3. Nashville Predators


"But I eat and sleep and breathe and bleed and feel
Sorry to disappoint you
But I'm real."
-- "Real" by William Shatner and Brad Paisley


Yeah, that's right. I'm picking the Nashville Predators to win the
Central Division. They were a playoff team two years ago, and had
their roster not changed, one would think they would have been
better. Then, they add Paul Kariya, who fits in well with what they
do. Danny Markov was also a nice addition to a blue line in front of
a really good goalie in Tomas Vokoun. Ryan Suter will be a good NHL
defenseman for the next 15 years. Nashville also has plenty of cap
room and could be the star of the trade deadline. They have young
drafted players and have future No. 1 draft picks that could land
another good player in 2006. Some teams remain the same, some are
slowly falling and some are inching forward. Nashville is inching
forward. The new CBA should make them the kind of team that can get
better quickly by taking advantage of the new economic rules.