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The Nashville Predators have been many years ahead of the contenders they are now. General Manager David Poile made a clever move after a clever move to put his team in the best place to win the Stanley Cup.
One of these movements was to trade Seth Jones against Ryan Johansen in January 2016. It was a movement of exchanging excesses to fill a need, which was a central impact. Johansen has fulfilled this role with 37 goals and 150 points in 205 games with the Predators.
During the NHL's tour of Chicago last month, Johansen met with NBC to discuss his backlog last season, playing in Nashville and the tough central division.
Enjoy.
PHT: When you look at last season, especially the playoffs, do you see "Wow, we had a good year" or it was a missed opportunity?
JOHANSEN"I would look for more than a good year. [We] won the Presidents' Trophy and it's not an easy thing to do. Our league is very competitive, it's everybody's playoff game, but it was definitely a disappointing end. We felt like we were a better team than this one and not being up to it was a little disappointing. "
Q. You have an excellent family environment. Describe Smashville for someone who does not know.
JOHANSEN"That's all you have to say is Smashville. It's absolutely amazing. It's hard to describe from the moment I've been traded up to now. It's absolutely amazing to see the support given to our team, not only to hockey fans, but also to children who are familiar with the game and the Pred. Young children, their eyes just shine when we meet people around the city and it really has become a remarkable place to play hockey and I am really very lucky to be there. "
Q. Does it ring differently in this rink than in any other place?
JOHANSEN"When the time is right, and when we go and the crowd is integrated, I do not know how you can compare or compare. I mean, Winnipeg is kind of fun when they go, but two years ago we were the underdogs and the amazing people that made Nashville fans proud. You could not stop yourself, but move away from it. It was so cool. "
Q. In recent years, has your success begun with sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017?
JOHANSEN: Yeah, I think it was a big booster of confidence. It was the hump we had to overcome here in the West. And more than we probably knew, it gave us a momentum where we felt unbeatable after that and we had a boastful speech to our game, our team game, where no matter what was happening on the ice, we were going to keep coming to do the work. "
Q. How much does it take for a player to play in the central division?
JOHANSEN: "Every time we face, the game is different from the other teams. I would say more of the West too. There are just a lot of strong, strong hockey teams that do not affect the Eastern players, but the rivalry between the teams close to us makes hockey fun. These are games in which you want to play, you like to play. There is no day off, otherwise you lose, so especially when we are in our division, and that games are so important. "
Q. Even if they finished last season, are the Blackhawks and guys like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane still a measure for you?
JOHANSEN: "Certainly as a centerman, against Toews, winner of the Stanley Cup three times, it is a very fun challenge in terms of competitiveness that I personally realize. I take these opportunities to measure up to these guys and see where my game is and gain confidence, or go back to the drawing board with my own game and find ways to improve or surpass not only Toews but all the best centenarians or attackers in the league. "
MORE: Your NHB Schedule 2018-19 on NBC TV
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Professional Hockey Conference on NBC Sports. Leave him a line to [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.
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