They Said It: Preds Locker Room Clean-Out Day

With their season officially over, the 2022-23 Nashville Predators gathered at Bridgestone Arena for one final time to meet as a team, clean out their stalls in the locker room and speak with the media.
Here's a roundup of what some of the players had to say before going their separate ways for the summer:

Roman Josi

On his injury:
"I feel better. It was frustrating, just the timing of it. Obviously we played some really important games and it's always frustrating when you can't be out there, and we just kind of ran out of time there at the end… With the injury I had, it's kind of a little bit day to day. You just kind of have to be patient. I tried to push a little bit to get back because we just didn't have many games left, but like I said, I just ran out of time and so it was obviously frustrating."
On the possibility of making a return sooner:
"You never want to get a concussion, right? That's like the one injury that you don't want. But I've had a couple so I think you've just got to make sure you heal and you get fully healthy and I've tried to do that in the past. Obviously there's a lot more info out there now. It's still probably not enough. Everybody wishes we knew more about it. But I think [you have to] make sure you get fully healthy and you'll get a lot of years of hockey left and a lot of life after that. So it's important just to make sure you listen to your body and get healthy… Mentally, it was hard because especially with concussions, sometimes you feel a little bit better than you think. You might be close and then the next day you're not. So there's definitely always a lot of hope. The timing of it was 15 games I think before the season ended, so obviously you start counting the games a little bit. You're like, 'Hopefully I'll be back this game,' and put a little pressure on yourself to just get back… It was frustrating not being out there for the last couple games."

On the team's performance down the stretch:
"It was amazing. You never want to be injured, but you obviously look at the game a little bit different when you're not playing. I just think the character we showed, the way we played - obviously [Saros] was unbelievable - but just the whole team, the way we fought every game and we played some big games against really good teams and won some big games. It's really, really inspiring seeing all those young kids come in and playing such meaningful games and playing the way they did. As much as it hurts not making the playoffs, after those last 20 games or so I'm definitely looking forward to the future and it definitely gives you a lot of hope."
On veteran players moving on and young players stepping up:
"It was different. Definitely a year I've never had before with all the trades going on, and I've never certainly never been through that here. Every year there's some trades, maybe one or two, but you've never had this many trades happening that quick. So it was tough. There's a lot of friends you have on the team, a lot of people you're close with, and you see them leaving from one to another. It wasn't easy, but as soon as the trade deadline happened we went on a long and really good road trip, and I think guys really dug in deep and just played harder. I think the expectations obviously were a little bit lower, so I think we just played freely, played hard and made a run and made it close. So I'm definitely proud of that, but it's definitely a big learning year with everything going on."
On the managerial transition from David Poile to Barry Trotz:
"It's a reset. I think it felt like a rebuild for a little bit during the trade deadline, but it's a reset and we're definitely going to have more conversations going forward with Barry now that he's stepping in. He has a great hockey mind, so I'm sure he has a lot of great ideas. So there's definitely going to be a lot of conversation going forward. And like I said, I think these last 20 games give us a lot of hope for all the young kids playing so well. So I think we're going to be in a good spot next year [since we] changed things up a little bit."
On Juuse Saros' case for the Vezina Trophy:
"I think he's the best goalie in the world. We see him every game. He was amazing all season. But what he did there towards the end, some of the numbers that he had were unbelievable, and like I said, I think he's the best goalie in the world. I know he is going to win it; I think he should. And he's very deserving of MVP too, for what he did for our team. We've been with [Saros] for a long time and we know how good he is, but [with me] being injured and watching the games and how well he played down the stretch, it was pretty cool to see."

On John Hynes and his coaching staff:
"It was tough for him like [it was] on everyone else. The start that we had in Europe was really good, and then we came back and kind of didn't play well for a couple of games with a losing streak and I think they handled everything really well. Especially with the trade deadline too, obviously that's not an easy situation as a coach and a coaching staff. There's so many new players. I think you saw by the way we played down the stretch, [the coaches] did an awesome job preparing the team for games, making sure we played a certain style that still will give us a chance to win. They adjusted really well to everything happening this year. They did a really good job."
On the performance of the young players down the stretch:
"It was very inspiring, just seeing the way they work and seeing their faces every day. [For many of] these guys it was their first time playing in the NHL and you could tell they were just having fun. They were excited to be here and just wanted to do anything they could to win. It was very inspiring. I love when young kids come in for their first game. I remember my first game; it's such a special moment. Those kids came in with an amazing attitude and they did an amazing job. It was very inspiring. I think as an older guy, you can always learn a lot from the young kids."

Ryan Johansen

On updates regarding his injury:
"There's no update really, it's just been coming along with a slow process. It's getting better and better each day and just kind of gonna take it easy. Been doing tons of rehab with our guys here and get it back up to where I can start doing normal stuff again… I should be out of this boot in a couple of weeks, and then I might have to wear a little ankle brace for a little bit, but I think I'll be fully good to go by mid-May and kind of start skating and all that stuff again.
On how the injury occurred:
"When [Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes] fell, his leg shot out and just clipped me and I think that got me. I felt blood start going down my skate and I'm like, 'Okay, I need to get to the bench.' It was kind of just creepy… It didn't get my Achilles or anything, so it's pretty positive in that sense."
On where the injury occurred:
"It was a couple of tendons right above my ankle that got cut… I kind of knew right away [that it wasn't the Achilles] because it hit me on the side. It wasn't really near the back. So I didn't think it was Achilles. At first I didn't even know how big the cut was. I was thinking I just got a little slice and would get stitched up and get back out there, and I found out five minutes after being back here and then looking at it that it got a couple of tendons."

On watching the younger players down the stretch:
"For me it was inspiring. I think that's the best word for it. For me, and just being a fan and supporting everyone in our group and just bringing energy to the rink and having fun and I really enjoyed going around interacting with fans throughout my [injury] and just hearing from them how they were proud of the kids and how our team was playing, especially because the first six months of the season we didn't have that feeling; we felt like we're letting our fans down, so it was good to get our feet back on and have some kids come up and try to make names for themselves. I feel like we showed everyone we still got this; we still have the character and heart in this organization and we want to prove to our fans every night that we're going to work our butts off for them and entertain them. All the credit to those young kids coming up and then our guys who were still healthy and leading them and helping them out to be the best they could be and then obviously the pretty good goalie that is doing his thing. So for me, it was inspiring."
On whether the Predators can be playoff contenders next season:
"We have a lot of belief. We're really proud of our group and what we've built here, and it's going to be kind of one of those offseasons where there's no time to sit back. We're going to keep that sour taste in our mouth and make sure we're back here playing and setting ourselves up to play for the Cup, and we have a lot of competition with this group. We've got a lot of young kids now who proved they can play, and then we've got a lot of older guys like myself that are going to say, 'Hold on, it's not your time yet. Are you gonna take it to take my job?' So we're going to have that fun competition within a good team where we're constantly pushing each other to be the best we can be."

On Tommy Novak's breakout season:
"I think Tommy is one of those guys that if we all look at him, he doesn't look like a specimen by any means or a crazy freak athlete. He's had probably only a few people in his career when he was younger who believed in him and saw something in him, and when he has gotten his opportunities in his whole career now in the NHL, he's found a way to be successful. And that self-belief was a lot of fun to watch in him. He'd just been thrown in the fire and had opportunities to impact games and win games for this club. That he went out there and did it didn't really surprise me. It probably surprised a lot of you guys and a lot of fans. It's like, who's Tommy Novak? Who's this guy? And I couldn't be more proud of him. It's inspiring watching him.
On his approach to next season:
"It's a big summer for me. It'll be my 13th year [in the NHL] next year. I got a pretty serious injury that I need to work very hard on to get back to the best as it possibly can be. And then it's just proving to my teammates and management and coaches that I'm still a guy that can have a huge role on this team and help this team win. So that's what's fun. I take it as a fun challenge."

Filip Forsberg

On his injury:
"It was probably even worse than it looked. But it was definitely up and down for sure. It's one of those things that it's hard to know how it's going to go. You feel better, you have setbacks, back and forth like that. But it's just one of those things where you kind of have to take it day by day and see how it goes. So the training staff's been awesome helping me but unfortunately, time ran out; the season kind of ran out, and I didn't really get a chance to come back."

On his recovery:
"[I'm feeling] pretty good. It's hard to speculate with games and things like that. Obviously, there were a couple of steps more than we needed to get to before playing, but like I said, I ran out of time. It was hard to say, but I do feel good now and we do have a lot of time. So I guess that's the only positive with not making the playoffs - at least the pressure's off of trying to push to come back… The first little bit was obviously a little tougher, but then it kind of cleared out fairly quick. It's hard to really explain unless you've ever had one. But you just don't feel right, which is probably the best way to describe it… I didn't really have any issues talking to people doing things like that off the ice, which obviously is a blessing in disguise, but at the same time it almost frustrates you more because you feel pretty much normal but you're missing that last little bit that it takes to play in the NHL."
On whether the injury will impact his health long term:
"Not at all. Obviously, we have the greatest people here around the team. They've surrounded me with people that are experts in concussions and things like that. So I'm not worried at all. When it comes to that. Obviously, you want to get back, but I've learned enough about [concussions] that as long as you let them heal there won't be a problem in the future."
On watching the team down the stretch:
"It was awesome. It almost made it harder, because you want to get out there you want to play with those guys. You see how hard everybody's playing for each other. I mean, all the new guys that were coming up - just the excitement that they're playing with and you saw the results. They were keeping it alive in a situation that shouldn't be possible. You look at the guys that we traded away and obviously the guys that were injured, and guys [came] up from Milwaukee and played unbelievable and guys that were here already were stepping up taking bigger roles."

Ryan McDonagh

On missing the playoffs:
"Obviously there's a lot of lessons for sure that you can look at - the disappointment, the sickness in your stomach is there for sure. That's going to take some time to get rid of. Just in the last few days, you can sense that in everybody. You want to look at the positives, and we made a little bit of a push there at the end, and that's something you should feel good about. But at the end of the day, you want to get into the playoffs and compete and we didn't do that… So that sickness and that disappointment should stick with you all summer, and it's kind of what you do from there that's going to be the difference… That's what you try to explain to [the younger players] - obviously, they're just starting their careers and experiencing a lot of things here in a short time, but making the playoffs is definitely something you have to earn. It's not something you take for granted. You think you can just show up and play good hockey and find a way, but it takes full commitment from everybody and everybody pulling in the same direction in order to even get yourself in. So it's an important lesson and like I said, I think our group is handling it really well."

On the team's young players stepping up:
"Guys got a big opportunity and they took it and ran. Selfishly, you want to play well and prove yourself and show that you belong in the NHL. But secondly, and most importantly, you do what is asked of you to try to help the team win. And that's what was so fun. Everybody had a great attitude. Everybody was coachable. Everybody was trying to learn, and everybody was trying to bring their best effort into everything."
On Saros' performance this season:
"He is absolutely Vezina-worthy. He's just a great person, first and foremost. Your goaltender has obviously got to be a rock back there as the foundation to your team. He's been an unbelievable player, unbelievable person and great role model for the franchise and for the city. He definitely took the lessons that he's learned from Pekka Rinne and just carried the torch in an unbelievable fashion, so we're all so proud to play in front of him every night. He just gave his heart out every night. Him and [Kevin Lankinen] - our goaltending was unbelievable this year, so I hope he gets the recognition that he deserves."

Matt Duchene

On his injury:
"I'll be honest - it didn't hurt as bad as other injuries I've had, but it just felt weird. I pulled my glove out and looked at my finger, and that's the last time I've seen it. I haven't looked at it since, but lost the tip of it. I thought it was reattached until recently when I found that they didn't reattach it. They basically re-formed it in two different surgeries - one that night and then I had surgery three days later. I lost part of the bone. We put a pin in what was there and there's a few fractures. I'm lucky it didn't crush any tendons or anything, so I'm supposed to be fine. My hand modeling days are behind me for sure - not that they were ever a thing, but if I ever wanted them to be a thing, they're gone. It was really scary. I wasn't sure if it was career-threatening or not. I was pretty emotional when it happened. I still wake up every day and can't believe it went that way. Through the whole thing, the hardest part was leaving the fight with the guys. I'm so proud of this group, from the veteran guys to… the young guys just doing their thing and watching guys progress. We fell slightly short, and it's one of those years. It sucks that we were in that position to begin with, but at the same time, it's nothing to be ashamed of with the group that we had at the end. What we did and the teams we were beating and competing with was outstanding. So the hardest part for me was not being part of that anymore."

On his recovery timeline:
"At the start of June, I can probably resume full activity. So I'm hoping for that, or maybe a little quicker. I've been doing a little bit to try and progress. The bone is the biggest part; obviously it takes a while for a bone to heal, especially one that's been broken that bad. So the skin is getting a lot better. Like I said, I haven't looked at it yet. But every time I get it rebandaged, the doctors are really enthused with what they see."
On missing the playoffs:
"We're disappointed, but we also knew how tough it was going to be to get in after the deadline. All the odds were against us. We believed in ourselves and we believed that we could do it, but we weren't sure… We could have packed it in so easily. A lot of teams would have done that in that situation, and we didn't as older guys. And the young guys came in and played awesome. They didn't just play it for themselves; they played for the team. Sometimes when you're a young player coming in, you're trying to establish yourself, but guys just bought in so much and really, really helped this team get to where it did and we were really close."

Juuse Saros

On the season:
"It was a crazy year, for sure. It feels like two different seasons packed in one. Obviously it was too bad we couldn't make [playoffs] and disappointing that it didn't work out, but I'm really proud of all the guys and the way they pushed in the last 25 games with all the trades and the injuries. I think we all kind of came together and we pulled on the same rope, so that was a lot of fun."
On what he learned this year:
"I think personally I learned from this year… no matter the situation or circumstances, you can always try to do your best. That's probably your best advice no matter what, so I think it's a good experience for me."
On finding his voice as a leader in the locker room:
"It's kind of a funny thing. Time goes by so fast, and I'm in that role now. But I really enjoy that and always try to lead by example. We got a lot of great young guys who came in and they brought lots of energy so I didn't feel like I had to be too loud over there. They were really doing a great job."

Cody Glass

On his breakout season:
"If you just look at the beginning of the year, how it started was me just trying to make the team. Then going from there, I ended up playing big minutes and big roles. So it was something that I really enjoyed and I just really wanted to take advantage of that taste of what it's like to be in a big role and big opportunity. So it's something I wanted to keep looking forward to and just keep working for… It's been awesome. Not only the group being really close, really young and just having a lot of fun, but playing every night the fan base was unbelievable towards us. It's something that I'm super thankful for, the organization bringing me in. Last year was difficult being in the [AHL] the whole time, but now that I've got this experience of being in Nashville and being a Predator, it's something very special and something I'll never take for granted."

On being a restricted free agent after this season:
"It's always in the back of your mind. I want to be here. I want to play for the Nashville Predators as long as I can. I was just trying to have fun and kind of just enjoy the year and take it one day at a time, and I was having a lot of fun. This last stretch that we went through playing meaningful hockey games and just being a part of this young group was just a lot of fun. I really just enjoy the game."
On getting back to the playoffs next season:
"We're going to do everything we can. I feel like we're all going to have really good summers. We all want to be in the playoffs. That's our goal, and we want to get back to the dance so it's something we're pushing for. We're so close. As a young team with a bunch of guys coming up from the AHL, to be that close to a playoff spot and beating really good teams like Boston, Vegas, Carolina just gave us that drive for next year."

Jeremy Lauzon

On his injury:
"I'm feeling a little bit better every day. I just keep pushing forward trying to get healthy here. It's always hard to know the timeframe for a concussion, but every day I wake up and I just keep getting a little bit better. So we're making good strides in that direction… My brother Zach that was drafted by Pittsburgh in '17 had to stop playing hockey because of concussions. So that hit close. I've only got one brain, so until I was 100% I wasn't coming back. Obviously it was really hard for me to be sidelined and see the guys pushing for playoffs. The only thing I really wanted was to be on the ice to help the team. But right now I'm just taking a step back to make sure my brain heals correctly."

On the future of the team:
"I feel really excited about it. Obviously there was a little shock at the trade deadline with a couple great teammates, great players that got traded away from our team. But we had two ways to go. We could have just said, 'Alright, our season's done,' or tried to make a push and prove everybody wrong, and that's what we did. It shows a lot of character and I think that's one of the biggest things about our team right now - we have character and I think that's great for the future."

Alexandre Carrier

On his injuries:
"It was tough, especially during the timing of trades and all that. I missed five weeks, came back and I was excited to be back and excited to be around the guys again. And then that happened. [I was hit by a] shot again. So that was emotional. It was frustrating. Lots of emotion. I've never dealt with that in my career. So it was a learning process. But at the end of the day, you can't do anything about it. It happened. So I had to make the best out of it. We were still in the gym, on the ice skating and putting the work in; so it ended up being a good thing at the same time… It's much better. Now I can sleep good, which I couldn't the first few weeks. But it's much better. It's just my strength I need to get back. Obviously, both my injuries were on my left side. So that side has been banged up a little bit. It's not perfect, but X-rays were good this week. So hopefully I can finish my rehab and start working pretty hard for the summer."