The Nashville Predators look to be on the rise heading into next season, and shrewd moves by general manager David Poile are the main reason why.
In recent weeks, Poile locked up leading scorer Filip Forsberg to a six-year contract extension before dealing longtime captain Shea Weber to Montreal in exchange for a younger star defenseman in P.K. Subban.
After bowing out in the second round of the playoffs for the third time in franchise history this spring, forward Ryan Johansen told Adam Vingan of the Tennessean that he sees the recent transactions as proof his team is ready to make that next step in the near future.
"As players and as a franchise, it's all about winning," said Johansen, who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in another high-profile one-for-one deal that sent Seth Jones to Ohio. "You want to win. You want to come together as a group and have success and win a championship and hopefully championships.
"To see (management) try to make a move like that to try and just benefit the team, as a player, it shows they want to win and they want to win very soon."
Johansen and Forsberg lead a young forward group that includes Craig Smith and Colin Wilson, while Subban joins an impressive defense corps beside Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis.
"You know they're ready to take the next step," Johansen said of Predators management. "And as players, we're ready to come together again and win."
The biggest factor that may hold the Predators back is the tough Central Division - where the Blackhawks, Blues, Wild, and Stars all show little sign of slowing down after reaching the playoffs last season.
