Despite being projected by many as a team that could take a step back this season, the Nashville Predators have managed to regroup and emerge as one of the NHL's most surprising teams.

Through 30 games, the Predators hold a 19-10-1 record and are tied for the most wins in the Central Division. This comes as an unexpected showing, considering the Predators have seemingly been in decline since claiming the Presidents' Trophy in the 2017-18 season. Their points percentage has dropped substantially over the last few seasons and they have failed to win a playoff series in the last three years.

Plus, with the team dealing off some key pieces in the offseason, it seemed as though the Predators could be a candidate to fall out of contention this year. The Predators dealt forward Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings and sent Ryan Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers. Arvidsson's production has slowed down in recent years but was still an important part of the forward group, while Ellis was averaging nearly 24 minutes per game on the blue line.

A major issue for the Predators over the last few years has been their top forwards not performing like top forwards. Matt Duchene, making $8 million per year, scored just 19 goals and 55 points through his first 100 regular season games with the Predators heading into this season, a pace of 16 goals and 45 points per 82 games. Ryan Johansen, who's also making $8 million per year, averaged a similar pace of 15 goals and 41 points per 82 over his past two seasons with the team. For a squad allocating a ton of money to top forwards, Filip Forsberg was the only one producing consistently.

While the Predators may still rank 16th in the NHL with 2.93 goals per game, it's a step up from their 2.7 goals per contest last season, ranking 22nd. A focal reason for the improvement is that there's been a massive turnaround from the team's top guys. Duchene has an excellent 13 goals and 25 points in 26 games, while Johansen has 24 points in 27 games. Adding to this, Mikael Granlund is on pace to break 70 points in a season for the first time in his career, after averaging under 40 points per 82 games throughout his tenure with the Predators.

Forsberg remains a force for the team with 13 goals and 22 points in just 21 games. The Predators have depth up front too, as Tanner Jeannot has emerged to add secondary scoring and Luke Kunin, Colton Sissons, Eeli Tolvanen, and Philip Tomasino all chipping in as well.

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While losing Ellis took away some depth from the blue line, the Predators have remained solid defensively, giving up the fourth-fewest shots in the league. Roman Josi continues to be an asset for the Predators and has already registered 10 goals to lead the Predators in points. With one of the NHL's best shutdown defenders in Mattias Ekholm at the team's disposal as well, the squad remains rock solid on the left side. With Ellis also out of the picture, Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro have both stepped up, playing key roles on the right side.

Then with Juuse Saros in net, the Predators consistently get some of the best goaltending they could hope for. At 26 years old, Saros continues to be one of the most underrated goalies in the NHL and is in the midst of another excellent season. He was instrumental in getting the team to the postseason last year and has been just as great this year, holding a .924 save percentage while playing in 24 of the team's 30 games.

Saros has posted at least a .914 save percentage in each of the last six seasons, including .923 save percentage in four of those campaigns. With Pekka Rinne now retired, Saros has taken full control of the starting role and hasn't missed a step for the Predators.

Despite losing strong pieces in the offseason, the Predators have managed to defy expectations to become a solid contender for the title. Top forwards have seemingly found their game again, young defenders have stepped up, and Saros continues to cement himself as one of the league's best netminders. There's still a long way to go this season but there are certainly a lot of things going right for the Predators, making them a dangerous team in the Western Conference once again.