Preds Open Training Camp with Core Group Ready for Another Run

They're back in town.
One by one they arrived to Bridgestone Arena on Thursday morning, spirits high, ready to do it all over again.
The Predators could only be positive as they reported for the official start of training camp, with just about everyone who played a part in a Presidents' Trophy winning season back in the fold.

Of course, the sentiments are similar around most locker rooms across the League on this day, with nearly every player in every NHL city projecting outwardly this could be their year. But that field narrows when searching for that belief on the inside.
Not in Nashville, though.
"We have a special group here," Preds Captain Roman Josi said. "First of all, we have great chemistry. We have a great group of guys, we have a really good team and I think we showed that [last season]. We played really well the whole regular season and… it didn't work out in playoffs the way we wanted, but we truly believe this team can win the Stanley Cup."

On paper, this Predators have just about as good of a chance as any to do just that. Now, we all know championships aren't won on preseason confidence, especially not in hockey. But what this team does have is a core group of players who wanted nothing more than to come back for another run with a roster largely untouched from the one that last saw the ice in May.
And that was by design.
"If you ask me, I don't see any point for a big change," Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne said. "Obviously, things didn't end up the way we wanted - winning the regular season doesn't give you much - but it shows that for 82 games, we were the best team in the League… When you put things together, I thought that from the team standpoint, we had a really strong team and I was happy to see that there wasn't a lot of change."
From the run to the Final in 2017 to the disappointment of a Game 7 loss last spring, there has been no lack of experience gained during the past two seasons from which to build. P.K. Subban is set to enter season No. 3 in Gold, and the blueliner is helping to lead the way when it comes to managing the mentality of a top team in the NHL and utilizing those experiences in a positive manner.

"The motivation is to get to our goal and achieve what we want to achieve," Subban said. "Along the way, it doesn't matter who we're playing, it's about us and about our group inside the locker room. Now we have a lot of young players on this team that… they might be young in age, but now they're rich in experience. We gained a lot of experience over the past two seasons and we're going to have to use that this year."
You won't find any lack of belief around these parts, nor should you. The Predators know what they're capable of - but saying it and doing it are two different things.
On Thursday, they returned to Nashville as the reigning Central Division champions, the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners. So, how will we refer to them at this time next year?
There's only one way to find out.
"I love this team," Rinne said. "I've said it so many times, but I truly believe in this team. We have a great core group of guys, but also the whole team. We're such a strong team, and I really can't wait to start playing and show it on the ice, but I feel very comfortable with this team, very confident.
"We're a big family, so that's the biggest thing."