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One thing is to be sure though, that “Smashville” will be rocking every night, with high hopes for one of the NHL’s newest “it” teams.Cory Conacher just keeps grinding Syracuse Crunch Cory Conacher (89) is stopped on his shootout attempt by Binghamton Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) in American Hockey League (AHL) action at the Upstate Medical University Arena in Syracuse, New York on Friday, December 27, 2019. If they deal with injury and inconsistency, it could be a tough year. If some of their young players step up and become what they showed in the playoffs, this could be a legitimate powerhouse. The Predators have youth and depth on their side, but it won’t be an easy journey. That’s to mention nothing of the Jets and Stars, both of whom should be pushing hard for a playoff spot this year.

Louis has been struck by early injury but remain as deep as any team in the league, Minnesota will continue to play their familiar defensive style, and Chicago still has a Hall of Fame trio to keep them afloat. There is no guarantee that the Predators are a Cup contender this season, as the Central still boasts several powerhouse clubs. More than that, Ellis is one of only two top right-handed options for the Predators, likely meaning someone will have to play their off-side for the beginning of the year. While the team acquired Emelin after the expansion draft, he’s nowhere near the type of player that Ellis is for the club, and offers more as a rough-and-tumble stay at home defenseman than elite special teams and possession monster. The newly crowned “associate captain” is working his way from knee surgery and will leave a sizable gap in the defense. Their team’s trademark, defense, will still be its strength this season but was dealt an early blow with the news that Ryan Ellis will be out until January. Key Storyline: After the team’s surprise Cinderella story this spring, in which they went from barely making the playoffs to pushing the Penguins to six games in the finals, many people are expecting the Predators to cruise to a playoff spot this year. He’ll be a big part of their offensive identity, and will look to prove that the leg injury is completely behind him. Whether or not that shows up in the regular season, it’s clear what the team thinks about him going into the year. The Predators usually run the trio of Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson together, but as recently as yesterday Fiala was also getting some time with the former two. Scoring 11 goals in 54 games last season, there is now an opportunity left in the wake of Neal and Wilson for Fiala to play higher in the lineup. His speed, tenacity and offensive skill were all shining in the playoffs after a pretty ho-hum regular season, but at 21 he’s ready to take the next step. When he went down, Fiala was starting to show just why the Predators selected him 11th-overall in the 2014 draft. If that’s true, then he’s easily one of the most interesting players to watch on the Predators this season.

Amazingly, Fiala would recover quickly from surgery to repair his left leg, and is apparently already completely unhindered at training camp. They also witnessed a terrible injury to Fiala, who shattered his femur in a horrifying board collision with Robert Bortuzzo. Player To Watch: F Kevin Fiala – The Nashville Predators had some of the worst injury luck (outside of perhaps Pittsburgh, their opponents) in the playoffs, seeing star center Ryan Johansen need emergency surgery on his thigh late in their Stanley Cup Run. Key Departures: F Colin Wilson (trade, Colorado), F Mike Fisher (retirement), F James Neal (expansion, Vegas) Key Newcomers: F Nick Bonino (free agency, Pittsburgh), F Scott Hartnell (free agency, Columbus), D Alexei Emelin (trade, Vegas) Remaining Cap Space: $6.09MM per CapFriendly Last Season: 41-29-12 record (94 points), fourth in Central Division (lost to Pittsburgh in Stanley Cup Finals) Today, we focus on the Nashville Predators.

With the NHL season now just a few weeks away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.