A choppy start from Nashville's blueliners has created an uncertain environment at the bottom of the team's rotation. Across the first 13 games of the season, the Predators have featured 11 different defensemen on the ice. A series of roster moves has introduced the Music City to a pair of promising young defenders.

Predators general manager said that the additions of Jayden Struble and Daemon Hunt align with the team's timeline. He called Struble a good identity player and Hunt an improving NHL player with the opportunity to step up. The hope from the front office is that the team will uncover a gem in one or, better yet, both of the new guys.

Although Struble has been on the team for about three weeks and Hunt for less than one, both blueliners have impacted a handful of games despite the small sample size. On a recent appearance for Preds Radio on 102.5 The Game, Struble recalled a sleepless night before his first outing with Nashville, saying, "I was tossing and turning all night."

While still on the Canadiens' roster, Struble sat out their Oct. 8 game against the Predators in Montreal. The following evening, the Predators traded for him. On the morning of Oct. 10, Struble made the two-hour car ride to join his new team for their morning skate in Ottawa. The new Music City bruiser made his debut for the team that same night, recording six hits and two blocks despite the restless preceding days.

"I don't know what I was expecting," Struble said about the transition process. "Everyone on the team, especially the older guys have been so welcoming. Getting traded is really hard, but I do feel really comfortable here now."

Since his first outing, Struble has remained a presence for Nashville. The 25-year-old Rhode Island native recorded his first goal of the year in a loss to the Penguins, just his eighth career goal. The next day, he gained more favor with the Smashville faithful as he won his first fight in his new colors as the Predators dismantled the Avalanche on home ice. In nine games with Nashville, he has a total of 32 hits and 10 blocks, slowly becoming the type of tone setter Chris MacFarland envisioned.

The change of scenery for Hunt is a much more recent one, as he was suddenly waived by the Minnesota Wild, his club of three seasons, the only NHL team he had ever known as a player. He recalled feeling rejection from the Wild after the Oct. 23 release. However, he would have another opportunity to play for a team he had admired from afar. The Predators claimed Hunt off of waivers the following day.

Hunt was in Seattle at the time of the roster move. He recalled having to fly across the country on his own, as an unfamiliar environment awaited.

"There's a lot going on, a lot of emotion, leaving my old team behind," Hunt said, describing what went through his head during his trip to Nashville. "I was pretty nervous on the plane ride."

The sample size for Hunt in the gold and navy is much smaller than even Struble's. With just three games with his new team, his first appearance came in Nashville during the recent victory over Colorado. Although he played just nine minutes in that first game, the next two have been solid outings with more ice time. He has recorded two blocks in each of the past two outings and even tallied his first point of the season, and eight overall of his career, with an assist in Nashville's loss to the Islanders.

It remains to be seen if either of the two players will become a long-term fixture of the rotation, but the new duo has offered a promising start with their new team. Cohesion is what Nashville has lacked the most from its defensemen this season. As the pair begins to settle in, Predators fans can only hope that results will follow suit.