question, will Radulov play next year?
If he has another camp like he had last year, he may very well be on the team. The problem is that the Preds have 6 top 6 ready wingers currently on the roster in Kariya, Sullivan, Walker, Hartnell, Erat, and Upshall. While I think the Preds would like to roll three scoring lines this upcoming season (as opposed to the traditional, 2 scoring, 1 checking, 1 energy), Radulov is going to struggle to surpass those six. The two forwards that appear to be at the bottom of the pecking order, Upshall and Walker, bring a physical, forechecking dimension that Nashville's front lines sorely lack.
The Preds have the forward depth to avoid rushing Radulov. This will be only his third season in North America. A guy like Wolski's far more experienced on North American ice. I've seen plenty of forwards ruined because they came to the NHL too soon. I've never seen a forward's career derailed because he spent 40 games too many in the AHL. If I had to guess, I'd say he starts out the season in Milwaukee and is the first injury callup the moment one of the aforementioned six gets injured (my money's on Walker). From there, he'll either play poor to solid and return to finish the year in Milwaukee or he'll cement his status as an NHLer and force a trade of someone like Walker, Hartnell, or Erat.
Of course, there's always plan B. The Preds have toyed with the idea of moving Upshall to center. His style of play would be perfect for a Predators center. If he can adjust to the transition, he'll likely find himself as the third line center. I wouldn't be surprised, if the Preds attempt to roll 3 scoring lines, to find Radulov flanking Upshall in that situation. He'd probably get 10 minutes of ES time and around 3-4 power play time to start out the season. And it would go from there.
In short, we really don't have any idea which way Poile, Trotz, Fenton, etc. are going to head with this. There's benefit to both the Preds and Radulov in almost every route I've mentioned. It all comes down to how ready he is and how satisfied the Preds are with their wingers. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised with any of these situations coming to fruition. The Preds are wary of rushing forwards into the NHL, and Trotz has always been a big proponent of seasoning players in the minors. Yet, we've never had a young forward this dominant offensively. Only time will tell.