from Adam Vingan of The Tennessean,
Like anything else, the NHL works in cycles, and the current trend is speed. It came about as the rest of the league watched the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup this spring by blazing past their opponents, made possible in part by having a mobile, puck-moving defense.
Having designed their defense in such a way for years, the Predators are ahead of the curve in that respect. But by trading former captain Shea Weber for P.K. Subban on June 29 and buying out now-retired Barret Jackman the following day, the construction is complete.
The Predators don't have a crease-clearing, rugged defenseman on their roster because they don't need one. Instead, Nashville will use its slick-skating defense to steer play.
"There's no one skill in my mind that trumps skating now," Predators general manager David Poile said on the first day of training camp.
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