In many ways, the 2010-11 season was a high point in the history of the Nashville Predators.
For the first time in the organization's 13-year history, they made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That achievement came courtesy of a thrilling six-game victory against the higher-seeded Anaheim Ducks.
Unfortunately, the euphoria lasted just two weeks, as the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks used an unforgettable series from Ryan Kesler to advance to the Western Conference Finals with a six-game victory against the Preds.
So while there was obvious joy at advancing past another hurdle -- the Predators had lost the previous five first-round series they contested -- there was also a period of introspection caused by the what-ifs that follow any hard-fought loss in the playoffs.
Could the Predators have won the Western Conference Finals if they had found a way to hold off the Canucks? We'll never know, but the bar has certainly been raised considerably by the very existence of that tantalizing possibility.
It's a development that will be welcomed with open arms by General Manager David Poile and coach Barry Trotz, who have been building to just such a scenario throughout their tenure in Music City.
After all, there is no denying that the Predators have the defensive framework to be a tough out in the postseason. Nashville has a still-emerging star goalie in Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne. The Predators also have perhaps the best one-two punch on defense in the League in the dynamic Shea Weber and the equally effective Ryan Suter.
Now it just becomes a matter of surrounding that unquestioned core with the proper support pieces.
Have the Predators done so this offseason? That remains to be seen.
