Nashville Predators Open Camp with New Faces
The Nashville Predators begin training camp with a new Captain and some fresh faces.
The Nashville Predators opened training camp on Thursday, officially stepping into a new campaign that will hope to top the franchise’s most successful last year.
Though all of the action happened off-the-ice with meetings and testing, there were still a few faces experiencing their first camp in a gold shirt.
New defenseman P.K. Subban was a hub of media attention, and he made it clear that he’s ready to hit the ice with his new teammates. Subban is a genuine star presence both on and off the ice. His outgoing personality should be a perfect fit in the Music City while his puck-moving ability as a defender is exactly the kind of skater Peter Laviolette likes to see on his roster.
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Subban registered 51 points with the Montreal Canadians last season, where he had spent the first seven years of his career before being traded for then-Nashville Predators Captain Shea Weber. Subban is expected to immediately step in as a top-line difference-maker, possibly playing beside the elite-level Roman Josi.
Speaking of elite-level skill- it’s easy to forget that number-one center Ryan Johansen is entering his first training camp and full season with the Nashville Predators.
Similar to Subban, Johansen had previously played his entire career with one franchise, the Columbus Blue Jackets, before being traded to the Predators for franchise defender Seth Jones near the midpoint of last season. The 24-year-old marked 60 points between the two clubs last year and is looking to grow as he enters his sixth season.
Roster storylines entering camp involve the possibility of a young skater making the jump to the NHL level- where all accounts point to winger Kevin Fiala having the edge in those regards. The 2014 first-round (11th overall) draft pick has shown flashes of game-breaking offensive ability, but has been kept at the AHL level to help round out his defensive game.
Also up for grabs are the two positions on the third defensive pairing. Anthony Bitetto spent 28 games and the postseason filling one of the positions as a rookie last season, and may have the best chance of taking the ice as the season begins. But he will be facing tough competition from NHL veteran free agent signings Yannick Weber and Matt Carle, and well as fellow second-year defender Petter Granberg.
The 2016-17 season will be the first campaign under Captain Mike Fisher, who will look to lead the team into the Western Conference Finals and beyond for the first time in franchise history.