Nashville Predators predictions 2023-24: Preds make NHL playoff noise

The second half of last season was the equivalent of "out with the old and in with the old and young" for the Nashville Predators, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

David Poile, the only general manager in franchise history, announced in late February that he would retire after the NHL draft. In his next breath, he said the first coach in franchise history, Barry Trotz, would replace him.

Three months later, after a group of hungry young players nearly led the team to an improbable playoff spot, coach John Hynes was fired. In the next breath, the team announced it had hired his replacement, Andrew Brunette, who scored the first goal in franchise history.

There are four players left from the 2017 team that made the franchise's only Stanley Cup Final appearance. A blend of youth — Luke Evangelista, Cody Glass, Philip Tomasino, etc. — with veterans Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Juuse Saros, Ryan O'Reilly — is the plan.

Here are five bold predictions for the new-look Predators in 2023-24:

Juuse Saros will win the Vezina Trophy

He was a finalist in the 2021-22 season and he should have been a finalist last year. He will win his first this season. The two-time All-Star's road will be tough as the team's most important player, but he keeps getting better every year.

Ryan O'Reilly will score 25 goals

The team's biggest free agent acquisition will have the biggest impact among the newcomers. The 32-year-old is entering his 15th season and is primed to pack a powerful punch if he partners with Filip Forsberg on the team's top line.

Filip Forsberg will score 50 goals

This is the year Forsberg finally stays healthy and hits the numbers his new contract extension suggests he could and should. The franchise's all-time leader scored a single-season high 42 goals in 69 games in 2021-22.

The Nashville Predators will make the playoffs

Oddsmakers disagree, but it's hard to bet against a team with a franchise goalie in Saros and a franchise defenseman in Josi. In addition, if the kids can play like they did last season, why not? Which leads to the next prediction.

The Nashville Predators will win a playoff series

Something the franchise hasn't done since 2018, when it won the Presidents' Trophy and defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. Hey, if the Predators are going to make it, they might as well win some.