Where do the Nashville Predators go from here?

In a lot of ways, you can say the Predators weren't even supposed to be here.

They were within a hair's width of trading their franchise goalie and trying to enter a serious rebuild, then they canceled a U2 concert and the team stormed into the playoffs with a purpose rarely seen from teams that end up as No. 7 seeds.

That said, the fact that they needed a 16-0-2 streak to get clear of, like, this year's St. Louis Blues is probably not the best sign. Andrew Brunette is a great coach, I think, and there are some very real pieces here, but it's hard to say what the Preds look like next season.

If they want to cut a little more bait with this group, they have an excellent opportunity to do so, because they weren't close to being a cap team by the end of the season and they are shedding a few exp