The Predators believed they had as good of a chance as any to have a parade in their town come mid-June.

At the beginning of every season, 31 teams make essentially that same plan, the ultimate goal to win it all. The reality is only one of those clubs will see their plan come to fruition, the other 30 left to figure out what went wrong.

If everything had gone according to plan, the Predators would be getting ready to host Game 1 of the Western Conference Final tonight.

So as the players cleaned out their lockers and said their farewells a month earlier that anyone had hoped, they did so with a sense of sadness, disappointment and frustration. They expected better of themselves.

But, at least this time around, it just wasn't meant to be.

"I'm still disappointed," Predators Captain Roman Josi said. "It always takes a while to get over [losing in the playoffs]. I'm definitely still disappointed."

"The season ended way too early for us," Nashville forward Scott Hartnell said. "We had a goal in mind that was to obviously still be playing at this time of the year and win a Stanley Cup, but that's just the way it is. We got beaten by a great team that I think is going to go a long way, but just sad, angry; a lot of different types of feelings."

Video: Subban relates how Preds can prepare for next season

That series with Winnipeg, the one that saw the Predators dominant at times over the team that was arguably the toughest competition they would have faced in the postseason, ultimately came down to Game 7. The fact that it was just one game the Preds were unable to take when it mattered most make the loss sting that much more, something many players believe will stick with them over the offseason.

"If you just look at it, there's such a small margin of reasons why we lost that series," Preds center Ryan Johansen said. "With it being so close, if you were to do it again, you'd probably just say we need everybody, including myself, to be a little better. We needed everyone just to perform a little bit better, I guess, where we could come out successful in the series."

While the wounds are still fresh, and understandably so, the Predators were also allowing themselves to not only look ahead to the summertime - a chance to relax and recharge for a training camp that will be here soon enough - but also into the next season, another opportunity to take a run once more.

Video: Josi reflects on first season as Predators captain

"Once the season ends, there's always a few days where you look yourself in the mirror and think, 'Could I have done better? What can I do better next year?'" Johansen said. "As a team, as a group and as a family, we'll go into the summer as individuals and we'll find ways to become better players for our team where we can put ourselves into this situation next year and set ourselves up to win a Cup."

The Predators know that so-called window to compete for Lord Stanley's Cup won't be closing any time soon. Hartnell and defenseman Alexei Emelin are the only two unrestricted free agents on the roster, and other than Mike Fisher's decision to hang up his skates for good, the Preds will have largely the same roster intact for not only the upcoming season, but for many years to come.

It's for that reason the Predators still have hope for what's to come, even in a the bleakest of days following a postseason exit.

"We have a lot of young guys on this team and a lot of guys just starting to hit their prime," Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "We have a fairly large window for us to compete, and not only compete, but to be at the top and have a chance to win each and every year. That's the encouraging thing. And a lot of the guys are going to be back, and we're going to have a very similar team hopefully and have another chance at it next year."

With the 2018-19 season will come the same expectations the Predators had last fall - win the Stanley Cup. Sure, there's pressure that comes with putting that goal out at the forefront from the very beginning, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Video: Ellis gauges playoffs after NHL-best regular season

From where this franchise was not too long ago, the expectation to win a championship continues to signify the climb Nashville has made in the hockey world to become an elite organization, a destination for players and fans alike with only one goal in mind.

"For the city, for the organization, for all our fans, to think the same way is great," Nashville forward Austin Watson said. "Only one team wins the Cup, and the rest of the teams didn't accomplish their goal. To have that as the end goal every year is what we talk about when we come to camp. To know the city, the organization and the team are all on the same page is awesome."

It's OK to be sad, to be disappointed, to be frustrated. The players, the coaching staff and the management share those feelings, and everyone who sports a Predators logo on their person has earned the right to be, too.

But know this: soon enough, the temperature will begin drop once more, the leaves will begin to fade to gold and the Predators will return to Tennessee in pursuit of the one things that drives them as professional hockey players.

The fact that the best regular season in franchise history ended with a second-round exit doesn't sit well. It'll be up to those within the Predators dressing room to change that.

"There's no better time to be in Nashville right now as a player," Johansen said. "It's very exciting to be a part of this group. We had a special thing going on here, and we have to keep believing that and keep our focus on the big picture. We'll do our best to bring a Stanley Cup to Nashville."