The Predators will begin the process of putting the 2024-25 season behind them on Thursday, when the team takes the ice for the first day of training camp at Ford Ice Center in Bellevue.
Were the struggles of last season, when Nashville totaled just 68 points — the third fewest in franchise history — simply a one-off, as is the hope of Preds General Manager Barry Trotz and the rest of the organization?
Or will the deficiencies that defined the 2024-25 squad — the prolonged scoring droughts, subpar goaltending and repetitive losing streaks — return for coach Andrew Brunette’s club this season?
There are plenty of questions surrounding the Predators as camp begins.
Here are five important ones:
Can Juuse Saros regain his form?
It’s been a two-year slide for the Predators’ top goaltender, who — in 2022-23 — finished the season with a .919 save percentage and a 2.69 goals against average. Since then, the numbers have dropped precipitously, as the 30-year-old netminder finished the 2024-25 season with an .895 save percentage and a 2.98 goals against average.
Saros’ goals saved above expected figure in 2024-25 was -7.4, which ranked 51st overall among netminders, 39th among goalies who appeared in at least 30 games.
Those are especially scary numbers considering Saros is heading into the first season of an eight-year, $61.9 million contract.
Granted, Nashville’s defense around Saros was horrid for most of last season. But moving forward, the Predators need him to do a better job of erasing mistakes.
What will the depth chart look like at center?
The Predators have at least one certainty at center: Ryan O’Reilly. The steady 34-year-old veteran would ideally be deployed in a second- or third-line role at this point in his career. But it’s not out of the question that he might begin the season as the team’s top-line center — simply because of the questions surrounding this position on the roster.
Steven Stamkos was asked to move from wing to center last season, and he may once again wind up centering the first line. But the 35-year-old seems more suited to wing, at which he has played during most of the past 10 years.
How much of a bump should the Predators expect from Fedor Svechkov, who posted 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 52 games as a rookie last season? The 22-year-old, a first-round draft pick in 2021, has talent. But every player develops on a different timeline.
Trade acquisition Erik Haula could occupy a third-line center role — if he’s not used on the wing — while Michael McCarron provides a physical, penalty-killing fourth-line center.
The wildcard, of course, would be 2025 first-round pick Brady Martin making the NHL roster, which leads to our next question.
Does Brady Martin stand a chance at making the NHL roster?
In a perfect world, the Predators would almost certainly prefer that Martin, the team’s 2025 first-round pick, return to the junior hockey ranks for one more season.
Sure, he’s highly talented and equally highly competitive, which is why Nashville chose him No. 5 overall, the team’s highest pick in more than a decade. But Martin is also just 18 years old, and the 6-0, 178-pound Ontario native would benefit from another year of physical development before playing against some men twice his age. (Because of his age, playing for Milwaukee of the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate is not an option this season.)
The catch, as previously referenced, is that the Predators do not have a lot of certainty at center, which could be to Martin’s advantage if he plays well in training camp and the preseason.
The question Nashville will ultimately have to answer is whether Martin’s development will be better served by getting lots of ice time and all kinds of responsibility on the junior level, or by playing limited minutes in a much more restricted role on the NHL level.
Can Roman Josi stay healthy?
While missing the last 25 games last season with the latest of his multiple career concussions, the Predators’ longtime captain was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which can cause symptoms like dizziness, fatigue and an increased heart rate.
Since then, the former Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best defenseman has said he’s undergone intensive therapy — which included taking beta blockers — and that he should be 100 percent for the coming season. Trotz agreed, saying Josi should be able to continue his elite hockey career.
But we may not know for sure that Josi is back to his high level until the season gets underway. The Predators need the 35-year-old to create more offense, after he saw his points per 60 minutes average drop last season to 1.7 per game, his lowest total since the 2020-21 season.
Will changes make a difference on the blue line?
Plagued by injuries and poor play, Nashville’s defensive corps was all too often a mess in its own zone last season. The Preds posted a 3.34 goals against average, sixth highest in the league, and surrendered an average of 28.4 shots per contest, tied for 14th highest in the league.
Nashville defensemen were too often bullied around the net last season. And that certainly wasn’t beneficial to Saros, who had to face one high-danger shot attempt after another.
Trotz made improvement to the blue line a top priority for Nashville during the offseason. The biggest move was adding 6-6, 245-pound Nicholas Hague from Vegas via trade, and Nashville also added 6-4, 206-pound Nick Perbix via free agency. We’ll see if bigger is better, as both defensemen are expected to up their responsibilities in Music City.
There’s also the chance that 20-year-old Tanner Molendyk, a 2023 first-round pick, makes the roster immediately in his first year out of juniors. He’s exceptionally quick and has strong puck-moving skills.
One additional change worth noting: The Predators brought aboard Luke Richardson as an assistant coach, after parting ways with Todd Richards. Formerly the Chicago Blackhawks head coach, Richardson played 1,417 games as an NHL defensemen, 12th-most in NHL history.