Preds Arrive in Edmonton with Quiet Confidence After Successful Camp

On Sunday morning, for the first time in more than four months, the Nashville Predators stepped onto a plane - as a team - and departed for a destination to play hockey.

A feeling of uncertainty was still prevalent, just like the last time they were in the air together, but that sense was overrun by a different emotion - an excitement that hasn't been felt in quite some time.

With two weeks of training camp complete, the Preds jetted off to Edmonton, Alberta, the site of the NHL's Western Conference hub as Phase 4 of their Return To Play Plan begins. Once settled in the JW Marriott within the Secure Zone downtown, the Predators will focus on three days of practice before their exhibition contest with the Dallas Stars on Thursday afternoon.

That tune-up will serve as the single-game preparation for Nashville in advance of their participation in the League's first-ever Stanley Cup Qualifying Round, a best-of-5 series that will take place against the Arizona Coyotes at Rogers Place with Game 1 set for Aug. 2.

Throughout the past two months after the League first announced their intention to hold the playoffs and crown a champion in 2020, the goal has been to make it through the NHL's plan phase by phase. Well, the Predators have done it, and now that the fourth and final of those phases has arrived, they're simply ready to get going.

"I really liked the way that the players have come back, and we've had some really good days here," Predators Head Coach John Hynes said following the team's final training camp practice on Saturday. "Physically, mentally, I feel like we're certainly prepared for the next phase… and we still have another week here to prepare with some more good practices and an exhibition game. We feel like we put the work in, we have a very good foundation and we'll just try to continue to make that foundation stronger and continue to get sharp as we move forward here."

The work Hynes and his club were putting in day after day was clear. The intensity ramped up with each on-ice session, and little by little, ideas and systems were implemented drill by drill. The first week led into the second, and the physicality began to pick up before a pair of scrimmages on Wednesday and Thursday to give Predators coaches the best chance to evaluate - and to give players an opportunity to do what they do best.

"We're definitely more comfortable [with our systems]," Preds centerman Ryan Johansen said. "We've had some time to sharpen up and execute better and understand more, and now we're all about speed, speed, speed. [When we're playing] in all zones, [we want to play] as fast as we can and use our assets within our group trying to expose the opposite team. I think more than anything, our team speed and all aspects of the game is going to be huge, and we're going to use that as best we can."

As camp concluded, there was a true sense of accomplishment from the group with each player taking pride in how the past 14 days had played out. The Predators had an idea of what to expect as they all returned to town, but as is the case with just about everything nowadays, there was no way to know for sure how things would end up.

But considering the circumstances, there was plenty to like for those in the Nashville room.

"I've been really impressed by how everybody has been taking care of themselves, and everybody showed up ready to play from Day One," Preds winger Filip Forsberg said. "That's been the mindset throughout camp starting with [Captain Roman Josi] and for us in the leadership group. We just tried to work as hard as possible, and I think everybody in our team really bought into this. It's been a really good camp."

Today, the focus shifts from learning larger concepts to honing in on the work that's already been executed. Hynes and his team have three days of practice scheduled in Edmonton before that Thursday showcase against Dallas, and their time will be spent wisely when it comes to not only preparing for the Stars, but more importantly, the Coyotes.

"We've put a lot of work in, and we've put a lot of time in over the course of two weeks here, so now we go to the next phase," Hynes said. "We've [worked on] some tendencies and things on Arizona, but I think you want to fine tune some of those as you transition out of your two-week training camp here going in closer to game time. We want to be quick, sharp, energized, maybe some more focus points or some more details that we may want to put in [with our own game], and then also some things going into Arizona. The way we've progressed it, now you're going into the competition phase, if you will. You have the exhibition game against another team, and then you're going into the series, so I think your mindset and the way you go about your business does change a bit."

How all of that work will translate on the ice against another opponent remains to be seen, but there's no denying the Predators feel prepared for what's ahead. That all started when the group reunited as a team and proclaimed they were doing this For Smashville.

Now, the real journey begins, and the Preds can't wait to see what's ahead.

"There wasn't one guy that wasn't competing or not trying to get the most of every day, and it was encouraging to see as a team and as a player," Johansen said. "Everyone was on the same page and doing everything they could to prepare themselves as best as possible. You gain confidence within your teammates and trust from that, and that was a great thing to see."