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You can't always get what you want – and for the Nashville Predators, that might be a good thing.

Hoping to capitalize on a kernel of hockey buzz in Music City last season, former owner Craig Leipold and GM David Poile decided to "go for it." They signed Jason Arnott to a big free agent contract and added him to the trophy signing of Paul Kariya that had happened the year before. They swapped out Ryan Parent, Scottie Upshall and a first-round draft pick to borrow Peter Forsberg for the playoffs. They went crazy with the thought they could finally contend for a Stanley Cup.

And they kind of fell on their collective face.

The Predators lost in five games in the first round of the playoffs to the Sharks.

They battled ownership issues which led to the team being sold.

They bid adieu to Kariya and Forsberg, and also said goodbye to team leaders Tomas Vokoun, Kimmo Timmonen and Scott Hartnell in the summer. In short, they sold the farm. They restructured. They brought the budget down, they trusted the kids.

And a funny thing happened. The team actually started to get better.

It has taken a while, and nobody is going to confuse these Predators with the high-flying scoring squad that went 51-23-8 last season. But, that team didn't really scare anyone.

Ask any Western Conference team last season, and they were hoping to catch the Predators in the first round. Their victories seemed to be of the paper variety, their heart just a little questionable. They weren't alone, obviously. The Stars went down in the first round. So did the Flames and the Wild.

But those teams didn't seem to be putting so many eggs into the 2007 basket. The Predators did. They believed they had the right formula.

So that's why it was so disappointing when they had to tear things apart in the summer. And remember, this wasn't a little deconstruction. They parted with just about every major player they had either acquired or developed. Yes, Arnott remained. The same with J.P. Dumont and Martin Erat. But that's only because they couldn't move them or liked their salaries.

It was clear the Predators would have to rebuild – and, in fact, very few had playoff expectations this year.

But now Nashville is rolling up wins as the stretch drive approaches. The Predators aren't the team they were last year. They aren't the high-scoring machine (12th this year in goals after being fifth last year, a decrease of .42 goals per game), they aren't the hard-charging squad from last season that hit without thinking.

This team is more controlled. This team is smarter. This team is more dangerous should you meet it in the playoffs.

And that's a definite possibility. Head coach Barry Trotz is doing a better job this season, because these players better reflect his style. He's about working hard and overachieving. These Predators might end up doing just that.