2013-14 record: 38-32-12 (88 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Shea Weber
Two straight seasons of hitting the golf course early prompted major changes for the Nashville Predators, which included a coaching change for the first time in franchise history. Out is Barry Trotz and in is Peter Laviolette, which means there is also a philosophy change for the team. A more offensive oriented approach is something that the new coaching staff is going for, and to that end, they brought in James Neal to help on the wing. Secondary scoring also got some help, as Mike Ribeiro, Olli Jokinen, and Derek Roy were brought in, giving the Predators much needed depth, particularly since Mike Fisher will miss part of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon. The defense remains largely intact, as Shea Weber remains the leader of the unit. However, the pressure will be on Seth Jones to show improvement from a less than stellar rookie season. It will help that defensively responsible Anton Volchenkov joins the team, not only giving Jones more room to operate, but also take away some of the penalty killing workload from Weber, who played a lot of minutes on the special teams. All eyes will be on Pekka Rinne, as he aims to prove that his injury issues from this past season are behind him. Backup Carter Hutton showed that he is a capable goalie, though his GAA was just average despite the 20 win season.
Prediction: 6th in the Central Division
The Predators improved their lineup up front, but how quickly they adapt to the new style of play and the health in goal are question marks that are likely going to leave the Predators out of the playoff race once again.
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