Nashville Predators forwards Jonathan Marchessault, left, and Steven Stamkos hit the ice during preseason workouts.

-- Photo By George Walker Iv | Ap

Heading into his second season as the general manager of the Predators, Barry Trotz used his training camp-opening media conference to remind all that the team has not won a playoff round since 2018 despite making the playoffs in nine of the past 10 seasons.

“Everybody’s talking about expectations,” Trotz said. “Let’s just win a round.”

A master behind a microphone, Trotz attempting to downplay the expectations that exist for the Predators this season is a noble venture. But in reality, expectations are high for this team no matter how hard Trotz tries to downplay them.

When the NHL’s free agency period opened July 1, Trotz went on a spending spree never before seen in Nashville, signing Stanley Cup-winning forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei. Marchessault signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal, Stamkos $32 million over four years and Skjei $49 million over seven years.

Those three additions are significant investments for the Predators. But considering their ages, the window to bring the first Stanley Cup parade down Broadway with this cast is relatively short.

At 30, Skjei is the youngest of the three signings, with Stamkos 34 and Marchessault 33.

The three new high-priced players join an already aging core of existing Predators, with Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly and Gus Nyquist all 30 or older. Trotz acknowledged the optics of having so many veterans on the back nine of their careers, but points to younger players in the organization who are developing with those veterans.

Forsberg, O’Reilly and Nyquist made up the team’s top forward line last season and look to remain a trio this season. Who will play with Stamkos and Marchessault, should they be linemates, has been the question of training camp, with Tommy Novak appearing to be the front-runner.

Novak has been streaky in his time in Nashville, showing flashes of brilliance. Getting the opportunity to play with talent like Stamkos and Marchessault is a huge opportunity for Novak, and performing well consistently with them will go a long way toward keeping him there.

In his second year as head coach of the Predators, Andrew Brunette is tasked with finding the right recipe for the team’s forward lines.

Predators goaltender Juuse Saros is back after signing a $61.92 million contract extension.

-- Photo By Rick Scuteri | Ap

Skjei will likely play with Josi on the team’s top defensive pairing. With both players being left-handed shots, Josi will move to the right side. Both blue liners are among the most mobile and smoothest skating in the NHL, so no matter where they start, they will both make their presence felt all over the ice.

In goal, Juuse Saros was also a beneficiary of the big spending July 1. He inked a new eight-year, $61.92 million contract that will kick in at the start of the 2025-26 season.

Saros has started the most regular season games in the NHL since the start of the 2021-22 season with 194. The 29-year-old will be backed up by Scott Wedgewood, a free agent who most recently played for the Dallas Stars.

In a perfect world, Wedgewood will take some of Saros’ workload in the hopes of keeping him fresh for what the team hopes is a long playoff run.

Special teams are an area the Predators hope to improve upon this season. Last season, the power play was 16th overall with a 21.6% success rate. Since Stamkos entered the league in the 2008-09 season, only Washington’s Alex Ovechkin has more power-play goals than Stamkos’ 214.

Look for him to occupy the left faceoff dot on the power play.

The Predators’ dismal performance on the power play in their playoff matchup with the Vancouver Canucks last season was a big reason for that series loss. Nashville was just 2-22 with the man advantage in the largely offensively bereft series. Clicking at just 9% is not a recipe for success, especially in the postseason.

The Predators were 22nd on the penalty kill last regular season at 76.9%. That is a number that the team would like to improve upon as well.

The Predators have a chance to make some hay at home early in the season. With seven of the team’s 10 October games played at Bridgestone Arena, they have a prime opportunity to bank some points in the standings in the season’s first month.