DUNHAM

Owner Craig Leipold has the NHL's best sense of humor, promising a rebate for season ticket-holders if the Preds miss the playoffs. Consider: General manager David Poile dumped linchpin forwards Cliff Ronning and captain Tom Fitzgerald at the trade deadline. Consider: Preds then won three of last 15. Consider: Goalie Mike Dunham will be under siege more than usual, which is a lot. Consider: Coach Barry Trotz is good, but not that good.

	The Big Question
	Q: How much of a foundation does one team need? They need HUGE seasons from their goaltenders, especially Mike Dunham, who struggled with consistency last season. This is a well-coached team that is as prepared as anyone, but the fact is they are relying on very inexperienced players to be top-line players. Scott Hartnell has great upside and should score 20 goals. Denis Arkhipov had a strong 20-goal campaign, but who knows with young players? They are without spunky Cliff Ronning, but added solid Brent Gilchrist. David Legwand has to be an impact player in both ends. He has all the tools to be a strong threat, but is there a tool box to put them in? On the blue line, Kimmo Timonen is as good a first-pass defenseman as there is in the NHL, but with the enforcement of the rules, will he have enough time to make the transition game work? There doesn't seem to be enough top-flight depth to make a run at the postseason, but surely they will be better than the 69 points of last season. -- Darren Pang
	Good: Players don't come much more underrated than Kimmo Timonen. The 27-year-old defenseman scored 13 goals last season, a big number in ESPN's new defensive-points category, and unlike teammate Andy Delmore, Timonen's offense didn't hurt his all around play (plus-one rating). Bad: Tomas Vokoun was arguably as effective as Mike Dunham last season, but the 26-year-old goalie isn't likely to prove his fantasy worth this season after seeing Dunham sign a major extension. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Dan Hamhuis, D The native of Smithers, B.C. is a promising combination of skating skill, offensive capabilities and a fondness for hitting. Was considered the top junior defense prospect in Canada when drafted 12th overall in 2001, but may need to add muscle to be effective at the pro level.
	Minors Outlook
	Milwaukee Admirals The one former IHL team that didn't crash the playoff party last year fired coach Dave Allison as a result and brought in Peter Horachek, last seen hugging the Turner Cup as coach of the Orlando Solar Bears. The parent Predators are sending some prospects in for Horacheck to work with to see if he can improve on what Allison did. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards Live by youth, die by youth. While veteran Greg Johnson's 44 points are the fewest among returning scorers, center Denis Arkhipov (23 years old, 42 points) and left wingers Scott Hartnell (20, 41) and Martin Erat (21, 31) weren't far behind. Hartnell more than doubled his offensive output from 2000-01, when he was the youngest player in the NHL. While folks are still waiting for David Legwand to blossom, it's important to remember that he's just 22. The Predators traded away offense in Cliff Ronning and leadership in Tom Fitzgerald. Their replacements: Clarke Wilm, Denis Pederson and Brent Gilchrist. Western Conference Position Ranking: T13th Defensemen The Predators upgraded their defense by trading linchpin Cliff Ronning to Los Angeles for Jere Karalahti, that is until Karalahti was suspended six months for violating the league's substance-abuse program guidelines and decided to play in Finland instead. Kimmo Timonen (13), Andy Delmore (16), Karlis Skrastins (4), Bubba Berenzweig (3) and Mark Eaton (3) combined for more goals than most other teams. They also surrendered 30 more goals last season (230) than they did in 2000-01. Western Conference Position Ranking: 14th Goalie Fortunately, goaltending is the Predators' strength. Mike Dunham, the highest paid player on the team ($2.8 million), gets the nod as the No. 1 netminder. Tomas Vokoun, whose name was bandied about in trade rumors last year, gives the Preds better-than-average depth. Western Conference Position Ranking: T5th

Rankings: 13th Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 28-41-13-0, 69 points Rank: T24th overall T13th West 4th Central Playoffs: None Home: 17-16-8-0 Road: 11-25-5-0 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 196/2.39 (24th) Home: 101/2.46 (25th) Road: 95/2.32 (21st) POWER PLAY Overall: 14.2/48-337 (23rd) Home: 14.3/26-182 (23rd) Road: 14.2/22-155 (14th) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 230/2.80 (23rd) Home: 95/2.32 (12th) Road: 135/3.29 (29th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 85.9/50-354 (9th) Home: 89.8/18-176 (2nd) Road: 82.0/32-178 (23rd) STATS LEADERS GOALS Denis Arkhipov (20) Cliff Ronning (18)* Greg Johnson (18) ASSISTS Ronning (31)* Kimmo Timonen (29) Scott Hartnell (27) POINTS Ronning (49)* Johnson (44) Timonen (42) PENALTY MINUTES Cale Hulse (121) Hartnell (111) Stu Grimson (76) PLUS/MINUS Hartnell (+5) Timonen (+1) David Legwand (+1) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Mike Dunham (2.61) SAVE PERCENTAGE Dunham (.906) * - no longer with team