![]() Look for Kucherov to lead the offense and get his campaign started with a multi-point outing tonight. ![]() The Predators were solid defensively last season, ranking 12th in goals against per game (2.88 GAPG), but I don’t see them containing the always-dangerous Lightning. The Preds bought Matt Duchene out, replacing him with Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist, while their only notable move on the blueline was adding depth defenseman Luke Schenn. Nashville did revamp its lineup in the offseason, but those moves will mostly impact the offensive side of things. The winger also enjoyed success against the Nashville Predators in limited action, recording four points across two meetings, including a three-point performance in their first battle of the season. Kucherov was especially impressive last season, posting 113 points to record the second-highest total of his career while finishing tied for third in points and second in assists among all skaters. The team’s longtime core of Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman may be getting up there in age, but they still have plenty of gas left in the tank and should be poised for another solid season. The Tampa Bay Lightning come into the 2023-24 season looking to bounce back from a First Round playoff exit against the Toronto Maple Leafs - Tampa Bay’s earliest postseason defeat since 2018-19. Also, keep up to date with the latest NHL odds as we get closer to puck drop. Will the hosts shut the door or will a revamped Preds squad spoil the Lightning’s home opener? Find out in our Predators vs Lightning NHL picks and predictions for Tuesday, October 10. Tampa Bay begins the season without star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and will look to shut down a Nashville team that ranked 28th in goals per game last year (2.72 GPG). Say what you will about O'Reilly, he provides the Predators with a much different skill set and, honestly, he's probably closer to what this team actually needs if it's looking to push for a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot in 2023-24.The Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Nashville Predators to Amalie Arena tonight for the first game of the NHL season, with both clubs looking to rebound from disappointing 2022-23 campaigns. While he could be a contributor to the Preds and their new culture, I'm not sure he's worth the contract that comes with him. The 31 year old Russian playmaker has been inconsistent in recent seasons and makes a whopping $7.8 million against the salary cap through the 2024-25 season. While I absolutely loved Kuznetsov in the Capitals' 2018 Stanley Cup run, he has regressed mightily in the five seasons that have passed. Honestly, I think the Predators may have unknowingly dodged a bullet here. "Before Nashville signed Ryan O'Reilly, and they might've done it anyway, I don't know, but they were talking to Washington about Kuznetsov, l wonder if it was a Kuznetsov-for-Duchene deal." Trotz then made the decision to buy-out Duchene's contract and to sign free agent Ryan O'Reilly to a new deal. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman though, the Capitals weren't interested in acquiring Matt Duchene in a potential trade for Kuznetsov. Trotz and Kuznetsov obviously have some history together after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018 and it appears that Trotz was trying to rekindle things in Nashville. Now, there are reports that Trotz had been trying to acquire one of his former players with the Washington Capitals, Evgeny Kuznetsov. There were reports that he was trying to move into the top 5 of the 2023 NHL Draft by tangling top prospect Yaroslav Askarov but was unable to consummate a deal on the draft floor. ![]() The thing is though, Trotz has reportedly been even busier behind the scenes trying to make some pretty aggressive moves. The Predators' franchise icon is, of course, back with the team after taking over general manager duties for the now-retired David Poile and has been very active in his first week on the job. Barry Trotz isn't content to sit around and wait for the Nashville Predators to sort things out.
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