NASHVILLE PREDATORS

BY DAVID BOCLAIR

BY DAVID BOCLAIR PREDICTION | 3RD IN CENTRAL THERE WAS A CERTAIN uncertainty about expectations for the Predators last year, their first season with Barry Trotz as GM. No one within the franchise talked about a rebuild, but that seemed to be the Preds’ destiny before an 18-game point streak (16-0-2), beginning in mid-February, turned them into a playoff team. There is absolute clarity this time after Trotz signed forwards Steven Stamkos (four years, $32 million) and Jonathan Marchessault (five years, $27.5 million), along with defenseman Brady Skjei (seven years, $49 million) in the opening hours of free agency. That trio joins a lineup that returns eight of its top 10 scorers, six of its top seven defensemen and its starting goalie. This is a team that expects to win – and now. OFFENSE Only two…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, Yearbook 2024-25

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