Complete Preview for the Nashville Predators' 2014-15 Season

For the first time since the franchise entered the NHL way back in 1998-99, Barry Trotz will not be behind the bench of the Nashville Predators. 

For 15 years Trotz was at the helm, but Stanley Cup champion bench boss Peter Laviolette, formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders, has taken his place for the upcoming season.

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The change was made because general manager David Poile wants to take the team in a new direction, and Laviolette has a track record with taking over teams and helping them become more offensive in nature. The Predators have a great goaltender in Pekka Rinne and a great defender in Shea Weber, and management took steps this summer to improve Nashville's offensive output.

The coaching swap should change the dynamic of the Predators, but will it be enough to help the team make its first playoff appearance since 2012?

What We Learned in 2013-14

We learned last season that a change was needed. After 15 years, a move behind the bench needed to be made. Trotz is a good coach who has made the most of what was given to him, but the team is at a point where it needs to make the playoffs consistently.

2013-14 was a tough season, and for the first time in a while, the team had to alter its game plan. Usually, the Predators were able to get by with sensational defense and the goaltending of Rinne, but that didn't happen last year.

A bacterial infection/injury limited Rinne to 24 games. Carter Hutton proved to be a capable replacement, as the 28-year-old netminder went 20-11-4 with a .910 save percentage in 40 games.

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Although Hutton did well despite being thrown into a trial-by-fire situation, his play wasn't sensational enough to cover up for the Predators' lackluster offense. They scored 216 goals last year, nine fewer than the NHL average of 225, according to Hockey-Reference.com.

Weber led the team in scoring with 56 points, followed by Patric Hornqvist with 53 and Craig Smith with 52. 

Weber is a solid offensive defender, but it is usually a bad sign when your defender is your leading scorer and top offensive threat. There are exceptions (see: Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators), but generally you want to have a number of forwards who can be counted on to score key goals.

While Weber's offense output was welcomed, the Predators lacked bodies up front who could carry the play and make an impact offensively.

Poile and the Predators realized during the summer that they had to address this glaring hole, and 2014-15 should be a year in which the team's offense improves.

Outlook for 2014-15

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Heading into the upcoming season, there will be a ton of eyes on new forwards James Neal, Mike Ribeiro and youngster Filip Forsberg. Starting with Neal, the edgy goal scorer has averaged 31 goals throughout his career.

However, his offensive output increased when he was paired with Brad Richards feeding him the puck in Dallas, and it spiked when he went to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Adam Gretz of SB Nation had a great breakdown that touched upon Neal's performance and the Evgeni Malkin effect:

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Neal did not really burst onto the scene as an elite goal-scorer until he arrived in Pittsburgh, where he spent almost all of his time skating on Malkin's wing.

To try to get a better idea, here is a list of every forward who has spent at least 300 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey playing alongside Malkin since the start of the 2007-08 season and the shots, goals and points (per 60 minutes) they have produced with him versus without him.

Player	Shots 60 W/Malkin	Shots 60 W/O Malkin	Goals 60 W/Malkin	Goals 60 W/O Malkin	Points 60 W/ Malkin	Points 60 W/0 Malkin
James Neal	11.50	8.50	1.24	1.00	2.56	1.93

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There's the possibility that Ribeiro proves to be an adequate setup man for Neal, but that remains to be seen. Ribeiro is an interesting case, because his off-ice issues were so bad that the Arizona Coyotes, a team starving for talent, felt it necessary to use a regular buyout to prevent him from playing for them in 2014-15.

Ribeiro went from tallying 49 points in 48 games with the Washington Capitals during the 2012-13 campaign to 47 points in 80 games with the Coyotes last season. Maybe the fresh start and new lease on life will help his game, but being a big fish in a small pond could have an undesired result on his overall game.

Last but surely not least is Forsberg. He is a 20-year-old center who stands 6'1" and weighs 194 pounds. Last year he spent most of his time with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL and tallied 34 points in 47 games. 

Heading into this season, Forsberg is a leading candidate in the Calder Trophy race for top NHL rookie due to his speed, offensive abilities and potential. Under Laviolette, there is the chance that Forsberg's game takes a step forward, and that would help improve the outlook for the 2014-15 Predators.

In addition to those listed above, players like Gabriel Bourque, Seth Jones, Colin Wilson and Roman Josi will be watched with a trained eye. Each represents a key part of the Predators' youthful lineup from last year, and they will have to work harder to ensure they take a step forward in 2014-15.

With that in mind, here's a projected starting lineup when it comes to forwards for the upcoming season.

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Colin Wilson	Mike Ribeiro	James Neal
Gabriel Bourque	Olli Jokinen	Craig Smith
Viktor Stalberg	Calle Jarnkrok	Filip Forsberg
Eric Nystrom	Derek Roy	Matt Cullen
Richard Clune	Paul Gaustad

Despite the additions made this summer, the Predators are unlikely to be a playoff team in 2014-15. The Western Conference, and the Predators' division, is just too stacked with talent for Nashville to emerge.

Although it would be disappointing to fans, having a losing season wouldn't be the worst thing in the world when you consider that the upcoming draft features talents like Jack Eichel, Connor McDavid and Noah Hanifin. Landing one of these players could drastically alter the future of hockey in Smashville, and it would make the team deeper for the future.

No one is saying that the Predators will be a lottery team, but a change to the lottery system will give non-playoff teams more of a chance to win the first selection.

For example, if the Predators finish the same way they did in 2014 for the 2015 season, their odds of winning the lottery would be at 6.5 percent, an increase of 1.8 percentage points from last year.

The addition of Laviolette was a wise move for a team that only needs to develop its offense to be successful, but the transformation could take a full season or two before fans see positive results.