NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators will have plenty of new players on their roster this season.
But the sight of two franchise cornerstones on the ice during the first day of training camp Thursday was the biggest highlight.
Defenseman Roman Josi and forward Filip Forsberg were each full participants in practice at Ford Ice Center Bellevue. Josi, the team’s captain, missed Nashville’s final 15 games last season after sustaining a concussion on March 18, while Forsberg missed the team’s final 32 games after sustaining a concussion on Feb. 11.
The veterans are vital members of Nashville’s returning core, which will be supplemented by some key free-agent additions and a number of young prospects.
The Predators, under new coach Andrew Brunette, will be seeking a return to the playoffs after missing out for the first time in nine years in 2022-23.
Josi, 33, who is heading into his 13th NHL season, said it took at least a month of the offseason before he fully recovered, but when he felt ready, it was full speed ahead.
"So as soon as that happened, I knew I was 100 percent," Josi said. "I went back on the ice and skated pretty hard, made sure everything’s good."
Forsberg, 29, heading into his 12th season, appeared close to returning a couple of times last season, but just didn’t feel right.
"You try everything you can to come back and then once the season ended, all that pressure is gone and you kind of take your mind off it," Forsberg said. "So maybe a month after that [I felt better] … Once I got back on the ice it was a different feeling, and I’ve just been getting better and better."
The Predators were big sellers before the NHL Trade Deadline last season, sending defenseman Mattias Ekholm to the Edmonton Oilers, as well as forwards Nino Niederreiter to the Winnipeg Jets, Tanner Jeannot to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Mikael Granlund to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Then in June, the Predators traded forward Ryan Johansen to the Dallas Stars and bought out the remaining three years of forward Matt Duchene’s contract.
Instead of making a full-scale commitment to youth around the team’s returning core, however, new Predators general manager Barry Trotz, who replaced the retired David Poile, signed three veterans known for winning and leadership: center Ryan O’Reilly, defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Gustav Nyquist.
"You can’t just throw a bunch of 23 year-olds out there and hope it’s going to work out," Forsberg said. "This league is too tough for that. But I think what we have here [is] giving the young guys an opportunity to compete for the spots while bringing in guys like O’Reilly, Schenn, Nyquist, guys that are proven winners and leaders on their teams in the past … To add that to the already solid core we have with [Josi, forward Colton Sissons, myself and defenseman Ryan McDonagh] … I think it’s a perfect mix with all the young guys that are coming up."
The team’s initial goal will be to familiarize itself with the system of Brunette, who replaced John Hynes. Brunette had a record of 51-18-6 when he served as the Florida Panthers’ interim coach during the 2021-22 season.
O’Reilly said Brunette’s first message to the team was a simple one.
"I think it was pretty much, 'Just dive into it,'" O’Reilly said. "He stressed that it’s going to be different for us and uncomfortable at first. But I think the big thing is playing with pace. I think if we play with pace, and we establish that and then we'll get more comfortable with the system and the structure as we go. But out there today, I thought it was great. Good pace and good details, a great first day for us."
