Predators 2022-23 Training Camp Primer

The wait is over. Preds hockey is back.
Nashville Predators training camp, presented by Vanderbilt Health, kicked off with media day on Wednesday and continued with on-ice testing Thursday. Before practice and scrimmages begin on Friday, here's an overview of everything you need to know.

How We Got Here
General Manager/President of Hockey Operations David Poile and the Predators front office were busy this summer stockpiling talent through both trades and free agency. Here is a brief summary of all the Preds
offseason moves
:
RE-SIGNED PLAYERS
July 6: Filip Forsberg, Eight-Year, $68 MillionJune 19: Cody Glass, One-Year, Two-WayJune 8: Jeremy Lauzon, Four-Year, $8 Million
RE-SIGNED PROSPECTS
July 18: Tommy Novak, One-Year, Two-WayJuly 14: Cole Smith, One-Year, Two-WayJuly 13: Jimmy Huntington, One-Year, Two-WayJuly 13: Devin Cooley, One-Year, Two-Way
TRADES
July 3: Acquired John Leonard & a 2023 third-round pick from SJS in exchange for Luke KuninJune 28: Acquired Ryan McDonagh from TBL in exchange for Philippe Myers and Grant MismashJune 25: Acquired 2022 fourth-round pick from CBJ in exchange for Mathieu Olivier
FREE AGENT ACQUISITIONS
July 21: Nino Niederreiter, Two-Year, $8 MillionJuly 10: Zach Sanford, One-Year, $850KJuly 9: Jordan Gross, Two-Year, Two-WayJuly 9: Roland McKeown, Two-Year, Two-WayJuly 9: Kevin Gravel, Two-Year, Two-WayJuly 9: Kiefer Sherwood, One-Year, Two-WayJuly 9: Mark Jankowski, One-Year, Two-WayJuly 9: Kevin Lankinen, One-Year, $1.5 Million

The Basics
There will be 55 players attending training camp: 47 are under contract with the Predators; six are on American Hockey League contracts with the Milwaukee Admirals and two are participating on a tryout agreement or as an unsigned draft pick. Nashville's
training camp roster
will consist of 31 forwards, 18 defensemen and six goaltenders.
Making the Team
Because the Preds are participating in the upcoming NHL Global Series, they will carry a maximum 27 players - including a required three goaltenders - out of training camp instead of the typical 23. Once the team returns from Europe, the maximum roster size will revert to 23, meaning that not every player who makes the team out of camp will remain on the roster beyond the first two regular-season games against the San Jose Sharks.
Decisions on Defense
Earlier this summer, we broke down the
key components of the Preds defense core
and examined some possible combinations for the upcoming season. The Preds are brimming with blueline talent, creating plenty of opportunities for Head Coach John Hynes and his staff to get creative with defensive pairings at training camp.
In addition to newcomer Ryan McDonagh, the key names in the mix for the Preds three defensive pairings are Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Mark Borowiecki, Dante Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier and Jeremy Lauzon.
The million-dollar question is where McDonagh will play. If he slots into the top four as expected, there is a strong possibility he could play on the second pairing with Ekholm. Both Ekholm and McDonagh traditionally play on the right side, meaning that one would have to play on his off side if they were paired together. When asked about the possibility of changing sides on the second day of training camp, Ekholm didn't seem concerned in the slightest.
"It's not a big adjustment for me," he said. "There are some pros and cons with it, obviously. In the offensive zone, you always have the one-timer side, so that's good, but the puck's coming up to you against the board so you're going to be on your back end. So that's another challenge. But with guys trying to take you wide, you have a longer range that way…I think I can handle that."
If Hynes goes with a McDonagh-Ekholm second pair, that likely leaves young defenders Carrier and Fabbro to battle for a first-pairing role alongside Josi, or a spot on the third pair opposite Lauzon or Borowiecki. Keep an eye in particular on Carrier - who is looking to carry over the momentum from his successful rookie campaign - and Fabbro, who is a prime candidate to have a breakout season of his own.
"It takes a couple of years until you can really be comfortable and know what you're doing out there," Ekholm said. "I can see just in these informal skates that we've had so far, they look really confident. They just need to keep elevating their game and keep wanting to strive for more because they're great hockey players as it is, and they have all the chances in the world to be world class, both of them. I really liked what I've seen so far, and hopefully they can keep building on it."
The bottom line? Hynes has no shortage of options - or decisions to make - on the back end.
Options at Forward
The Preds will start camp with 31 forwards. Although they will bring an expanded roster to Europe, they will eventually have to cut that down to 14 - four lines of three, plus two extras.
While nothing is set in stone, a first line consisting of Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund and Filip Forsberg seems likely. It is also expected that Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter will be on the second line, but which winger will round out that line remains in question. One name to keep an eye on is Philip Tomasino - despite playing predominantly on the fourth line, he finished last season with 11 goals and 32 points, ranking seventh on the team in scoring as a rookie. If he earns it, the opportunity to play on a line with a pair of playmakers like Johansen and Niederreiter could arguably elevate Tomasino's game even further.
It's hard to imagine breaking up the "Herd" line of Tanner Jeannot, Yakov Trenin and Colton Sissons after the success the trio experienced last season. The three remaining spots on the fourth line, however, are anyone's to earn. Eeli Tolvanen, Zach Sanford and Michael McCarron are likely to be in the mix here - but keep an eye on Cody Glass, who is still hoping to see his minor-league success pay off at the NHL level after spending much of the summer skating with the Predators veterans.
Between the Pipes
Juuse Saros is the No. 1 goaltender. That much is certain.
Beyond that? Talk about options.
The Preds signed Kevin Lankinen to a one-year, $1.5 million deal this offseason, adding to an already-deep goaltending core that includes Connor Ingram, Devin Cooley and top prospect Yaroslav Askarov. While Lankinen's career numbers may not be overly impressive after two seasons backstopping a struggling Chicago Blackhawks team, they don't paint the full picture - he is just two years removed from his rookie season in which he ranked second in wins (17), third in even-strength save percentage (.922), fifth in save percentage (.909), sixth in short-handed save percentage and seventh in goals-against average (3.01).
Meanwhile, Ingram led the AHL in starts (54), minutes played (3,195:15), saves (1,541), shots faced (1,685) and shutouts (five) last year, while ranking second in wins (30). Askarov and Cooley will start the season with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals, but training camp will be an opportunity for them to prove they belong in a deep, albeit crowded, goaltending field.
Ultimately, the No. 2 spot behind Saros is still up for grabs. But either way, the Predators are in a much better position in the crease than they were last year.