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Last Season: 47-25-10, 104 points, second in the Central Division.

2014-15 Season, In One Tweet

Photo screen shot via Twitter More

Did They Get Better, Worse Or Are They About The Same?

Better.

The Nashville Predators didn’t make any real roster improvements this summer, but they still should nudge upwards next season.

Nashville’s young players are for real and they’re only going to push their collective ceilings higher. Filip Forsberg notched 26 goals and 63 points as a rookie. He stepped up big time in the playoffs with four goals in the Preds’ hotly contested six-game first-round loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Seth Jones is just 20 and he’s going into a restricted free agent contract year. After a so-so sophomore season – playing mostly third-pairing minutes down from the second pair a year before – he should take a major step forward in his development.

Defenseman Roman Josi, 25, had an all-around breakout year with 55 points and 15 goals. Expect him to equal if not better those numbers in a Norris-worthy season.

There’s still goaltender Pekka Rinne -- dubbed the 'human eraser' by fans -- to clean up any mistakes. Captain Shea Weber dropped off a bit last year, but you can expect at least 15 goals and 40-50 points from him.

The Preds are weak at center with a one-two punch of Mike Ribeiro and Mike Fisher – both 35 years old – but they have enough firepower in other areas to limit this issue during the regular season.

James Neal and Craig Smith are both locks for 20-plus goals on the wing, regardless of who’s feeding them the puck.

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Five Most Fascinating Players

1. Filip Forsberg, F

Any time Forsberg does anything offensively brilliant, Washington Capitals fans groan. This is because the Predators heisted the Swede from the Caps for Martin Erat and Michael Latta in 2013. Erat didn't last long in DC and is without a new contract this summer. Latta is more a pugilist than a scorer. Forsberg has more long-term offensive potential with the Predators than any player they’ve ever employed in their history. He has a tremendous wrist shot, and he proved in the playoffs that he can up his game when needed.

2. Roman Josi, D

When the Predators lost Ryan Suter to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2012, they trumped Josi as Suter’s replacement. At the time, it seemed a little far-fetched, but an argument can be made that Josi is more prolific at age 25 than Suter ever was with Nashville. Suter’s highest point total with the Preds was 46. Josi notched 55 last season. Josi also makes just $4 million per-year and is signed for the next five seasons. He may have the best contract in the NHL.

3. Seth Jones, D

It’s time for the 2013 first-round draft pick to take a step forward. The Predators put Jones on the third defense pairing last season with Anton Volchenkov in hopes he could develop with less pressure. At times he looked like a future All-Star, and at times he looked a little lost. This is a big year for Jones, since he’s going to hit restricted free agency status next summer.

Story continues