Pour les Predators de Nashville, recommencer signifie ne jamais avoir à s’excuser

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1. HomegrownStatistics 11 mois ago

   NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The [Nashville Predators](https://theathletic.com/nhl/team/predators/) spent years as the expensive day at the amusement park marred by intermittent rain and mechanical issues.

   It wasn’t a total loss. You snuck in some rides and won a stuffed yak at the ring toss. But it didn’t live up to the billing, and that made the fun moments harder to enjoy.

   The 2023-24 Nashville Predators are a much cheaper day at the county fair. Low expectations. Questions about the equipment at hand. But the rickety scrambler and caramel apples didn’t hurt you and were, in fact, quite good. Count it as a win. One of those sneaky-cool days.

   This is much about mindset entering the experience, which is why the Preds at 5-10 after 15 games didn’t seem to bother anyone too much around here. Between the fall of 2019 and last spring, stretches like that got them screaming for change. However severely this version of the Preds, coached by Andrew Brunette and general managed by Barry Trotz, might struggle would simply be the cost of that much-needed change.

   Win 13 of the next 17 games, as the Preds have done despite Tuesday’s 5-2 thumping at the hands of the [Vancouver Canucks](https://theathletic.com/nhl/team/canucks/) at Bridgestone Arena, and the goodwill and cheer are overflowing. The Preds were outskated badly by the Canucks, made brutal mistakes in the defensive zone and saw forward [Michael McCarron](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/michael-mccarron-6DKfzqWcgSeiRpc0/) hit with a game misconduct in the first period after taking up for teammate [Jeremy Lauzon](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/jeremy-lauzon-snwksocclU8cWalI/). And it’s fine.

   [Tyson Barrie](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/tyson-barrie-h5Nyiipi3vXpYwpN/) was central, along with defense partner [Luke Schenn](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/luke-schenn-tSkchRml95C1MJw0/), in helping Vancouver score its first two goals. Barrie was scratched earlier this month, his hopes of being moved were leaked to reporters, Trotz responded by making his displeasure with Barrie’s camp very clear, and life goes on. Nashville will wish Barrie well when he is moved (which was always an inevitability). At least he’s not [Matt Duchene](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/matt-duchene-x1dNHl1vkIL872og/) or [Ryan Johansen](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/ryan-johansen-2wwW7usdDmgLbQ5J/).

   Those two are both being paid in part by the Preds to produce at a high rate for two Central Division rivals who top the standings. And you know what? Good for them. They aren’t in Nashville anymore, making huge money to come in well below matching expectations. They took a lot of angst with them. Nothing they do can mess with this sneaky-cool season.

   That’s the vibe. The Preds may not be officially “vibing,” as Johansen – a rollercoaster personified – put it during a hot stretch in the 2020-21 season under John Hynes. But feelings of hope and optimism have replaced frustration and impatience. So much that even if Tuesday starts a down stretch for what has always been a limited team, well, it’s fine.

   It’s fine for people who aren’t in the room, that is. Mild-mannered [Juuse Saros](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/juuse-saros-Py3KLSua9A64a2Mr/) was throwing equipment into the hallway after he was pulled in the third period Tuesday. Brunette said his team “self-destructed” with mental mistakes. Lauzon said: “We weren’t ready for that game. We let them have an easy game.”

   But the Canucks are legit. Stinkers happen. And Preds fans see prospects and the cap space ahead to get better quickly. They see the offensive possibilities of Brunette’s system, even though this team isn’t scoring at a dramatically higher pace than Hynes’ last team — again, mindset going in matters. They see what [Ryan O’Reilly](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/ryan-oreilly-WuR6jIoZSgCoFDOL/) has meant to the team’s main offensive attraction, [Filip Forsberg](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/filip-forsberg-pyrziW5o5rXAvHgk/).

   “We’ve got something brewing here,” O’Reilly said after Monday’s practice.

   Also, Nashville is transitioning attention from an [NFL](https://theathletic.com/nfl/) team that was supposed to make the playoffs and won’t come close, to this hockey team that looks like it could hang in there until the end. It’s not just that the Preds are overachieving right now. They’re filling a void.

   Anyone who watches this team closely knows the recent success should not change expectations — Saros, Forsberg and [Roman Josi](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/roman-josi-xmjsiS3KnaDtUo3X/) need more help up and down the lineup than they have right now, that’s clear. This is a bubble team. But it does mean some of the young guys are learning what it takes to win. And doing so in a learning-friendly environment.

   “I think at the beginning of the year we were doing some good things but just finding ways to lose games,” O’Reilly said. “Now you see us in these pressure situations, we’re thriving. We’re leaning into it. We’re trusting our game more. It’s fun. It’s very fun.”

   It wasn’t so much Tuesday, and there were no pressure situations in which to thrive. But it looks like there will be some after the calendar turns to spring. Break out the corn dogs and elephant ears.