Preds Set to Play In Realigned Central Division During 2020-21 NHL Season

Meet the new (temporary) Central Division.
After months of negotiating amid a pandemic, the NHL and NHLPA on Sunday afternoon announced an agreement to play a 2020-21 regular-season schedule of 56 games beginning Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, and concluding on May 8. Training camp for the Predators will begin on Jan. 3, 2021.
Plus, due to the ongoing closure of the U.S. and Canadian border, and a desire to minimize travel as much as possible, realigned divisions were a must, and the Central will look a bit different than it ever has before. Some rivalries remain, others will be renewed and a few will be formed for the first time.

Along with Nashville, the division will include a pair of familiar foes, the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. Joining those Central mainstays are five clubs that traditionally reside in the Eastern Conference - the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
The number of clubs in the Central Division increases from seven to eight, and the Predators will play each of their divisional opponents a total of eight times apiece to make up the entire 56-game schedule of the regular season. Exact dates will be announced in the days to come, but the new-look Central is sure to provide drama like we've never seen before.
So, before you form a newfound dislike for the opposition, familiarize yourself with the teams - and players - you'll soon love to despise.

Carolina Hurricanes:

2019-20 Record: 38-25-5, 81 points
NSH All-Time Record vs. CAR: 15-12-1-3
NSH 2019-20 Record vs. CAR: 1-1-0
Hurricanes Key Players:
Sebastian Aho - F - 2019-20 Stats: 38G-28A-66 PTS
Teuvo Teravainen - F - 2019-20 Stats: 15G-48A-63 PTS
Andrei Svechnikov - F - 2019-20 Stats: 24G-37A-61 PTS
Dougie Hamilton - D - 2019-20 Stats: 14G-26A-40 PTS
Petr Mrazek - G - 2019-20 Stats: 21-16-2, 2.69 GAA, .905 SV%
Notable Offseason Transactions:
Additions:
Jesper Fast - F - 2019-20 Stats (with NYR): 12G-17A-29 PTS
Subtractions:
Justin Williams - F - Retired
Trevor van Riemsdyk - D - Signed by WSH
Joel Edmundson - D - Traded to MTL

Chicago Blackhawks:

2019-20 Record: 32-30-8, 72 PTS
NSH All-Time Record vs. CHI: 53-50-4-10
NSH 2019-20 Record vs. CHI: 2-1-1
Blackhawks Key Players:
Patrick Kane - F - 2019-20 Stats: 33G-51A-84 PTS
Jonathan Toews - F - 2019-20 Stats: 18G-42A-60 PTS
Dominik Kubalik - F - 2019-20 Stats: 30G-16A-46 PTS
Alex DeBrincat - F - 2019-20 Stats: 18G-27A-45 PTS
Malcom Subban - G - 2019-20 Stats (with VGK): 9-7-3, 3.18 GAA, .890 SV%
Notable Offseason Transactions:
Additions:
Nikita Zadorov - D - 2019-20 Stats (with COL): 4G-9A-13 PTS
Mattias Janmark - F - 2019-20 Stats (with DAL): 6G-15A-21 PTS
Subtractions:
Corey Crawford - G - Signed by NJD
Drake Caggiula - F - Free agent
Slater Koekkoek - D - Free agent
Brandon Saad - F - Traded to COL

Columbus Blue Jackets:

2019-20 Record: 33-22-15, 81 PTS
NSH All-Time Record vs. CHI: 59-20-1-7
NSH 2019-20 Record vs. CBJ: 1-0-0
Blue Jackets Key Players:
Pierre-Luc Dubois - F - 2019-20 Stats: 18G-31A-49 PTS
Gustav Nyquist - F - 2019-20 Stats: 15G-27A-42 PTS
Zach Werenski - D - 2019-20 Stats: 20G-21A-41 PTS
Seth Jones - D - 2019-20 Stats: 6G-24A-30 PTS
Joonas Korpisalo - G - 2019-20 Stats: 19-12-5, 2.60 GAA, .911 SV%
Notable Offseason Transactions:
Additions:
Max Domi - F - 2019-20 Stats (with MTL): 17G-27A-44 PTS
Mikko Koivu - F - 2019-20 Stats (with MIN): 4G-17A-21 PTS
Subtractions:
Josh Anderson - F - Traded to MTL

Dallas Stars:

2019-20 Record: 37-24-8, 82 PTS
NSH All-Time Record vs. DAL: 40-42-1-5
NSH 2019-20 Record vs. DAL: 2-2-0
Stars Key Players:
Tyler Seguin - F - 2019-20 Stats: 17G-33A-50 PTS
Jamie Benn - F - 2019-20 Stats: 19G-20A-39 PTS
Miro Heiskanen - D - 2019-20 Stats: 8G-27A-35 PTS
Alexander Radulov - F - 2019-20 Stats: 15G-19A-34 PTS
Anton Khudobin - G - 2019-20 Stats: 16-8-4, 2.22 GAA, .930 SV%
Notable Offseason Transactions:
Additions:
Mark Pysyk - D - 2019-20 Stats (with FLA): 9G-9A-18 PTS
Subtractions:
Martin Hanzel - F - Retired
Mattias Janmark - Signed with CHI
Corey Perry - Free agent
Roman Polak - Free agent

Detroit Red Wings:

2019-20 Record: 17-49-5, 39 PTS
NSH All-Time Record vs. DET: 36-49-4-10
NSH 2019-20 Record vs. DET: 1-1-0
Red Wings Key Players:
Dylan Larkin - F - 2019-20 Stats: 19G-34A-53 PTS
Tyler Bertuzzi - F - 2019-20 Stats: 21G-27A-48 PTS
Anthony Mantha - F - 2019-20 Stats: 16G-22A-38 PTS
Robby Fabbri - F - 2019-20 Stats: 14G-17A-31 PTS
Jonathan Bernier - G - 2019-20 Stats: 15-22-3, 2.95 GAA, .907 SV%
Notable Offseason Transactions:
Additions:
Marc Staal - D - 2019-20 Stats (with NYR): 2G-9A-11 PTS
Jon Merrill - D - 2019-20 Stats (with VGK): 2G-5A-7 PTS
Bobby Ryan - F - 2019-20 Stats (with OTT): 5G-3A-8 PTS
Troy Stecher - D - 2019-20 Stats (with VAN): 5G-12A-17 PTS
Vladislav Namestnikov - F - 2019-20 Stats (with NYR/OTT/COL): 17G-14A-31 PTS
Thomas Griess - G - 2019-20 Stats (with NYI): 16-9-4, 2.74 GAA, .913 SV%
Subtractions:
Justin Abdelkader - F - Free agent
Trevor Daley - D - Retired
Jonathan Ericsson - Free agent
Jimmy Howard - G - Free agent

Florida Panthers:

2019-20 Record: 35-26-8, 78 PTS
NSH All-Time Record vs. FLA: 14-13-3-2
NSH 2019-20 Record vs. FLA: 0-1-1
Panthers Key Players:
Jonathan Huberdeau - F - 2019-20 Stats: 23G-55A-78 PTS
Aleksander Barkov - F - 2019-20 Stats: 20G-42A-62 PTS
Keith Yandle - D - 2019-20 Stats: 5G-40A-45 PTS
Aaron Ekblad - D - 2019-20 Stats: 5G-36A-41 PTS
Sergei Bobrovsky - G - 2019-20 Stats: 23-19-6, 3.23 GAA, .900 SV%
Notable Offseason Transactions:
Additions:
Patric Hornqvist - F - 2019-20 Stats (with PIT): 17G-15A-32 PTS
Alex Wennberg - F - 2019-20 Stats (with CBJ): 5G-17A-22 PTS
Radko Gudas - D - 2019-20 Stats (with WSH): 2G-13A-15 PTS
Anthony Duclair - F - 2019-20 Stats (with OTT): 23G-17A-40 PTS
Subtractions:
Mike Matheson - D - Traded to PIT
Colton Sceviour - F - Traded to PIT
Brian Boyle - F - Free agent
Evgenii Dadonov - F - Signed with OTT
Erik Haula - F - Free agent
Mike Hoffman - F - Free agent
Mark Pysyk - F - Signed with DAL

Tampa Bay Lightning:

2019-20 Record: 43-21-6, 92 PTS
NSH All-Time Record vs. TBL: 16-8-2-4
NSH 2019-20 Record vs. TBL: 1-0-1
Lightning Key Players:
Nikita Kucherov - F - 2019-20 Stats: 33G-52A-85 PTS
Steven Stamkos - F - 2019-20 Stats: 29G-37A-66 PTS
Brayden Point - F - 2019-20 Stats: 25G-39A-64 PTS
Victor Hedman - D - 2019-20 Stats: 11G-44A-55 PTS
Andrei Vasilevskiy - G - 2019-20 Stats: 35-14-3, 2.56 GAA, .917 SV%
Notable Offseason Transactions:
Subtractions:
Zach Bogosian - D - Signed with TOR
Kevin Shattenkirk - D - Signed with ANA