3 questions facing Nashville Predators

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Nashville Predators.

1. Can they avoid another slow start to the season?

After making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for nine of 10 seasons, Nashville has missed each of the past two after it was unable to overcome slow starts. In 2024-25, the Predators began with five straight losses and were 8-17-6 halfway through December and ended the season with 30 wins, the fewest they had in a full season since 2002-03 (27).

Last season, the Predators were 8-13-4 entering December, and even with a good second half of the season, finished 38-34-10, four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card from the Western Conference. Getting off to a fast start will be key in ending their playoff drought.

"I know one of the things in talking with our leadership group at the end of the year when I first got there was, they felt their start last year hurt them," said Predators general manager Chris MacFarland, who was hired June 2. "They had to do some chasing and did a really admirable job to get into the playoff hunt, and I think that'll obviously be something hopefully that we focus on. I mean, there are no easy games, as you know, and our division is a bear, and the conference is good. We're going to have to be ready right from the start."

2. Who will be the No. 1 center?

Center depth has never been a strong suit for the Predators, although they bolstered up there in the offseason by acquiring Ross Colton and Jack Drury from the Colorado Avalanche on June 16 and June 24 respectively, and Mavrik Bourque from the Dallas Stars on July 1. They also signed Alex Kerfoot on July 1.

Ryan O'Reilly has been the top-line center for the past two seasons and comes off a big season with 74 points (25 goals, 49 assists), his most since he had 77 for the St. Louis Blues in 2018-19, but he's 35. Brady Martin, the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, could hold the top role eventually, but not yet.

"I played center my entire life except last year so I'm looking forward to having a shot and show what I can do down the middle," Bourque said in his introductory press conference. "I believe I'm a better player down the middle, so I know what I got to work on to be a good center in the NHL. I think I've always been a center, and I want to show that I can be a center again."

3. Will they look to improve the defense?

Last year, Nashville ranked 26th in goals against per game (3.26) after it was 27th (3.34) in 2024-25. The Predators allowed at least four goals in 29 of their 82 games last season, including at least five goals in 16 games.

The top six defensemen from last year are all back this season (Roman Josi, Nick Perbix, Brady Skjei, Justin Barron, Nicolas Hague, Adam Wilsby) with Ilya Lyubushkin acquired in a trade with the Stars on July 1. Do they stick with the current crop and perhaps give young players a chance to earn playing time?

"We'd like to find a way to add a little bit of puck skill to the back end if we could," MacFarland said. "Not easy to do, but if there's just incremental ways that we can get better, no matter whether it's up front or back end or wherever, we're going to look to do that."

NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika contributed to this report