General manager Barry Trotz knows the Nashville Predators look good, but he's aware that nothing is guaranteed until his team starts winning games.
"On paper, we look like a good team in fantasy hockey. ... I told the players, it's fantasy hockey until we become a good team," he said Thursday, according to 102.5 The Game's Max Herz.
"When it comes down to it, this is still a workman's league," he added, per team beat reporter Zach Gilchriest. "You have to work every night together to have success in this league, and I think we have a really good profile to do that."
Trotz kept busy during his second offseason at the helm of the Predators, highlighted by a trio of splashy signings on July 1 that brought two-time Stanley Cup champion Steven Stamkos, 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault, and veteran defenseman Brady Skjei into the fold.
The moves have boosted outsiders' perception of Nashville, but Trotz is staying even-keeled.
"Everybody's talking about expectations," he said, according to Herz. "Let's just win a round. ... Once you got past that first series, it becomes real."
The executive continued: "To me, you've got three really good pieces (in Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Juuse Saros). ... I think we have a few and I tried to add a couple and make us a threat. I know our culture is great."
Nashville surpassed expectations in 2023-24 following a strong offseason in which Trotz added forwards Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O'Reilly, as well as veteran blue-liner Luke Schenn.
The Predators qualified for the playoffs last season after missing out in 2023, largely buoyed by a 19-5-3 run to end the campaign. That stretch was prefaced by a canceled trip to see U2 at Sphere in Las Vegas in February.
Trotz addressed the now-infamous "U2 thing" on Thursday, saying it wasn't because he was upset the Predators were losing games. Nashville had dropped seven of their last 10 contests before the concert, including an abysmal 9-2 defeat to the Dallas Stars on home ice.
"We weren't preparing to win," he explained, per the Hockey News' Emma Lingan. "That's what bothered me."
The Predators were eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in the opening round this past spring and haven't won a playoff series since 2018.
Nashville opens its preseason slate Sunday against the Florida Panthers, while its regular season kicks off against the Stars on Oct. 10.
