The Nashville Predators sure do love to boost their chances whenever possible. So when the chance came to bring in extra defenders in Nicolas Hague and Nick Perbix, the Preds didn't waste time in making the deal and now hope to ensure that they would get help on the defensive end – something that they lacked in the previous season. Now it seems that they would remedy that problem with these new additions.

Both players are known to be “defense-first” defensemen, which means that the Predators would benefit from their hustle on the defensive end, all while not risking losing offensive efficiency as well. That says a lot about the two-way prioritization for the team, and how they would shape up their chances of winning in their games moving forward. After all, the saying does say; “defense wins championships”.

Finishing with a 30-44-8 record, the Predators failed to reach the playoffs last season despite fielding a highly competitive roster that includes Jonathan Marchessault, Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, and Brady Skjei. Now that they have some improvements on the defensive end, it seems that their chances of winning are definitely on the rise once more.

Shoring Up the Defense

Initially, the Predators had a strong defense, but injuries ravaged that side of the team last season. In fact, they lost Roman Josi, Jeremy Lauzon, and Adam Wilsby to season-ending injuries along with a trade for Luke Schenn to the Pittsburgh Penguins. For most of the season, their lineup was shored up by unproven AHL defensemen and waiver wire pickups, which did not do well for their campaign.

For Predators General Manager Barry Trotz, those are the same mistakes that the team would not want to repeat now more than ever.

"Last year, we got pushed into our own net a few times as a group," Trotz said on July 1. "I always tell our defensemen to 'sweep the porch.' But you've got to have the defensemen to be able to do that."

So that's why they signed 27-year-old Perbix to a two-year, $5.5 million deal after he spent three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hague, on the other hand, is entering his prime at the age of 26 and has inked a five-year, $22 million deal after six seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights.

If anything, this proves that the Predators are committed to showing their worth on the big stage, and now defense comes as a massive priority.

How Do the Predators Shape Up?

At this point, it is expected that Josi will still be the main leader on the defensive end. The team trusts him to do everything in his power to continue serving as the “do-it-all” defenseman for Nashville even with his POTS diagnosis. Hague is expected to pair with him at the top, despite the latter being only on the second and third pairing in his time with the Golden Knights.

While Skjei doesn't really fit the bill of going big on defense, pairing him with a younger, bulkier yet faster Perbix is going to solve that problem. Deploying the two defensemen in the second line means that the first line of Hague and Josi will be more efficient to handle offensive zone work at the same time.

At this point, it is expected that Nashville will continue to make some changes to its strategic defensive lineup. That will definitely shape their chances for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they haven't had a decent result in the last seven years.