The Nashville Predators come into the 2018 season as the defending President's Trophy winner. As a result, it was the first time the franchise finished atop the Western Conference standings. There is a lot more pressure on this Predators team to perform now that there is a target on their back. David Poile only made a few moves during the off-season so this is essentially the same team that was so successful last year. The biggest question this year is: can they be the best in the West again?
First, let's take a look at this Predators roster. As I mentioned above, it is relatively the same team as last year. They return the lethal JOFA line that was responsible for a combined 179 points last year. I expect the same, if not better, production out of these three no matter what line combination they play with. The famous D-core comprised of PK Subban, Roman Josi, Matthias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis are all back and healthy. Pekka Rinne is coming off a career year and looks to prove Father Time wrong once again. Don't forget about his apprentice, Juuse Saros, who looks to share more of the load between the pipes this season. The Predators still boast an insane amount of depth up and down their four lines. This is a team that returns all of its firepower and their youth continues to realize their potential. My only concern with the Predators is their scoring depth. They have good, scrappy skaters throughout the roster, but there are some questions about who can be a reliable scorer behind Forsberg and Arvidsson. Also, the Predators have never had to play with such a target on their backs before. They will no longer be able to surprise everybody like they've done in the past, and there are some strong challengers in the West trying to overthrow Nashville. Let's take a look at a few of those challengers.
There are a few sleeper teams to look out for in Western Conference that could make some noise like the Preds have done in the past. Watch out for the Oilers and Blackhawks. It's hard for these two teams to be sleepers given their popularity among the NHL, but after disappointing seasons last year they both look to bounce back. The reason to watch these two teams is because of their star-power. The Oilers have Connor McDavid, who is perhaps the most skilled player in the NHL, and he is joined by Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to create a lethal offensive tandem. Their biggest problem is lack of talent on the blue-line. It has been their Achilles hill so far, but if they can somehow get it patched up this team could make some big moves. The Blackhawks are full of aging stars like Patrick Kane, Jonathon Toews, and Corey Crawford. It seems that the Chicago dynasty is past its prime, but they could muster up one more great season and make it back to the top.
These next few teams are much more serious contenders for the Campbell Bowl. Watch out for the Colorado Avalanche. They gave the Predators all they wanted in their first-round bout. It seems that the Avs have shot up from the bottom of the league into one of the most exciting young teams. Headlined by Nathan MacKinnon, who scored a ridiculous 97 points last year, this young team is going to give a lot of goalies headaches this season. I think they are a few pieces and few seasons away before claiming the top spot, but they're definitely worth keeping an eye on. The Minnesota Wild always seem the be in the thick of things every year, but they can never get over the hump. This year might be different for the Wild as they bring in a new GM, Paul Fenton, who comes from the Predators organization. They hope this change will bring in more success. With Devan Dubnyk as their net minder, they'll be in almost every game they play. If they catch some breaks, this team could end up on top. The Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues are two teams full of talent and experience that play a heavy game. It's just a matter of them putting it altogether. Expect them to be big players in the conference even if they don't end up on top. Even with all of these teams, there's still a few more teams that pose as the most serious threats to the Predators.
The San Jose Sharks just never seem to go away, After riding on the back of Joe Thorton and company for over a decade, the Sharks have revamped their team by adding Evander Kane and Erik Karlsson. They have a deep, talented team that knows how to win. As long as their veterans can keep up, this team will likely finish top 4 in the conference. The next team to worry about was the darling of league last year, the Vegas Golden Knights. Nobody expected this team to do anything, but after a few players breaking out into star caliber players and reviving Marc-Andre Fleury's career. Everyone expected them to fall off eventually, but they never did and rode that wave all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a young and fast team that loves to put up points. They remind me a lot of the Nashville Predators. Keep an eye out for some of their young prospects that might make an impact for them this year. The team that is perhaps the greatest threat to the Nashville Predators, however, is the team that ended their season last year. The Winnipeg Jets are one of the top teams in the entire league. Patrick Laine is the NHL's next great sharpshooter with his wicked wrister. They have stars up and down their lineup including Dustin Byfuglien, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Connor Hellebuyck. They easily have the deepest and most talented roster with a great mix of youth and experience in the conference alongside the Preds. It will be interesting to see what kind of year has Hellebuyck has in the net. He's the only one I have questions about on this team. All signs point to another great year for the Jets and I think the Jets-Preds rivalry is about to become even more intense throughout the year.
There are a lot of great teams in the Western Conference this year. There are about six teams that could make a reasonable case to come out on top. The Predators are going to have their hands full all season long. Through a few games already, they're looking pretty good, but it is a long season. I think the Preds have the talent and experience to win the West again, but I think the Jets, Sharks, and Golden Knights are going to give them a run for their money. Each of these teams are going to have great seasons, but only one can end up on top. Despite the challenges, I'm going to put my money of the Predators until they prove me wrong.