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      Are bigger changes on the horizon for the retooling Nashville Predators?

      The Predators missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. What comes next in Nashville?

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      The Nashville Predators are in a bit of a tough spot.

      En route to finishing 10th in the Western Conference during the 2022–23 regular season, the Predators sold high on Mattias Ekholm, Tanner Jeannot, Mikael Granlund, and Nino Niederreiter to build a strong base of assets for incoming general manager Barry Trotz.

      Now, it remains to be seen whether Trotz will elect to keep incumbent head coach John Hynes or if he’ll replace him with a figure of his own choosing. But beyond that, the Predators will soon have to make a decision on star goaltender Juuse Saros, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

      Daily Faceoff‘s Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk took a closer look at the situation in Nashville as part of Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff Live.

      Tyler Yaremchuk: Let’s talk a little bit about the Nashville Predators. It’s the first summer with Barry Trotz at the helm as their GM and man, the amount of picks they have in this upcoming NHL Draft is incredible, Frank. In the next two drafts, really, they have a lot that they could do some damage with. Two firsts this year, two seconds, three thirds, and three fourths. Do you think they’ll take the approach of, hey, let’s flip some of these picks and get some immediate help, or is the smarter play here for Barry Trotz to get some prospects and start stocking the cupboard here in Nashville?

      Frank Seravalli: I think that’s the biggest question that I have about the Preds in general, is, what are they trying to accomplish here? Are they trying to rebuild? Are they trying to do this on the fly and become a competitive team again? As I view the Predators and their current roster right now, I’d say that they’re good enough to finish anywhere between, say, eighth and 14th in the West, which is not really any place that you want to be. Could they sneak into the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the back of Juuse Saros again? Probably. But there also is a question to ask about Saros and his future in Nashville, given that they’re ultimately gonna have to re-up him at some point and pay him again.

      Watch the full episode here:

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