It’s hard to assess the winners and losers of free agency before players are truly put to the test with their new squad, but if there ever was a case for crowning a winner before October, it’s the Nashville Predators.
Barry Trotz and his Tennessee team came out on July 1 swinging for the fences and hitting home runs with every attempt, landing some of the most coveted free agents, including Stanley Cup winners Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault.
The magnitude of talent acquired by the Predators is not lost on returning players, and centreman Ryan O’Reilly made it clear just how excited he is about his team’s newest additions.
“July 1st, for myself, it was Christmas,” O’Reilly said to reporters at the annual Smilezone Golf Tournament at Lionhead Golf Club & Conference Centre in Brampton, Ontario. “It was just kind of, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,’ with guy after guy. So excited. I think we have a window in Nashville with (Filip) Forsberg and (Roman) Josi and (Juuse) Saros, getting him done, and all these guys in their prime that, you know, we have an opportunity I think to compete for a Cup and you add these other guys. … We have a ton of belief that we can compete for a Stanley Cup.”
That belief appears to be shared by the Predators’ front office, which signed All-Star goaltender Saros to an eight-year, $62-million contract extension ahead of free agency.
The team has not won a playoff round since 2018 and narrowly avoided missing the playoffs for a second-year in a row with a valiant second-half bounce back last season, but the flurry of moves at the beginning of July suggest that, top-down, there is faith that this squad can take the next step in the pursuit for its first Stanley Cup — even navigating through a heavy Central Division.
“There’s that confidence that the organization has in us that, you know, last year we worked hard and I think we found an identity,” O’Reilly said. “To see them, and to talk with them and bringing in some pieces that can help us and elevate that, it just shows that confidence that we feel excited. I think everyone is just like, let’s get this thing rolling.”
Perhaps none of their additions are more high-profile than Stamkos, a perennial point-per-game player, and although O’Reilly knew before free agency opened that his team was interested, the 33-year-old “didn’t want to get my hopes up.”
“Sure enough, we get him and it’s amazing,” O’Reilly said. “Completely gives us the piece that we need and just the person he is, the player he is. … On top of that, Marchessault, (Brady) Skjei and everyone — it’s just like, here we go!”