Predators vs. Wild preview: Ryan Suter faces old team 1st time on Tues.

This past offseason, Ryan Suter was the most coveted defenseman in the unrestricted free agent market.

Having spent the entirety of his career with the Nashville Predators and representing one-half of, arguably, the best defensive pairing in the NHL, it was some what surprising to see Suter decide to sign with the Minnesota Wild.

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Especially if you're Nashville general manager David Poile, via the Tennessean:

"Whether this franchise is in Timbuktu, the one point of not choosing to stay and play with Shea Weber, I will never, ever understand that."

On Tuesday night, Suter will face his old team for the first time when the Wild host the Predators at Xcel Energy Arena.

With both sides expressing mutual respect for one another, the focus of Tuesday's game will undoubtedly be placed on Suter playing against his old team.

However, it should also be of note that the Wild have the opportunity to start the season with a perfect 3-0-0 record with a win. Coming off a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night, Minnesota followed it up with a 1-0 shutout of the Dallas Stars on Sunday. Considering the lofty expectations some have placed on the team this season, it would certainly be a productive first step.

Nashville will be entering Tuesday night coming off consecutive shootout losses. On opening night, the team fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets by a finals core of 3-2 and followed it up with a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues. In both games, the Predators had multiple leads but were unable to hold onto them.

The game between the Wild and Predators is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., ET and will be broadcast locally on Fox Sports North, as well as Fox Sports Tennessee.