Nashville Predators season preview

While the Anaheim Ducks are the sexy pick to represent the Western Conference in the 2007 Stanley Cup finals, the Nashville Predators are the thinking man's pick. Slowly, quietly, GM David Poile has built a deep, powerful squad in the Music City. Never mind last year's first-round exit versus San Jose -- the Predators were without No. 1 netminder Tomas Vokoun, whose season was cut short with a mysterious blood clotting condition. Vokoun has enjoyed a complete recovery and the Predators have made key additions in the form of Jason Arnott, Josef Vasicek and J.P. Dumont that should give them a potent offense to go along with a deep blue line. Perhaps the most troubling question dogging the Predators is whether enough people, especially people with money, will care as the team makes its first serious bid for a Stanley Cup.

Offense: The Predators' top priority was to get bigger and better down the middle, and they did that by signing Arnott. The free agent is coming off a terrific season in Dallas, where he had 76 points, one behind team leader and captain Mike Modano. Sure, there are questions about Arnott's personality and whether he's too much of a "me" guy. But with leaders like Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan around, Arnott should thrive. Vasicek was plagued by injury most of last season and played in just 23 games. But he's big (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and has pretty good skills. He'll certainly get a chance to showcase those skills playing with wingers like Kariya, Sullivan and Dumont, who was cut loose by the Sabres after an arbitrator figured he was worth $2.9 million. Dumont missed the first third of last season with an abdominal injury, but returned to score 20 goals in 54 games and then added 14 postseason points in 18 games.

Defense: It might have been helpful from a veteran-presence standpoint if the Predators had managed to re-sign Brendan Witt, whom they acquired at the trade deadline for a first-round pick from Washington. But Witt signed with the Islanders and the Predators will make do with a youthful albeit highly skilled group. There will be questions about size and physicality because many of Nashville's bigger players have little experience. But Shea Weber (6-foot-3, 213 pounds), Dan Hamhuis (6-foot-1, 200), Kevin Klein (6-foot-1, 195) and Ryan Suter (6-foot-1, 196) all have bright futures ahead of them. If there is a learning curve, expect it to be a short one with the team hitting its stride by Christmas. It helps that Nashville plays in the league's weakest division -- learning is a lot easier against teams like Chicago, St. Louis and Columbus.

Goaltending: Nothing helps a young defensive corps develop like the play of a goaltender of Vokoun's caliber. Provided he stays healthy, it will be a surprise if the Czech native is not a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. He was 36-18-7 with a .919 save percentage until he was knocked out of the lineup during the last month of last season. Those numbers should improve this season because the team is better. Chris Mason was an outstanding sub for Vokoun, and that, in part, was why the Preds offered him another contract instead of letting him go to free agency. Pekka Rinne is still a year or two away.

Coaching: Barry Trotz is the only coach the Predators have known, and logic suggests that unless the Predators enjoy a deep run in the playoffs (or barring some other kind of extenuating circumstance), there will be pressure to make a coaching change. Not that Trotz is the kind of guy who lets such things bother him. Many critics liked Nashville's chances last year and Trotz used that as a way to up the ante for his players. They responded with a franchise-best 106 points. That ante will be upped again this season and Trotz, with his no-nonsense style, seems perfectly suited for a team ready to make a jump.