Predators Training Camp Storylines
"Every year is a new journey and it starts today." - Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz
After an inauspicious 2024-25 season, the Nashville Predators kick off training camp hoping for better results than their 30-44-8 record last season. Getting this roster back into the playoff contention conversation may not come easily and the path to doing that is littered with several big questions as camp kicks off.
Luke Evangelista’s Contract
Luke Evangelista’s contract situation is a major concern as training camp begins. At the end of last season both parties seemed confident a deal would get done quickly.
Despite that confidence, there is still no formal announcement about an Evangelista deal and the 23 year-old Ontario native did not participate in training camp on Thursday. The absence of Evangelista could be an issue for this team for two reasons.
The Predators need no distractions if they hope to bounce back from last season’s abysmal performance. The statistics point to goal scoring issues and poor individual performances along with injuries as major reasons the team fell so far short of expectations, but even advanced analytics can’t fully explain all that went wrong. This is a group that needs a mental reset and a figurative “sage-ing of the locker room”, and it could be challenging to move on from one dark cloud if another smaller cloud looms in the distance. This team and staff need a drama free camp. Having a holdout doesn’t help with that.
The players need to build chemistry in training camp, and Andrew Brunette has to settle on line combinations for the start of the season. Evangelista is a young player who earned an opportunity to play top six minutes at the end of last season and could potentially step back into that role with the likes of Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly. If fans learned anything from last season’s debacle, it’s that hockey isn’t played on paper. Brunette will need to see once again what chemistry these players have. No Evangelista leaves the coaching staff guessing.
Barry Trotz addressed the Evangelista negotiations as training camp kicked off.
“We’re in that sort of daily process. Obviously we love Like, so we’re gonna work through that and see if we can get him here.”
Trotz also said there is no thought of trading Evangelista.
New Defensemen Stepping Into Bigger Roles
Barry Trotz brought in two new defensemen this offseason in Nick Perbix and Nic Hague, and these blue liners are going to have the chance to show they can step into a bigger role. The plan is for Perbix and Hague to play top defensive minutes, something neither played consistently on their most recent teams in Tampa Bay and Las Vegas respectively.
“I get excited about stuff like that,” Nic Hague said when asked about the opportunity to play a leading role on the blue line.
“It’s an opportunity for me to take that next step as a player, and it was something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and something I think I’m ready for.”
Incorporating new defensemen in to top roles hasn’t been a smooth transition for the Predators recently. Brady Skjei struggled early in his first season with the Predators in 2024-25. How quickly Perbix and Hague adjust to a new system and a new team will play a major part in how well this team can perform out of the gate.
All Eyes on Fedor Svechkov
After an offseason of big swings in free agency, especially among the forward group, Barry Trotz was notably quiet in terms of adding NHL players. The only addition was veteran and former Predator Erik Haula via a trade with New Jersey who will likely fill a depth role. Given much of the forward corps is made up of known quantities where a certain level of production is expected the player that stands out is center Fedor Svechkov.
Drafted 19th overall in 2021, Svechkov earned his first call up to Nashville in November of 2024 following an injury to Ryan O’Reilly. Svechkov would score his first NHL goal on November 30th in his 5th NHL game. After a short stint back in Milwaukee he became a fixture in the Predators lineup for the remainder of the season where he would finish with 8 goals and 17 points across 52 games.
Now in 2025 the lineup projections show Svechkov likely slotting into the 2nd line center spot between Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista (once he is signed, of course). Given the significant goal struggles the Predators experienced in 2024-25 there is a lot of pressure for Svechkov to become a consistent producer for the Nashville offense. In his role, Svechkov should be expected to push the 20+ goal and 50+ point level of production. That is a big ask of a still very young player. Barry Trotz and Andrew Brunette are also showing a tremendous amount of trust and confidence in Svechkov by not adding another offensive minded NHL center ahead of the season. While it is not solely on his shoulders, Fedor Svechkov will need to be a driving force if the Predators offense is to rise out of the NHL basement.
Tweaking the System
Andrew Brunette and system have been keywords among the Predators discourse for the entirety of the coach’s tenure in Nashville. When he was first hired and through his first season, Brunette and his system were lauded for playing a different style that opposing teams would not be ready to defend. This was especially evident in how the team was able to move the puck out of the defensive zone to the forwards moving through the neutral zone with speed. As a result the Predators were able play at a fast pace and create scoring opportunities.
In year two with a different set of players at the top end of the forward corps, the system simply did not translate. While the staff and players worked to adjust on the fly through the season there was never a level of cohesion. From the defensive end, the breakouts stopped working and pucks were pushed to open space instead of forwards skating through the zone. Turnovers led to goals against and the Predators playing from behind most nights. Offensively, the possession time was evident but the forwards could not get into scoring areas to be dangerous. As a result, the Predators were at the bottom of the league in scoring offense.
Now in year three, system and tweaks are the new keywords. Barry Trotz, Andrew Brunette and multiple players spoke about it at the close of the season. In his remarks at the start of training camp Barry Trotz talked extensively about how the the team worked collaboratively to identify and implement systemic changes.
As training camp and the preseason gets underway, the system adjustments will be a key point of evaluation for how cohesively the coaching staff and players are working and how that will translate into on-ice success.
-photo courtesy of Danny Murphy / Icon Sportswire