These Nashville Predators weren't supposed to make the NHL playoffs.

In October, the Predators were +6,600 odds to win the Stanley Cup − the eighth worst odds in the league. Only a handful of prognosticators thought Nashville would finish in playoff position, and after the Predators lost 10 of their first 15 games, those predictions looked as bleak as their chances at a competitive season.

But here they are, clinching a playoff spot on April 9, evolving from rebuilding afterthought into a team most playoff opponents would prefer to avoid.

To understand how this happened, you must understand how new general manager Barry Trotz strategized the rebuild in the first place.

Barry Trotz's offseason moves bring in 'serial winners'

Trotz wasn't looking to rebuild in the traditional sense. His strategy was more of a remodel − especially of the team's leadership group.

After trading Ryan Johansen to Colorado and buying out Matt Duchene, Trotz surprised everyone by signing three older veterans on free agency day: forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist, plus defenseman Luke Schenn. All three have been significant contributors this season, plus they've worked hard to remodel the culture of the locker room, something Trotz saw as a defining problem at the end of last season.

"My intention was to make this team real good, and for a long time," Trotz said in July. "I don’t want you to come to Nashville to retire, I want you to come to Nashville to win.”

Trotz knows a great deal about the hockey culture of Nashville, as he's someone who helped build it. The first ever coach of the Predators, his tenure was for 15 seasons (1998-2014), then returned to become the team's second ever general manager after David Poile retired in 2023.

ESTES: The playoff-bound Nashville Predators weren't very good at this rebuilding thing

The line from Trotz about "not coming here to retire" reverberated throughout Music City. It was a not-so-subtle shot at Duchene, whose love for Nashville's off-ice culture is no secret. Duchene was Poile's prized free agent acquisition in 2019, but Trotz didn't have the same affinity.

The decision to buyout Duchene, and the decision to sign three older veterans, made one thing clear: winning hockey games is more important than anything to Trotz.

"To me, it's the most critical dynamic we have," Trotz said about his team's leadership group in October. "They are serial winners."

Collectively, O'Reilly, Nyquist, and Schenn have 188 games of playoff experience. Schenn won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. O'Reilly won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, plus he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs.

The other important factor to this turnaround? Jump starting Filip Forsberg.

Andrew Brunette's offensive scheme jump started Filip Forsberg

You can't make it far in today's NHL without an elite goal scorer, and Forsberg has been exactly that for Nashville this season.

Forsberg didn't have a bad season in 2022-23. But compared to his 42-goal showing from the year before − when he was still vying for a new contract − last season was forgettable. He scored only 19 goals in 50 games, and his season ended after suffering a concussion in mid-February.

That's all in the rear view mirror now, thanks mostly to new coach Andrew Brunette.

Brunette's offensive system emphasizes getting the puck up the ice in transition. Nothing on the ice moves faster than the puck − passing the puck up the ice, instead of skating it, is preferred.

This gives Forsberg more time with the puck − more time to "do his thing," as he describes it. He leads all Predators skaters in goals (43), shots on goal (331), and shot attempts (677) this season.

ELITE: How Nashville Predators' Filip Forsberg is becoming the elite offensive threat the franchise has lacked

But scheme isn't the only factor. Brunette's decision to pair Forsberg with O'Reilly and Nyquist early on played a huge role.

"The chemistry was there right away," Forsberg said about playing with O'Reilly and Nyquist. "Every game we play together, you get to know these guys better and better. We've been playing well."

The Nashville Predators are a potential playoff menace

This season, the Predators have seen a steady improvement in almost every aspect of the game. Their offensive output jumped from 2.72 goals per game last season to 3.20. They are getting more shots on net, preventing more shots in their own end, and have improved their power play.

After a win over the New York Rangers in October, Trotz said he was hearing more about the team's new style of play, rather than the win itself.

"I was visiting with some friends in town ... and not one person said 'Hey, good win,' they all said, 'Hey I like the way you are playing,' " Trotz said.

The Predators' new "relentless" style of play makes them a team "no one wants to play" in the first round of the playoffs. For a team that was swept by Colorado in 2022, and hasn't won a playoff round since in six years, that's a remarkable shift in reputation.

While the team's cancelled U2 trip in back in February caught the world's attention, the turn around started in the offseason − with Trotz's vision to win now, at all costs.

Will it translate to playoff success? Brunette's brief history with the Florida Panthers suggests that it will.

The momentum heading into the playoffs this season feels eerily similar to the early years under former coach Peter Laviolette. If history is any indication, the Predators fan base is in for a ride.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Nashville Predators evolved from afterthought to playoff menace