The Nashville Predators have 9 defensemen entering their season-opening game against the Minnesota Wild.
One of those defensemen is Ryan Ufko, who is dressing in his first season opener for the Predators. He will be alongside captain Roman Josi for the first game. Meanwhile, Head Coach Andrew Brunette continues to sort out his official pairings.
“I thought he probably played the best of everybody [in training camp], and I think he deserves an opportunity,” Brunette said.
That being said 8 other defensemen are taking up space on Nashville’s roster. The bench boss knows that won’t be the case for long. In particular, no one really made a strong case to remain with the Predators.
“There was open competition for some spots, and I don’t think anyone really grabbed it all the way through the defensive pairings,” Brunette said.
“We’re hoping this sticks. There’s a reason we have nine defensemen, so I think there’s some urgency on the back end to get their game up to par right now.”
Defense being fluid not ideal for Predators
While the season opener is just hours away, the Predators will not have a lot of time to see what works on the blue line.
Should Ufko and Josi end up working well together, that would be a win for the Predators’ development team. Ufko was a fourth-round draft pick in 2021. After being drafted, he rose through the collegiate and AHL ranks over the last few years.
Ufko was one of the top performers last season with the Milwaukee Admirals. He often played top-pairing minutes until the Predators called him up.
The 23-year-old was a standout in training camp. Now Nashville will have to sift through the other defensemen to see who will stick around.
Based on the line rushes from practice this morning, the Predators will trot out Brady Skjei, Nick Perbix, Nic Hague, and Adam Wilsby against the Wild.
Among the other capable options on defense, the Predators have Ilya Lyubushkin, Jack Ahcan, and William Trudeau sitting in the press box.
Odds are, Brunette will want to see all three of these defensemen in action at some point before a decision is made on who will remain in Nashville.
Juuse Saros to start tonight vs. Minnesota
Entering his 12th NHL season, goaltender Juuse Saros will be in net tonight against the Wild to get the 2026-27 season started.
Saros is 10-3-3 against the Wild all-time. He will aim to keep the positive record going. Nashville is relying on a solid beginning to their season in October.
The Finnish goalie has allowed 17 goals against the Wild in his last five starts against them. Most recently, he let six goals behind him as the Predators fell 6-5 in overtime.
While Saros made 37 saves against the Wild, it was Matt Boldy who scored a hat trick in the opening period to help Minnesota take a 3-1 lead.
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon scored the game-winner in overtime to take down Nashville. The Predators will be on their toes from the start and want to pick up a win in front of their fans to kick off a new season.
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Predators Pair Rising Defenseman with Roman Josi, Juuse Saros to Start in Season Opener