Preds Training Camp: Five Storylines to Watch in 2021

The year numbered 2021 is already looking up.
For the first time since last August in Edmonton, the Nashville Predators will officially gather as a team when they begin training camp with team meetings and physical testing on Sunday at Bridgestone Arena.
Those sessions will kickstart a camp unlike any other in franchise history with adjustments from the norm to accommodate the necessary protocols as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Most notably, training camp will last just 10 days with zero preseason games on the schedule. Rosters will be smaller - down to around 40 to start instead of the usual 60 or so - and the level of competition is sure to be at an all-time high with limited time to make impressions on the Predators coaching staff and management.

Yes, just like everything these days, this version of Preds training camp is sure to be full of firsts with Opening Night set for Jan. 14 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
So, as the team embarks on the next journey in their history, here are five storylines to watch for,
featuring some input from Predators Head Coach John Hynes from his recent interview on the Preds Official Podcast
.

The Bench Boss:
Meet the new boss - same as the old boss.
The Who's lyric is rather apropos as the new year begins and the Predators commence camp with Hynes overseeing the on-ice landscape.
Sure, the 45-year-old took over behind the Nashville bench just a week into 2020, but this training camp marks his first with the Preds to start a new season, and his first true opportunity to put his imprint on the team from the very beginning.
The core group of players is mostly intact from the previous campaign, but there have also been changes just about everywhere else in the lineup. So, how does Hynes plan to run a shortened camp with just 56 regular-season games ahead?
"It's the start of a new season, and it's the opportunity to get to the identity that this particular group wants to play at and what suits this team the best with the personnel and the mindset," Hynes said. "At the start of every new season, you're getting your work ethic, your competitive level, the attention to detail you want to play with, your system structure - all those things, and you can't take any of that for granted… You really want to establish your identity and your work habits in training camp, make sure that you're prepared for this season and you're not relying on anything that's happened in the past."
Hynes and his staff - Assistant Coach Dan Lambert, plus new assistants Todd Richards and Dan Hinote - have limited time to establish that identity as the Predators look to become a tougher team to play against in the new-look Central Division.

New In Town:
Over the past few seasons, the Predators had largely remained together as a team. That all changed in the past few months as General Manager David Poile made a slew of changes in the form of trades and signings in an effort to provide a spark to a group that suffered a disappointing finish in 2020.
Gone are familiar names like Craig Smith, Nick Bonino, Kyle Turris, Austin Watson and Yannick Weber, with newcomers Luke Kunin, Nick Cousins, Erik Haula, Brad Richardson, Mark Borowiecki and Matt Benning ready to take over. One could make the argument Mikael Granlund belongs on that list too after making a surprise return to Nashville by signing a one-year deal right before Christmas.
Indeed, this Predators team has plenty of new faces ready to make their mark with a new club, and Hynes expects they'll be ready to go when the first on-ice practice comes Jan. 4.
"A lot of the players we brought in, they're competitive, they're high-motor players, they're smart and [there are some] personalities that come into there," Hynes said. "Some guys are former leaders in the League, some guys are a little bit more outspoken and louder and bring some energy, so on the ice we feel like we've added some good complements to our group. And then the other part of it is what type of team and atmosphere that you want to have off the ice. It's exciting to have some new guys that are here that are just completely jacked to be Nashville Predators, and that energy also comes into your team."

Youth Movement:
Throughout the offseason, Hynes and Poile emphasized a desire to get younger, particularly at the forward position. As training camp arrives, that plan is still in place.
A solid mix of veterans will find their spots up front for the Preds, but there will still be ample opportunity for up-and-comers like Eeli Tolvanen, Yakov Trenin and Rem Pitlick to make an impression and fight their way into a roster spot. Add Philip Tomasino, who is currently skating for Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, to that list of hopefuls as well.
And even if any of Nashville's top prospects don't end up cracking the 23-man roster ahead of Opening Night, they may instead find themselves on the team's taxi squad that will include four to six players who will be available throughout the season.
The spots are there for the taking - all that's left to do is see who really wants them.
"We expect those guys to come in and earn jobs, take someone's job and outperform guys that are here," Hynes said of his younger players. "The players are going to determine who plays in the Opening Night lineup through camp, and the players will determine where they play and how much they play. [That will be determined by] how they compete, how they execute and how consistent they are… It's going to be a competitive camp; it's going to be a competitive environment. If a young player is proving that he's more ready and more prepared to start the year, then that player will play. If they're not, then we'll be able to work with them and get them up to speed on the things that they need to get up to speed on and make sure that they're ready to play when they earn their opportunity."

The Goaltending Tandem - Plus One:
There are no surprises in the Predators crease, at least on paper.
Nashville's goaltending tandem made up of Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros remains one of the top pairs in the League, and in a compact 56-game schedule, having a pair of netminders at the ready will be more important than ever.
The additional component comes in with the League requirement that each team must carry a third goaltender this season on their taxi squad to eliminate the need for an emergency backup at any point under the current circumstances.
Hynes believes No. 3 will be Connor Ingram. One of the top goalies in the AHL last season with the Milwaukee Admirals, Ingram signed a three-year deal with the Preds in 2020. With top prospect Iaroslav Askarov still at least two seasons away from stopping pucks in Nashville, Ingram is the organization's top goaltending prospect, and he may get his chance with the big club in the months to come.
"Connor Ingram, I would put him as a tandem plus one [with Rinne and Saros]," Hynes said. "He's going to be a guy that - he's going to have to help us at times this year. We'd like to see him push [Saros] and push Rinne for opportunities to play. And when it comes to Pekka and Juuse, it's the same thing as every player in camp. They're going to have an opportunity to determine who's going to be the starter. They're both going to get opportunities to play right away based on the schedule, and then we're expecting both of those guys to be very good players for us and be the backbone of our team."

Roster Construction:
Traditionally, Hynes and his staff would have at least six preseason games to try out different forward lines and defensive pairings throughout training camp to see what works - but not this time around.
Instead, Predators coaches will be tasked with finding the ideal groupings with just two weeks of practices and perhaps a pair of scrimmages to go on before the puck drops for real on Jan. 14.
The resurgence of the JOFA line was on full display over the summer in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, and Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg figure to get every opportunity to remain together to start the season. The top four on defense - Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis, plus Mattias Ekholm and Dante Fabbro - also seem to be likely pairings, at least to start.
After that, questions are aplenty. Who will ultimately play on the wings with Matt Duchene? What will Nashville's third and fourth lines look like? Will Mark Borowiecki and Matt Benning ultimately make up the third D-pair?
As always, the lineup will be one of, if not the most intriguing storyline in this year's camp.
"Johansen, Forsberg and Arvidsson have been a good line in the past…so you feel really good about that line as a coach, but Duchene and Forsberg have worked well together; Duchene, Forsberg and Granlund have worked well together," Hynes said. [We know what works], but it's also competitive to where you have a guy like Erik Haula, you have a guy like Luke Kunin, have a guy like Nick Cousins, like Eeli Tolvanen - these guys can compete for those spots… When it comes to guys like a Johansen, a Forsberg, an Arvidsson - those types of guys, they want to play in all situations…and you're expecting them to lead your team in forward minutes. But if they're going to lead your team forward minutes, they have to be the best players. They have to play the best.
"And then you also have other guys in your lineup that are competing to either get in the lineup or other positions within the lineup, and that's something where we have addressed it, we'll address with our players and then we have to let the players determine who's the most ready to go, who's sharp in camp, who has shown that they're ready to compete against Columbus game one. That's the group we have to go with, and then we'll just continue to grow from there."