I think what makes them appear 'predatory' is that they kind of are.
The play is developing from a mile away. Everyone in the arena and on TV can see that Kassian is about to get smashed. Kassian's teammates see he's about to get smashed. Blind dogs are howling for him to get his head up.
They aren't raffi torres hits where he is praying on a guy who doesn't know he's there and who doesn't have the puck. They aren't head shots where Tkachuk is targeting Kassian's head.
They are full body contact, shoulder to shoulder explosions from one guy able to read the play from a mile away against a guy who can't read the play with the help of an audio book.
They are predatory because Tkachuk is in a completely different league than Kassian. He's preying on this big goof literally every time he holds the puck for any extended time.
https://streamable.com/mzadi
When you watch that video, is it any mystery at all what's about to happen when Kassian chips the puck in? Kassian was probably the only guy in the building surprised at what happened. They are all hockey plays. Kassian is in possession of the puck. Tkachuk Smashes him, Kassian loses possession and the Flames exit the zone. It's a quintessential hockey play. Use force to strip guy of puck to relieve dangerous possession near goalie.