TEAM EDITORIAL

The Nashville Predators enter the 2026 offseason with a reshaped roster and a clear reset around a veteran core that still includes Roman Josi, Juuse Saros, Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, Steven Stamkos, and Jonathan Marchessault. Recent offseason reporting points to an aggressive summer of additions—most notably Mavrik Bourque, Jack Drury, Ross Colton, Nils Hoglander, Ilya Lyubushkin, Alexander Kerfoot, Justin Barron, and Nick Perbix—while several lower-profile departures and contract decisions have altered the depth chart and pushed the club toward a more balanced, two-way look.

There is also a strong sense that this is a camp battle team now, not a finished product. The Predators’ forward group has been overhauled enough that roles on the middle six and bottom six feel wide open, and the organization is leaning on younger players such as Luke Evangelista, Joakim Kemell, Matthew Wood, Aiden Fink, Ryan Ufko, and Brady Martin to keep the pipeline moving. The goaltending tandem of Saros and Justus Annunen remains a stabilizing feature, while the defense still pivots around Josi and Brady Skjei, with Nicolas Hague and Perbix adding size and structure.

Coaching and management are under pressure to make the new mix work quickly, with training camp the real proving ground before the only upcoming game, a preseason visit to Tampa Bay on September 20. The overall mood is one of cautious optimism: Nashville has talent, depth, and more options than a year ago, but the roster still has to prove that its offseason makeover translates into a coherent team.