Preds Enter Training Camp Feeling Rejuvenated, Excited for What's to Come

Steven Stamkos has seen just about everything over the course of his NHL career. 

He certainly knows what to expect when another training camp begins, just as it did for the Predators on Thursday morning at Ford Ice Center Bellevue. 

But this iteration for the future Hockey Hall of Famer with season No. 19 on the horizon felt different than most. 

Yes, there are still familiar mainstays along with Stamkos inside the Nashville locker room. The Preds coaching staff, led by Andrew Brunette, remains intact. Beloved locker room attendant Craig “Partner” Baugh is still giving out bear hugs with regularity. 

While plenty is still the same around these parts, perhaps just as much is different. 

The arrival of new President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland back in June all but guaranteed there would be some change by the time training camp arrived, and that has indeed been the case. 

Stamkos, who admittedly still gets the first-day-of-camp butterflies, could feel the difference - and he’s all for it. 

“I think we're excited about the trajectory of where this team is going,” Stamkos said following the first on-ice session of training camp. “Obviously, a lot of change in management and personnel and players, so I think there's kind of a reset. There’s a lot of guys that have experienced the last couple years [with this team], and obviously not the way that we wanted it to go. So, there's a newfound energy and excitement, and then kind of forget about what's happened in the past, and just focus on getting off to a really good start at camp, a good start in the preseason and a good start to the regular season. That's kind of been the theme of what we’re going for.”

MacFarland used the phrase, “Don’t tiptoe into the water,” as he addressed the media on Thursday morning, meaning there isn’t time to ease into camp, especially for younger players. 

Brunette echoed that sentiment following the sessions, and for good reason. 

Training camps look different across the NHL with a condensed preseason schedule. The League has bumped the regular season game total from 82 to 84, and combined with an earlier start to the campaign, teams have less than two weeks and just four preseason games to prepare for Opening Night. 

That was top of mind for the group on day one. 

“This is a unique camp, obviously, with how short it is,” Brunnette said. “There’s not a lot of time to be prepared, and I thought today was a really good day. I thought the pace was high, and guys were excited, which they should be. The first day of camp, new set of eyes on them, so I thought it was two really good practices. We don’t have a lot of time, and I think that's the emphasis of our year here so far: that we’ve got to get geared up, we got to get the engines rolling right away here.”

A bulk of that work will come over the next 13 days before the Preds begin their season Oct. 1, but plenty of preparation has already taken place ahead of time, too. 

Stamkos, as well as Preds Captain Roman Josi, brought up the offseason conversations they’ve had with MacFarland as they get to know their new GM and work to cultivate a relationship together. 

And in both instances, there was a common refrain. 

“It’s important [to have a good relationship with the GM], and I think players like to be kept in the loop somewhat,” Josi said. “I think that's going to obviously take some time when you get to know a person, and it's going to take some time for [MacFarland] to get to know us and for us to get to know him. But he's a guy who communicates a lot. I've talked to him a bunch. A lot of the guys talked to him a bunch, and I think it starts with that. And then I think we're going to have to show him what we’ve got, and he's going to do his thing. Trust always takes a little bit of time, but I'd say we're off to a great start.”

The deal that saw MacFarland deal Luke Evangelista to New Jersey earlier this month came as a surprise to those in the Nashville locker room, but as Stamkos stated, moments like that are part of building that trust in what’s to come. 

“There's not many people that are questioning his decision because of the track record that he has,” Stamkos said of MacFarland, the former GM in Colorado. “He’s obviously been around the game for a long time. He's been an excellent communicator with us since day one that he got the job, and he has a vision. And his big thing is trust, right? The ownership trusts him, the coaching staff trusts him, we trust him; he has to trust us as the players, and that's kind of been the word that he's thrown around there. So, when you see a move like that, yeah, for sure it's surprising. [Evangelista] is a great young player that had a great season last year and is just going to grow and continue to get better. But, there's a plan here, and we trust in that plan, and we'll see what happens.”

For now, the goal of this group is to simply get better day by day. And as previously stated, time is of the essence.

“I’m looking for some urgency and compete, especially early, and when you do those things, usually you find a little chemistry, which we're hoping to find,” Brunette said. “I know it’s hard [with a different schedule]…but if we have that competitive urgency right from day one, which we saw today, I think that will form a little bit of a bond, and I think it'll form a little bit of chemistry moving forward. And I think it's going to be really hard here to get it going right away. We’ve got to do the best we can. We can't wait for anybody. We need guys ready to go, and if they're not ready to go, then we’ve got to find solutions.”

There were no crystal balls present at camp, no one seeking to fast forward and find exactly how things will look come next April. 

But no matter where this Predators team ends up this season, one thing is for certain - the anticipation is palpable, not only now, but for what’s to come. 

"It does feel a little bit like a new start,” Josi said. “There’s been a lot of changes, obviously, in management and a lot of new players, too. It's been exciting coming in today, and there's been a lot of talks with [MacFarland]. We got to know 'CMac' pretty well, and all the other guys there, the new staff and the new guys in the front office, and it's been a lot of fun... It's been really cool getting to know 'CMac' and kind of the process he wants to start here, and there's definitely a lot of excitement."