After a very eventful and long offseason, it’s finally time for the puck to drop in Smashville. The Nashville Predators will take the ice against one of their Central Division foes, the Minnesota Wild.
After winning the Central Division, the 2018-19 Predators season ended abruptly in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Dallas Stars. General Manager David Poile addressed the team’s issues on the power play by hiring new assistant coach Dan Lambert. While coaching the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, Lambert lead his team to the best power play in the league last season.
In an effort to land a big free agent, the Preds traded away fan favorite defenseman P.K. Subban to clear cap space. They used this cap space to sign star center Matt Duchene. Duchene comes from the Columbus Blue Jackets where he helped lead the team to their first playoff series win in franchise history.
The Predators went 4-0 against the Wild last season with two of those games coming down to a shootout. All eyes will be on the new power-play unit and Matt Duchene in the 2019-20 season opener.