The Nashville Predators will hit the ice for training camp this week facing heightened expectations.
After last season’s unlikely playoff run and this summer’s massive free-agent haul, this Predators camp marks the first step toward a highly anticipated 2024-25 campaign.
Here are three storylines to watch as training camp gets underway this week at Ford Ice Center Bellevue:
Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault & Brady Skjei
One of the biggest questions ahead of Predators training camp is where the offseason acquisitions will slot in. Special attention will be paid to Steven Stamkos and whether he ends up at center, where he would fill the Predators’ greatest need, or on the wing, where he has played for the last several years under Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.
Regardless of where Stamkos plays, it has been widely assumed that fellow free-agent acquisition Jonathan Marchessault will be his line mate on the wing; but there is also the question of whether the Predators will break up last season’s top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist to shake up the top six.
On the blue line, the addition of Brady Skjei could mean some reshuffling of the top four defensemen. If Skjei plays on the top pairing, it’s possible that left-handed defenseman Roman Josi stays on the right side, where he previously moved to play with Ryan McDonagh. There’s also the possibility that Skjei drops to the second pairing to work with a right-handed defenseman like Alexandre Carrier, Dante Fabbro or Luke Schenn.
Related: Predators’ Andrew Brunette Reveals Plans for Steven Stamkos in 2024-25
Everyone likes to overreact to forward line combinations and defensive pairings that get rolled out at various points during training camp, but the purpose of camp is to try out every combination possible to see which players have the best chemistry with one another and complement each other’s skills. Expect head coach Andrew Brunette to play the Predators’ new arrivals all throughout the lineup during training camp and the preseason without committing to a single lineup before Opening Night.
Defined Roles on Special Teams
General manager Barry Trotz said in July that one of his priorities during free agency was acquiring pieces that would allow Predators players to have defined roles on special teams, specializing on either the penalty kill or the power play. Last season, players such as McDonagh, Josi, O’Reilly and others pulled double duty and logged significant minutes…