The Predators are working toward making the team’s player lounge, trainers’ room and surrounding spots among the best in any NHL building.

The organization is putting $12 million into offseason improvements on the event level of Bridgestone Arena, work that has already started and should be complete by the time the Predators open their 2025-26 season in October.

“It’s not just for show. It’s actually continuing to improve every single year,” Predators CEO Sean Henry said in a release.

“The players … want to make sure the investment that they’re making in training and the time they’re spending in those spaces is being matched with facilities for them to better train and make it more welcoming.”

One of the changes will include a doubling of the size of the players’ lounge, a communal space where team members gather for meetings, share a meal or just hang out.

The trainers’ area — which includes offices for Predators athletic trainer Kevin Morley and his staff — will also be increased in size, allowing more space for players to receive treatments and care.

In addition, the Predators will be able to add a recovery room — complete with hot tubs, cold tubs, hyperbaric chambers and light therapy. They’re all designed to provide players with improved opportunities for around-the-clock rejuvenation.

Similarly, the general restroom area is getting an upgrade to yield a spa-like feel, including saunas and improved showers.

The changes were decided upon by the Preds’ Hockey Operations department — including General Manager Barry Trotz — and the business side of the front office.

Nashville’s staff was influenced by other NHL sites, including a practice facility recently opened by the Florida Panthers.

“I think it just shows the investment of [how] we’re doing everything we can to win, to put ourselves in the best position to be the most competitive we can be by investing into these guys and in the arena,” Preds Chief Strategy Officer Kyle Clayton said in the release. “There’s just that commitment that we’re doing everything we can to put all our resources behind the team.”

The Predators announced in April they would be making major upgrades at Bridgestone Arena beginning in the summer of 2026, efforts that could cost $650 million before scheduled completion in 2030 (read more here).

“We’re not resting while we’re waiting for this new plan of renovation,” Clayton said. ‘We are still investing today to make our experience better for everyone, specifically our players with this project.”