What was once a weakness might now be one of the Nashville Predators' most lethal aspects of their lineup.

Prior to the blockbuster trade that saw Matt Duchene shipped to the Ottawa Senators and Kyle Turris dealt to the Predators, Nashville had been a club incredibly thin down the middle of the ice.

While the club boasts Ryan Johansen - who oddly enough is still searching for his first goal of the season - the Predators have been missing a second centerman who can entice fear into the opposition.

That is until now. With Turris now in the fold, the Predators can ice one of the better one-two punches at center in the league and can now dress a more well-balanced forwards corps.

Prior to the Turris deal - and due to the injury of Nick Bonino that has limited him to just five games - the Predators had been forced to roll with Calle Jarnkrok, Colton Sissons, and Frederick Gaudreau down the middle. And while the three are surely serviceable options, they don't compare to Turris.

Here is how the four have fared since the start of last season:

Suggesting that Turris is the more lethal offensive option between the three is quite obvious even without looking at the numbers, but the stats illustrate just how much better he is. In fact, Turris has tallied more goals and points than the other three combined.

On Saturday night Turris played his first game with the Predators and made an immediate impact, scoring his first goal with the team and adding an assist while playing 21:38 of ice time - the second-most of any Predators forward.

Turris' inclusion into the lineup allowed head coach Peter Laviollette to - on top of dressing a stronger top-six forward group - ice a better second power-play unit. Turris centered the club's second unit along with Kevin Fiala, Craig Smith, Viktor Arvidsson, and Mattias Ekholm.

Additionally, Bonino has been skating with the club and appears to be close to making his return to the lineup. When he finally returns, the Predators will have even more strength down the middle.

And as general manager David Poile suggested following the Turris trade, Bonino could be slotted on the wing of the Predators' second or third line when he returns, according to Thomas Willis of NashvillePredators.com. It's another sign of the versatility Turris gives the team. Meanwhile, it gives the potential to house a mighty top-nine with Johansen, Turris, and Bonino at center.

The acquisition of Turris has completely changed the complexion of the Predators' offense, and should instill a fear in opponents going forward that simply didn't exist a week ago.

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On Monday, the Hockey Hall of Fame will officially enshrine Dave Andreychuk, Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi, and Teemu Selanne into hockey history.

While this year's class is made up of worthy recipients, it's never too early to consider who could follow their lead in 2018:

Martin Brodeur

A slam dunk for induction into the Hall in his first year of eligibility, the iconic New Jersey Devils netminder brings a host of accolades to the table.

A three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils, Brodeur ranks first all-time in NHL wins with an astonishing 691 victories to his credit, and also tops the charts with 125 shutouts. He was a winner on the international stage as well, guiding Team Canada to its first Olympic gold in 50 years in 2002.

The Calder Trophy winner in 1994, a mantle full of awards followed over the course of Brodeur's career, including four Vezinas and five Jennings.

Alexander Mogilny

In 1989, Mogilny became the first Soviet player to defect to the NHL, blazing the trail for the many Russians who followed in his footsteps, including Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Bure, and Sergei Zubov.

Mogilny made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres that same season, finishing his freshman year with 43 points in 65 games. Three years later, he potted 76 goals in a single campaign, a total that had only been seen by four players in league history.

Mogilny won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2002, and retired as a member of the Devils four years later. He sits third all-time in NHL scoring among Russians, trailing only Fedorov and Alex Ovechkin.

Jeremy Roenick

Making his NHL debut with Chicago in 1988, Roenick brought a different brand of hockey to the Blackhawks, mixing an exciting combination of skill and grit.

It was an early preview of the career that followed for the budding power forward, one that included stops with the Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks.

In 2007, while with the Sharks, Roenick became only the third American-born player to score 500 NHL goals, potting his 500th against his former club, the Coyotes. Roenick, who announced his retirement in 2009, racked up 1,216 points over his career, good for third among U.S.-born NHLers.

Martin St. Louis

Never drafted into the NHL, the pint-sized St. Louis was determined to make the most of his career in an era that favored size over skill.

The early goings were tough. St. Louis struggled through his first two years with the Calgary Flames. But, after joining the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2000, not only did St. Louis turn around his own career, but the franchise as well, as he led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004.

St. Louis wrapped that campaign with a league-leading 94 points, as he was recognized as the Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award (now known as the Ted Lindsay Award) winner. He won his second Art Ross as a member of the Lightning in 2012-13, finishing the lockout-shortened season with 60 points in 48 games.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Another Saturday, another wildly busy night across the NHL.

With 12 games spread across the schedule, there's plenty to unpack, so let's get started and take a look at five takeaways from Saturday's action.

Leafs ace huge test without Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs played their third consecutive game without their best player, taking a 4-1 decision over the Boston Bruins.

The victory was Toronto's fourth in a row overall, concluding a massive bounceback week after a disastrous road trip through California and St. Louis. With six points in the bank without Matthews, and an additional four days off until their next game, it appears the Maple Leafs have averted disaster in grand fashion.

Karlsson in a class of his own

(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)

Perhaps it was because he was playing in his home country, or maybe it's just because he's superhuman, but Erik Karlsson continues to dazzle early in his 2017-18 season.

Karlsson recorded two assists in Saturday's win over Colorado in Sweden, and now paces all blue-liners with 16 assists - and now sits second in points for a defenseman - despite missing the first five games of the season.

DeBrincat shows he's worthy of a bigger role

The Chicago Blackhawks snapped two-game skid Saturday with an overtime victory in Carolina, thanks in large part to rookie Alex DeBrincat, who scored two goals and set up the game-winner.

DeBrincat now has 10 points in his first 17 NHL games, though is averaging more ice time than only four Blackhawks forwards. For a team that's been struggling to produce goals, maybe it's time to give the kid a chance.

Turris shines in Predators debut

(Photo Courtesy: Action Images)

If his debut was any indicator, it appears Kyle Turris will fit in just fine with the Nashville Predators.

In a Stanley Cup rematch against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Preds' new addition scored his first goal in his new digs and later added a primary assist. It was clear head coach Peter Laviolette trusts him as well, as Turris ranked second among all Nashville forwards with 21:38 time played.

Lindgren has yet another huge night

If it weren't for Charlie Lindgren, the loss of Carey Price would be a lot tougher to handle for Montreal Canadiens fans.

That's not to say there's a goalie controversy brewing once Price returns, but the rookie netminder has filled in more than admirably in his absence. Saturday's 34-save effort brought Lindgren to 3-1 in four starts with a save precentage of .964 and a 1.24 GAA.

Lindgren stole two points on a night where the Canadiens were outplayed by the basement-dwelling Sabres, so if it weren't for him, things could be a lot worse in Montreal.

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Everyone in Montreal take a deep breath - your team is winning games once again, and a lot of that has to do with captain Max Pacioretty.

Patches started the campaign on one of the worst scoring droughts of his 10-year career, notching only one goal across the team's first eight games. During that same time frame, the Canadiens went a miserable 1-7 while struggling to put the puck in the back of the net.

Fast forward 10 games, and Montreal has seen its season go from bleak to blossoming - and the Habs can look no further than their streaking captain for the team's turnaround.

Including his two-point performance Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres, which included his 10th overtime goal of his career, Pacioretty now has 11 points in his last 10 contests.

Over that same span, the Canadiens have now won six out of their last nine games to climb out of the Eastern Conference basement.

Despite the lackluster start to his 2017-18 season, Pacioretty is still on pace for a 30-plus-goal, 60-plus-point season. However, the bottom line is that he must continue his torrid pace if Montreal hopes to be in the mix for one of the final playoff seeds in the East.

With No. 1 goaltender Carey Price working his way back from injury and Pacioretty firing on all cylinders, fans in La Belle Province have legitimate reason for optimism.

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Sergei Bobrovsky has officially submitted his entry for save of the year.

The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender pulled off an utterly improbable stop Saturday night, foiling a 2-on-0 rush by the Detroit Red Wings in overtime.

Andreas Anthanasiou and Anthony Mantha broke in by themselves with about 90 seconds left in the extra frame.

The Blue Jackets prevailed in a shootout.

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The Montreal Canadiens' goaltending depth is about to be tested even more than it has been in the absence of Carey Price.

Al Montoya is out indefinitely as he recovers from a concussion, the club announced Saturday night.

The 32-year-old took a Dustin Byfuglien slap shot to the mask in last Saturday's win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Montoya finished that game but hasn't played since.

Charlie Lindgren has taken the goaltending reins for Montreal with both Price and Montoya hurt, and Zach Fucale backed up Lindgren on Saturday night.

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It really could have been much worse for Jimmy Vesey.

The New York Rangers forward posted a pair of eyebrow-raising photos after Saturday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, in which he took the boot of Zack Kassian's skate to the face.

Here's how it happened, if you missed it:

Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed afterwards that Vesey had two teeth in his lip, according to NHL.com's Cristina Ledra.

The young winger is fortunate to have escaped the incident with a busted lip and a couple of stray chiclets, and he'll likely be chomping at the bit to play Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, as the Rangers will look to extend their six-game win streak.

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