Star center believes Predators are now Stanley Cup contenders

The Predators spent $111.5M on the first day of free agency between Stamkos (four years, $32M), Skjei (seven years, $49M), Marchessault (five years, $27.5) and goaltender Scott Wedgewood (two years, $3M), and they locked up two of their own to extensions in goaltender Juuse Saros (eight years, $61.92M) and defenseman Alex Carrier (three years, $11.25M).

After the first wave of free agency, Nashville’s odds of winning the Stanley Cup surged from 35/1 to 16/1 — the second-biggest jump of the offseason — and it opened with 4/1 odds of winning the Central Division.

Predators GM Barry Trotz has been adamant about players not coming to Nashville to retire but rather to win a Cup, and his trio of big-name signings prove he’s all-in on the team’s now suddenly open championship window.

“There's that confidence that the organization has in us that, you know, last year we worked hard and I think we found an identity,” O'Reilly continued. “To see them, and to talk with them and bringing in some pieces that can help us and elevate that, it just shows that confidence that we feel excited. I think everyone is just like, let's get this thing rolling.”