NASHVILLE - The Nashville Predators are still experimenting ahead of Thursday night's season opener against the Minnesota Wild . The Predators tinkered with a potentially new-look defensive pairing at practice on Tuesday between captain Roman Josi and second year defensemen Ryan Ufko .
The duo has had limited time together, mostly in the preseason, but coach Andrew Brunette liked what he saw and wanted to see more.
"I thought they played, taking from our exhibition games; I thought they played really well together," Brunette said. "Obviously, they didn't play a lot together, but it was good, and we wanted to get a good look at it. They probably complement each other offensively. We just got to make sure the other side of the puck is sharp."
Josi, the team's longtime back-end cornerstone, quickly praised his young partner after sharing the ice with him on Tuesday.
"Uffy's an extremely smart player. He's amazing with the puck. He makes some great plays out there," Josi said. "We haven't played much together. We played a little bit against Tampa together, and I love playing with him. He's just a smart guy with the puck. He makes great plays, great instincts and yeah, it was fun today."
For Ufko, the opportunity to skate alongside a player of Josi's stature is, first and foremost, a learning experience.
"It's unbelievable. I'm super lucky to play with him," Ufko said. "He's an All-Star, superstar in this league. So, just trying to be a sponge and learn everything I can from him. I'm trying to communicate as much as I can out there with him, and it's been good so far."
Asked what he has picked up from Josi so far, Ufko pointed to the way the captain plays the game.
"Just the system that he plays. He's super offensive as well. You can always see that his feet are moving," Ufko said. "I feel like that's something that's really important in this league: to play fast and know you're going to get a lot of success, and things are going to open up. I think that's a big one."
The pairing is one of several questions the Predators are working through on defense. Nashville is heading into opening day with nine defensemen on the roster, and Brunette acknowledged the group is still sorting itself out.
"I would say probably still trying to work through some things. We talked about the other day there hasn't been anybody that really pushed themselves way above anybody else," Brunette said. "So we've got some things to figure out on that end, and we know as a business it's transitional. We'll see how it happens. Obviously, we're heading into opening day with nine, and who knows how long that lasts."
The Predators have one more practice and a morning skate before Thursday's season opener, leaving little time for Brunette to decide whether Josi and Ufko's pairing is more than just a preseason look or just practice experimentation.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/predators/onsi as Josi and Ufko Pair Up at Predators Practice as Brunette Explores Blue Line Options .
