The Nashville Predators' 2019-20 season was a bit of a roller coaster. After landing Matt Duchene in free agency, the team struggled through the first half, and fired Peter Laviolette, replacing him with John Hynes. The NHL's pause on March 12 came as they were still jelling as a club, and they lost in the qualification round of the postseason.
With more time to absorb Hynes' system, the Predators should be more of a cohesive unit in 2020-21. Here's everything you need to know before opening night:
Big question: Can this team score enough goals?
The Predators had a middling offense last season, scoring one or fewer goals in nearly 20% of the team's games. Defenseman Roman Josi led the scoring with 65 points, and no forward posted more than 50 points. What's more, the Predators said goodbye to Nick Bonino and Craig Smith, who each scored 18 goals -- second to only Filip Forsberg (21) on the team.
GM David Poile brought in some fresh faces and left some lineup spots open for young players; can anyone break through and help this offense out?
