Preseason hockey usually means very little in the grand scheme of an NHL team’s upcoming season, but for the Nashville Predators, it was a glimpse into future - both for this season and General Manager David Poile’s “competitive rebuild” and seasons beyond. And while the remaining “stars” of the forward lineup, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene, did not play, we got a glimpse at the cornerstone of the franchise, goaltender Juuse Saros, the defensive leaders in Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm, and perhaps more interestingly, a healthy mix of the rookies and new acquisitions. The 2021-22 version of the Nashville Predators hit the ice in Nashville last night, and for the first time, Coach John Hynes had a relatively “normal” offseason and training camp since he arrived in Music City. “I think the training camps since I’ve been part of since we’ve been here have been COVID-restricted camps, and now you have a bigger player pool to see, evaluate, get to know, communicate with and instill the culture we want so that’s all positive,” Coach John Hynes remarked in the post-game media session. “The ability to play and test what you are doing versus others and how does it get exposed and what the positives are, but more important is the player evaluation.” read more https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2021...k-preds-take-preseason-home-opener-nhl-hockey
