beyond just scoring more goals, the Preds can help Saros by gaining better control of the puck in the offensive zone, allowing fewer shots on goal and spending less time on the penalty kill.
