In the first few weeks of the season the Predators’ defense was searching for answers and consistency. They got just that when Francis Bouillon returned to the lineup in late October. Bouillon has been back in the lineup for 12 games now, and the team is 7-2-3 in those games. As many of his peers mentioned, he has stabilized the defense and made everyone else’s job easier.On top of the stability, Predators head coach Barry Trotz said the team’s identity started to improve once Bouillon returned from his concussion.“Frankie brings veteran presence, confidence and experience,” Trotz said. “From that stand point, you can’t really replace that. You can gain experience and all that, but sometimes it’s hard to do it on the fly.”For the first seven games, Trotz and his staff had to make adjustments on the fly. Not only did the pairings change frequently, but there was a musical chairs act between Jack Hillen, Teemu Laakso and Mattias Ekholm.In the seven games Bouillon missed, the team...
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