Big Kev's Thoughts on Hockey

Where is that big prick?

2010-03-12T16:51:00.003-06:00

Big Kev has moved to WordPress! Come visit him @ http://bigkevonhockey.wordpress.com

Preds squeak by ATL 2-1

2010-03-10T02:27:00.002-06:00

Tonight the Preds visited Atlanta and squeaked out a 2-1 victory over the host Thrashers. The Preds got goals in the first from Ryan Suter and Colin Wilson. They then rode on the back of strong play from Dan Ellis in net to keep Atlanta from scoring a goal to tie it after Antropov scored within the first minute of the second period. The Preds played a solid opening period of play, limiting the opponents chances to the outside and pushing back a team that is coached with an emphasis on the attack. After the first intermission the Preds played the majority of game quite lackadaisically, and while the Thrashers didn’t play their way back into the game as much as the score suggests, the Thrashers did generate enough offense to keep things tense. In the end it wasn’t enough and the Preds skated off with a huge 2 point gain in the Western Conference standings.
* According to the official scoresheet, the attendance in Atlanta tonight was just over 11k. If that’s true, then they must have stayed in the lobby. I would ball park it around 7k in attendance and even that feels a bit generous.
*I have to say I wasn’t terribly inspired by any of the even strength lines. The Suter goal came on the team’s first power play opportunity, and the Wilson goal was his own, as he jumped on a defensive gaff while on the forecheck and lifted the puck past Hedberg after an efficient deke. Hopefully some chemistry is developed soon as this is a critical roadtrip and has the potential to be a season ending run without some wins.
*It was a lot of fun to be a Pred fan in enemy territory tonight. The Preds heads very a very vocal group jeering the opposition and it was very easy to understand what was being said. Very well done. According to tweeters watching from home our taunts were coming through on the TV feed. Well done indeed.
*Up next for your Predators are 3 games in 4 nights, 2 of which are against teams jockeying with the Preds (Ducks and Kings). First on the interary are the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

Until next time – Big Kev

Welcome to the ice your bi-polar Predators

2010-03-07T23:57:00.001-06:00

Allow me to lead this post with an apology. This post will probably be a lot more erratic and grammatically mangled than usual. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I trust you'll bear with me.

Frustrations abound for the hockey faithful of the Nashville Predators as the team returned from the Olympic break on Tuesday. The team made a statement in goaltending in signing netminder Pekka Rinne to a 2 year extension during the break, and as the team faced off against the Oilers, he nestled between the pipes as the established future of Predator goaltending for at least the next few years. Thanks to goals from newly acquired defenseman Denis Grebeshkov, rookie Colin Wilson, all-star blueliner Shea Weber and captain Jason Arnott, the Preds sloppily squeezed out a 4-3 win in the venue's debut game as the Bridgestone Arena. Rinne was not tested frequently, and turned aside 22 of 25 shots in the win. Both teams showed a lot of rust in the game, and I felt that the line of Wilson-O'Rielly-Tootoo was the best forward line of the night. Wilson's game was particularly strong, having a couple of takeaways, playing strong along the walls, winning battles, and one of those little things they call a goal. On Thursday, the Preds wrapped up a nice birthday present for me in the form of a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, who are one of several teams involved in the race for the final playoff spots in the West. Rinne again got the start, looking more comfortable in net than he had on Tuesday, but once again was not tested heavily, stopping 20 of 22 shots. I'll be honest, I didn't get to watch Friday's game at Detroit. However, from following the tweets of my fellow Pred fans throughout the game, as well as the game recaps provided by much more capable bloggers than myself, it seems as though the only Predator who came to play was goalie Dan Ellis. The Preds were never in this game and lost the game 5-2, as well as Olympic goaltender Shea Weber with what appeared to be an arm or hand injury. Weber has been listed as day-to-day and Cody Franson was recalled to fill his spot on the roster. Today the Preds had a matinee faceoff against the Northeast Division leader Vancouver Canucks. In all 4 games played since returning from the break, the Preds have allowed the first goal, this time allowing Edler to find himself alone in the slot, who quickly wired a wrist shot past Rinne. Arnott struck on the power-play to even the score, and Tootoo brought the Preds into the lead in the 2nd, tapping his own rebound over the shoulder of Luongo. Simple breakdowns allowed Samuelson and Hansen to get 2 goals on Rinne in the 3rd period, and an empty netter allowed the Canucks to leave The Bridge with a 4-2 win and, more importantly, a HUGE 2 points in the standings.

*The goaltending HAS to improve. Rinne had a very strong opening 2 periods tonight, but the 2nd goal was from a terrible angle from distance and was not a quick, surprise shot. Rinne has a history of giving up these bad angle shots. I have wondered about whether his height factors into it. Could he be having to bend over so far to get under the crossbar, that it exposes the area between his body and the post? If so, it is up to him and goaltending coach Mitch Korn to make the necessary adjustments.

*I'm very encouraged by the continued strong play of rookie Colin Wilson. I have been curious if the addition of Boyd would force a numbers game that would result in Wilson being returned to Milwaukee, but Wilson is certainly making a case for himself.

*Everyone wants to know what Trotz has refused to split Hamhuis and Klein, and you can count me among them. This pairing isn't working. It hasn't all season.

*Boyd certainly was an encouraging part of tonight's game, his Predators debut. I am curious about how much of an opportunity he'll get to succeed. He comes onto a team loaded with 3rd- and 4th-liners, which has actually been handling itself well in terms of secondary scoring, while the top 6 "big guns" continue to struggle. If he continues this strong play, he makes his case to become a fixture in the lineup.

*It's been a real treat to not see Belak in the lineup. Belak seems a nice guy, but does not provide a contribution to the games, and therefore I label him "useless boob." I will not change my mind.

*I miss Jan Hlavac. I still think Poile was foolish to let him walk.

*I had the pleasure of bumping into fellow Tweeter @predsaddict for a post-game meal at the Murfreesboro Steak & Shake, though quite by accident. I had a great time discussing the team with her and her friend and look forward to speaking with her again.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below! Until next time, God bless! - Big Kev

Roster recap

2010-03-05T04:09:00.002-06:00

An amazing series of Olympic games has passed and the NHL returned to action this week, with the Preds having played host twice this week to a couple of teams with the trade-deadline day sandwiched in between the 2 games. The season has gone as I predicted it would back in September, and the Oilers found themselves facing the need to make changes as they prepare to reload, if not rebuild, so Monday they exchanged D Denis Grebeshkov with Nashville for a second-round pick in the upcoming draft. On Tuesday, the Predators placed Ryan Jones on waivers in preparation to send him to Milwaukee, but he was instead picked up by Edmonton and was immediately put to work, facing off against the Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Personally, I don't think Nashville as a team feels the loss of Jones. I never had a problem with Jones' game, but his style of play never seemed to mesh with Trotz's system. I expect he'll do well in Edmonton which seems to rely a little more on speed and creativity, where Nashville is a little more defensively sound. Wednesday was a record-setting trade deadline day, but Nashville was one of the less active teams with only one trade made. The Preds sent their fourth-round pick to Calgary in exchange for utility forward Dustin Boyd, who has scored 19 points (8g,11a) this season. I believe both trades were calculated decisions toward improving an uncharacteristically poor penalty kill, and thus I was happy to see Preds GM David Poile improving his club where he could. There were a couple of things that I found intriguing about these trades. Grebeshkov does bring with him a $3.1 million price tag for this season, which of course is prorated over these last 6 weeks of the regular season. On its own, this is certainly a manageable pricetag for a top-4 defenseman, even on a small market budget. However, Grebeshkov is a restricted free agent this summer, meaning that if the club intends to extend him, they will likely have to give him a raise. The concern this raises is that it begins to suggest the money that will be needed to keep fellow defenseman Dan Hamhuis on the team. Both Hamhuis and David Poile have expressed a mutual desire to reach an extension to keep him and his family in Music City long term, but I expect that Hamhuis will feel he deserves on par or in excess of Grebeshkov if he remains in house. My curiousity with Boyd is that he is coming into a team that has begun to settle on its 3rd and 4th line players. Just prior to the Olympic break the team decided to recall Colin Wilson and Wilson came to play, convincing the staff to call him back up again as the team was preparing to begin the sprint to the postseason coming out of the Olympic break. I get the feeling that the team is prepared to stay with Wilson for long haul, and the other 3rd and 4th liners around him are established NHLers, save for Hornqvist. The point being none of these players are likely to be going back down to Milwaukee, unless there game falls apart. So where does Boyd fit into the roster? Who rides the pine to create the opening for him? I guess we'll see tonight when Nashville visits Detroit to face off with the Red Wings, after which I aspire to have a new post for my thoughts on this weeks games.

As always, I look forward to your thoughts and comments. - Big Kev

Preds to face Coyotes

2010-02-02T03:36:00.002-06:00

Some difficulty sleeping tonight, so this post is coming off my phone. Apologies in advance if there are any grammatical or statistical mistakes.

Tonight the Predators face off against Cinderella, er, I mean the Phoenix Coyotes who currently have an 8-point cushion over the Predators in the Western Conference standings. Game time is 7pm at the Sommet Center. Phoenix's scoring leader Scottie Upshall, who netted a hat trick the last time these teams met, will be out of the lineup tonight after suffering a knee injury. The Predators will be dressing the healthiest lineup they've had available in the last several games, with the only injured player being useless boob Wade Belak. Phoenix have been on a tear lately and will be looking to further distance themselves ahead of the Kings, Preds and Red Wings, who are the teams that likely pose the most immediate threat to their playoff aspirations, while the Preds will be looking to continue to recover from a five game slide that saw the team lose a significant footing in the standings. The Preds finally snapped the losing streak in a very inconsistent outing against the Atlanta Thrashers, with the captain Jason Arnott snapping a 3-3 tie in the opening seconds of the third period. A strong third period performance by Pekka Rinne kept the Thrashers off the board for the rest of the game despite soft defensive play by the team in front of him. Easily the most frightening aspect of the team's game are the special teams, with the penalty kill and power play being much less effective over the last few games then we are used to, which has already struggled for the vast majority of the season. If memory serves, the Preds allowed 3 goals on 5 penalties Friday against the Red Wings, only to be followed up by allowing a power play goal and a Shorthanded goal against in Saturday's effort. Simply, the special teams HAVE to improve, otherwise a playoff berth is a moot point, because it will likely lead to another early first-round exit. Quite frequently, one of the power play units has featured Sullivan and Franson on the point, which has been entirely unproductive and even resulted in the shortie allowed in Saturday's game. Saturday's game saw 1:23 of a 2-man advantage yield basically zero time in the Thrasher's zone and zero shots on net. With that kind of time, the team should not just expect scoring chances... they should expect goals. Instead, the opponents gained a huge boost in morale and it could have easily been the defining moment of the game. Pumping one-timer opportunities to Weber and Franson time after time is not a power play strategy, it is a shoot-and-hope game of chance. The coaching staff cannot continue on this course. It will need to be the principal focus of the upcoming meetings and practices. As always, I am eager to read your comments. Hope to see you tonight - Big Kev

Preds recall Thuresson. Again.

2010-01-29T00:41:00.004-06:00

The Preds officially announced Thursday afternoon that gritty winger Andreas Thuresson has been recalled. Thuresson has played in 21 games with the Predators this season, collecting 3 points (1g,2a) in 10:10 of ATOI while earning a minus-5 rating. The recall comes on the heels of injuries to utility players Goc (back?) and Ward (groin), as well as useless boob Wade Belak (who cares?) Thuresson's game should lend itself well to the openings stemming from these boo-boos. Belak's injury presents a unique opportunity for Spaling as well. Since early January, Spaling and Tootoo have had the misfortune of playing on a line with Belak on fourth-line duty, and as a result they have been seeing limited ice-time five-on-five (they do contribute to special teams more than Belak). I am curious if Trotz will be more trustworthy of his fourth line and extend them some extra time on the ice, especially considering the back-to-back games the Preds face against the perennially dangerous Red Wings on Friday and the speedy Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday. We know from experience that Tootoo can handle extended time on ice, looking back to the 2007-08 season when the coaching staff experimented with placing him on a line with Arnott and Dumont. Considering the already compressed schedule necessitated by the Olympic break, the team's ongoing injury battles and 2 games starting just over 24 hours apart, it will be important that the coaches manage the time skating effectively.

On a completely unrelated note, I must say I am surprised by all of the chagrin of Pred-nation towards captain Jason Arnott, most notably by my fellow fans on Twitter. Respectfully, I acknowledge that opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one, but I have to disagree with those who are calling for the removal of the captain's "C" from Arnott. I will also concede that Arnie has been off his game this season as it relates to the scoresheet, however, I can find no player in the organization that would be remotely close to Arnott as an effective leader. Arnott captained this team in what could only have been one of the most stressful situations for a captain on ANY team to ever have to face. I don't think that the team has any less respect for him then they did at that time. As for his production, we must bear in mind that he has struggled with arm/shoulder injuries twice this season, and even though he has returned to the lineup, it doesn't necessarily signify the injury has healed. As it is with all players of his experience, his game will return. His track record over the seasons indicate his reliability. My primary concern with Arnott is his age, not in numbers but in durability. When he is brought down during an offensive play, he seems to struggle at times with rising to his skates. Myself being 6'3", 280 lbs, I can appreciate the effort to come all that way back up, but Arnott is not a particulary fast skater to begin with, so an extra half-second to get up can be the difference between the opposing team clearing the puck with a dump-in versus a scoring rush. Arnott's physical game is even less than seasons prior, which was never a big part of his game. What I surmise from these observations, I am convinced that Arnott will retire a Predator. Nevertheless, he is clearly our best leader at this time, and with a team as young as ours, that is what's needed. Not a young Weber or Suter (yet), not 3 alternates with no designated captain, but a veteran who can reassure a fragile confidence, who can say "I've been here before, and it's all okay." If you've made to this point of the post and haven't moved on, thanks for enlightening me. I'd be delighted to read your thoughts on it in the comments section below.

Hope to see you Saturday at the Sommet, Big Kev.

Marcel Goc to remain a Predator through the 2010/11 season - 1/27/2010

2010-01-28T04:17:00.000-06:00

Today the Nashville Predators announced that Center Marcel Goc has come to terms with the team through the 2010/11 season. Goc would have been a free-agent after this season. The terms of the deal provide for $775,000 on a one-way contract.

Goc was one of several free-agent acquisitions made over the past summer intended as a "depth-move" for third- and fourth-line vacancies created by the departures of Radek Bonk, Scott Nichol and Vernon Fiddler. Goc impressed early and earned a roster-spot from the opening of the current season. Goc has been a steady, reliable two-way player and is on pace for a career year in points (22 points, earned in 2005 with the Sharks) , having already set a career best in goals (10 in 49 games played.) He also leads the team in face-off win percentage (51.5%) and has a plus/minus rating of plus-7, good for third on the team among forwards (fifth overall.)

Personally, I think this is a huge win for the organization. Goc has surpassed the expectations I had for him coming into the season. He has a good awareness of the play, and while he doesn't have an established net presence like Hornqvist or Jones, he has shown a willingness to crash the net. He is superbly effective at managing his own zone first and is pretty strong on his skates despite his being a pretty slim guy. All that's all well and good, and certainly worth the $775k alone, but his contributions to the secondary scoring when, let's face it, he was brought in for a shut-down kind of role, makes him a bargain, especially if he continues at the pace he's on.

This official announcement can be viewed at predators.nhl.com.

Random Thoughts

2009-12-14T18:03:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the delay since my last posting. I work in retail in an electronics department, so as you might expect, this has been a busy time of year. Fortunately for you all, the Preds are more than adequately covered by fellow bloggers @ <a href="www.ontheforecheck.com">On the Forecheck</a>, <a href="http://www.theviewfrom111.blogspot.com">The View From 111</a> , <a href="http://www.predsontheglass.com">Preds on the Glass</a> , Brandon Felder and Paul McCann @ <a href="http://www.hockeybuzz.com">hockeybuzz.com</a> and and AJ @ <a href="http://pullmyfangfinger.wordpress.com">AJ in Nashville</a> . These guys do an amazing job covering your favorite team and I strongly suggest you make them a part of your daily routine. As the Preds prepare to face off against the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus tonight, they find themselves in 7th place in the Western Conference, and only 4 points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for first in the ridiculously competitve Central Division. It speaks volumes to the scouts and drafting success David Poile has had that a team that has barely spent to the mid-point of the NHL's salary cap can be nipping at the heels of a team that has spent to the limit and already placed themselves in a situation that will surely have to squander some of their youth next season with new contracts to Keith, Toews and Kane kicking in. The Preds learned today that they will be without the services of Jordin Tootoo for the next 3-4 weeks. Tootoo left the game early in the first Saturday against the Red Wings after a Shea Weber slapshot ricocheted off of his foot, marking the second time that Shea Weber's shot has hobbled one of his own teammates. Surprisingly, John Glennon of The Tennessean has reported that the Preds will not make any roster moves by recalling anyone from Milwaukee and will instead use tough-guy Wade Belak in the lineup. Personally, I dislike the decision, especially considering we have a losing record with Belak in the lineup this season. Tootoo brings a lot of intangibles to the lineup, being a volatile mix of energy and toughness while having enough speed and offensive flair to be considered a potential scoring threat. Belak, on the other hand, is a chest-beater, who will spend more time in the penalty box than on the ice most any given night. Belak seems the kind of player who will simply come onto the ice, say "me Tarzan,you Jane" and go pick a fight. Before you get the impression that I think fighting has lost it's place in the game, let me assure you that is not at all what I am implying. What I am saying is that given the budget and firepower our team has to work with, it seems more appropriate to dress a player who can, at the least, effectively manage the puck, if not provide some secondary scoring. We have enough of a physical presence on the ice for most teams we would play against in Shea Weber that it will keep most teams from taking too many liberties with our offense. How do you feel about it? I look forward to your comments and counterpoints below. Until next time - Big Kev

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:54:00.001-06:00

A very happy Thanksgiving to you all! Please use today as a reminder that all things on our lives are blessings from our Heavenly Father. It is so easy for us to take these things for granted. I am grateful for my wife, my family, my friends, the advances in knowledge and medicine that helped to rid my mother of cancer, thanks to the Divine Healer. Most of all, I am thankful for Christ. By his blood, I am saved. He took our place on the cross so that we would not be damned to an eternity in Hell. I hope you all get to enjoy this day with your families. Be sure to thank them for the joy they bring into your lives. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving - Big Kev

I was at : 108 Anderson St, McMinnville, TN 37110,

Preds vs Wings - Round 1

2009-11-23T19:41:00.001-06:00

Tonight, your Predators played the last of five consecutive games within the friendly confines of the Sommet Center before heading out to Colorado for a Wednesday night tilt against the Avalanche. In spite of the previous 4 games being against some of the best teams in the league, the Preds have emerged victorious each game, finding themselves in the midst of a five game win streak. Tonight's challenge, the Detroit Red Wings, those perennial contenders that have established themselves as the standard to which the Preds hold themselves. The game started out on a pretty even keel, but the Preds seemed a little aprehensive to take the puck deep and fire off some shots on Osgood. Bertuzzi took a silly penalty in the Preds zone and the Preds' improved power play took little time to make him pay, with Arnott backhanding a shot from the slot, recovering his own rebound and sliding it past Osgood to put the Preds up 1-0. Officially the goal is announced as Arnott's 7th of the season with assists credited to Sullivan and Weber. The pace of the period stayed on its north-south trend, with the Preds skating off after the first holding a 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard, and an 11-8 advantage on the shot counter. Early in the second, the Power Play struck again as Erat one-timed a shot into the top corner just under the crossbar in the dying seconds of a penalty to Homstrom. Erat from Legwand and Ward. However, a few minutes later, the Wings got one back with no one picking up the skater as he deked his way from the dasher boards to the net and forcing one under the pads of Rinne. After Drew Miller found the back of the net for their first goal, the Wings were given control of the play of the period. The Preds just quit skating and quit working, but thanks in large part to Rinne, the second intermission began with the Preds holding onto their 2-1 lead and a 21-15 shot advantage. Another area of concern besides the way the Press quit working was the power play, as the boys seemed to revert back to trying fancy play to try to get the Wings to make a mistake and capitalize on it. The Press recent success on the man advantage has been a result of simply putting pucks on net, so the hopes were that the Preds will get back in form when they skated back out for the third. At the start of the 3rd, the Wings were still very much in control, with the Preds seemingly content to just try to keep the puck out of the zone, and doing that poorly. As a result, the Preds found themselves constantly chasing the puck, leaving Rinne to clean up and stand on his head. With 12:47 remaining in the period, there was a TV timeout and I was shocked to see that we had failed to get a shot on net. So imagine the crowds surprise and enthusiasm when Erat gets his 2nd of the night from Tootoo and Hammer, leading the Preds to a 3-1 victory. My 3 stars of the night; Arnott, Erat and Rinne. We certainly didn't get a 60 minute effort, but we got the 2 points. Great crowd tonight and a very encouraging sign for the start of the season series against the Wings. Until next time, Big Kev.

Ah-nuld says "Who is your daddy? and what does he do?"

2009-11-22T17:36:00.002-06:00

In hockey, we occasionally refer to the Gordie Howe Hat Trick in which a player in one game has a goal, an assist and a fight. Tonight, we had a Legwand Hat Trick with a goal, an assist and.... a baby? Congrats to the Legwands as they welcomed a son earlier today. Legwand must have been on an emotional high during the game, turning in an inspired performance, scoring a short-handed goal and also converting on his shootout attempt to help the Preds overcome the pesky Blue Jackets 4-3. There was a great crowd on hand tonight to encourage their favorite team on and they brought the noise often. The Blue Jackets opened the scoring early in the first as R.J. Umberger crashed the net and batted the puck out of midair. The goal was initially waived off by the official behind the net for being played with a high-stick, but after a lengthy video review the call was overturned and the goal was awarded. In order to overturn the goal, the war room in Toronto would have had to have been absolutely certain that Umberger's stick was below the crossbar. I am anxious to get home and see the highlights on On The Fly, because the only angles the in-house crowd was presented certainly appeared to be played off the high-stick. Nevertheless, the BJs took the early lead, but a short time later the Preds tied it up while on the man-advantage. The man-advantage has indeed been playing a lot better lately, having risen from being ranked 30th to 25th in the league. The Preds did a great job cycling the puck around the perimeter, Sully put it on a tee for Bouillon who fired off a slap-shot that Arnott was able to get his blade on and redirect it over the left pad of Mason for the equalizer. The crowd was very much alive after the goal, but the BJs reclaimed the one goal lead on the next shift. The BJs crashed the net, forcing Rinne to make a stellar right pad save. As on par with the rest of the game, Rinne's rebound control was spot-on, and he directed this shot towards the corner. Somehow, Umberger was able to fire it seemingly from behind the goalline, and and it threaded its way just over the goal line. That was the end of the scoring in the first, with the BJs carring a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Coming into the second period, the Preds faced the task of killing off a Jason Arnott hooking penalty that he was forced to take in the dying seconds of the first period to prevent what almost certainly would have been a Columbus goal. Thanks to great checking by the penalty killers, Martin Erat was able to force the BJ's Voracek into turning the puck over just above the hash marks in the Jackets zone. Erat saucer passed it to Legwand who had snuck into the slot and lifted the puck over the glove hand of Mason to once again bring the Preds even with the Jackets. Around 2 minutes later, the Preds took their first and only lead of the night while on the power play, thanks to Brassard's hooking of Bouillon. Leggy relayed the puck to Weber on the point who already had his stick lifted high behind him, surely causing some small panic in the BJs penalty killers. Weber's blast stayed low to the ice, finding Erat's stick and redirecting into the twine behind Mason. That lead held for over 15 minutes until Belak had an epic fail, snuck his stick between the legs of a Jacket's skater and commited what I can only describe as a collosal man-check, causing every guy within sight to curl up with sympathy pains. As soon as the penalty kill began, I told my nephew with me that Columbus was going to get that back. It didn't take long for those words to ring true as Strolman was able to tuck the puck in back door after accepting a cross ice pass from the point, resulting in the two teams skating off the ice at the second intermission with 3 aside. I wouldn't be surprised to see some additional repurcusions of Belak's penalty to be handed down today or tomorrow before the Preds host the Dead Wings. The third period saw no additional scoring in spite of 4 power play opportunities for the Preds. They were able to generate several scoring chances, but Mason stood tall in net. Kevin Klein took a tripping penalty near the end of the period, but the penalty killers (and particularly Rinne) were able to withstand the penalty that had carried over into overtime. The Preds also failed to convert on their own power play opportunity in the extra session, leave an all-star competition to settle the outcome of the night's matchup. I won't waste the time of you loyal readers (both of you!) to enumerate the reasons I hate the shootout competition, since we have to simply accept that it is now a part of the game and not likely to ever change. As expected, the Predators elected for the visitors to shoot first. Rinne made the save on the first shooter (well actually, he just had to be there, as the shooter lost control of the puck), leaving Mike Santorelli with the opportunity to put the put the pressure on the BJs. Santos did not disappoint, sliding the puck under the left pad of Mason. Santos has turned into our very own Jussi Jokinen, having become very adept in the shootout so far. Santos has been up against 3 very top notch goaltenders in Turco, Brodeur and Mason, and is a perfect 3 for 3 this season. I think as long as he continues to have success in the shootout, he's going to be able to avoid being sent back down to Milwaukee. With it having such a common place in the game, a skater with a knack for the shootout is hard to find. With Columbus now under pressure, they turned to their captain Rick Nash. Nash deked Rinne out of the net and converted but it may have been a blessing in disguise, as Nash lost his footing and crashed into the net. Had Rinne not been out of position, he would have had big Nash crashing down on top of him. Now tied at 1, next up was new daddy, David Legwand, who simply came down the slot with speed and fired a quick wrist shot through the five-hole of Mason, retaking the lead. To the audience's delight, Rinne made the stop and the Jackets were left to buzz off home having only gained the loser's point, thanks for coming.

Next game for the NHL's hottest team is another that has been hot in their own right, the Detroit Red Wings, who come to visit the Sommet Center at 6pm. That game will be the only occasion that the Preds will be on Versus until the postseason (I said it), so for you unfortunate folks that, like myself, have Directv, you will need to come to the Sommet to see the action. Detroit has had a lot of injuries this season, and it was announced today that their headhunting defenseman Kronwall will miss the next 4-8 weeks with a MCL strain. Here's hoping the Preds can take advantage of the injuries and grab an early advantage to the season series. Look for me in 309. Until next time, Big Kev.

Bounce-back October - My thoughts after the opening month

2009-11-01T23:37:00.001-06:00

Having played 13 games this season, the Predators end the month of October with a 6-6-1 record for 13 points. Considering the Predators went on a 6 game losing streak and lost 7 of 8 games, to finish the month at a .500 clip is as much as I could ask for. These results in spite of 10 games having been lost from the top line alone, when Dumont missed 4 games and Arnott is still out after having missed the last 6. While on paper the Preds are still in/around the basement of several stats, the fact of the matter is there is a lot to be optimistic about after these last few games. I may have been a bit over-zealous in my pursuit of a coaching change, but I'm not sure yet. Rightfully so, many of the experts will contine to point to the Preds being tied for last in the league in goals for at 2.08 while averaging 2.85 goals against. However if you'll look at the last 5 games we have played, a different picture is painted. In that time the Preds are 4-1-0, with an average of 2.8 goals for, and a 2.8 goals against. Obviously you want your goals for to be higher than your goals against, but the GAA is trending up while the goals for trending down, and to me it's a good sign. Several areas have shored up considerably for the Predators, the man-advantage is working at a rate that might even convince Brandon Felder to resume calling it a power-play (now sits at 12.5 %, but was as low as 8%), the penalty kill is starting to click, with Smithson having 2 short-handed goals in the last 3 games, Pekka Rinne seems to have finally found his way back to form with 3 strong performances in the last 3 games as he whittles his stats down what we expected from him after his performance last season. Pekka's gotten his GAA down to 2.63 and save percentage to .910. Last season his save percentage was .917, so he could certainly wind up with a much better season on paper than last year. It's in his hands. As it is, his save percentage already has him tied for 16th among his peers this season, and his GAA has him at 15th.

Who would have thought? Patric Hornqvist at this point, has 3 goals, 5 assist in 13 games in this still very young season, as well as being a +5 on a team that has been outscored this season. That would have him on a projected pace of 19 goals and 31 goals if he plays every game this season, with a +31 rating (no one seriously expects that) . Last season, after 28 games, "Horn-dog" was had 2 goals, 5 assists and a -3 rating. Is Horn-dog well on his way to becoming one of our best two-way forwards? Certainly we need it, and what a great story that would be for him after being drafted with the very last pick (230th overall) in the 2005 draft.

The obvious area of concern for the Preds right now, is primary scoring. The secondary is beginning to pick up, but the players that are called upon to score aren't getting it done. Only Dumont has improved has stepped up to ring the bell recently. Erat has been credited with one goal and no assists while being paid $4.5 million. Legwand has performed a lot better the last few games, but still has yet to find the twine and has only 3 assists, while also making $4.5 million. Sullivan scored last night and had 2 assists in Minnie, but has only 5 points overall while having played in all 13 games. This is a player that has played at a point-per-game clip since coming to Nashville from Chicago. The secondary has helped the Preds score enough to win games, but there's no way anyone can logically expect them to continue to carry the play. After all, as much of an asset as Smithson is to the team, no one expects him to get the 19 goals he's on pace for this season.

So what do you think Pred-heads? Have the Preds worked their way out of their funk? Will the Preds continue to stay this competitive for the remainder of the season? Hit up the comments section below.

Thanks

2009-10-29T16:46:00.001-05:00

A little over 3 years ago, my mom broke news to us that forever changed our lives: it was cancer. Even though her doctor had comforted her that it was probably nothing when she had a mammogram done, he encouraged her to go ahead and see a specialist, just to be safe. Praise God that she trusted his judgement. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in her left breast, and had surgery soon thereafter at Baptist in Nashville. Thankfully, the surgery went well, although it was learned the mass was larger than expected, so it was necessary to take additional lymph nodes to ensure the cancer had not spread to other areas of her body. After the surgery, she needed additional radiation and chemotherapy. Many of you have met my mom... you know that she is the most loving, amazing woman that God has ever graced this sad world with. My mom is the most unconditionally loving person, and a pillar of strength. She has always been my rock. The chemo was so hard on her, that during her last and worst chemo session I had taken her to, she looked at me with her pain-filled eyes and told me that if she had to do anymore treatments, she would just tell them to forget it and to let her die. I'm not ashamed to tell you, I still cry as much today thinking about it as I did then. Mercifully, God has laid his healing hand upon her. 3 years later, which doctor's say are the most important, she is still cancer free.Sadly, many of you reading this have been affected by cancer somehow already. Undoubtedly, if not... you will. All month, the NHL and it's individual teams have made efforts towards this battle with Hockey Fights Cancer. Tonight, 25% of the Preds ticket sales will be donated to causes that fight cancer. I don't know if anyone involved with the Predators or the NHL reads this. I seriously doubt it. But if they do... I thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

Until next time, God bless you all. - Big Kev

Frustration abounds

2009-10-26T17:14:00.005-05:00

Good afternoon, fellow Preds fans. My apologies for the last 10 days or so being so quiet. There's been traveling, family loss, and personal sickness so I'm not gonna even try to catch up with my thoughts on the individual games that have been played. Instead, I'll just try to sum it up and see where we go from here. Well, there's no way to take a picture this ugly, and turn it into the Mona Lisa. After 10 games played, the Preds are at 3-6-1, with 7 points earned out of 20 possible. There's a lot of frustration in Smashville, as the fans here know that, while we are not an elite team, we are talented enough that we should be able to compete night in and night out. After winning their first 2 games against Dallas and Colorado, the Predators lost 6 straight, getting one point for a shootout loss in Washington. The Predators surrendered 22 goals, while scoring only 6. Ten games in, our highly touted defense is -18 overall, with Klein being a -8 after 10 games and Hamhuis -7 after 6 games. In an attempt to garner more offense out of his roster, GM David Poile sent Mke Santorelli down to Milwaukee after 5 games, 0 points and a -5 rating and called up Cal O'Rielly who also has 0 points in the 5 games he has played, although with an even rating. Today the Predators have sent Ryan Jones, who has 0 points in 8 games played, down to their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee and called Mike Santorelli back up. Of the 25 skaters that have dressed in a Predators jersey, 9 players have 0 points. THAT'S 50 GAMES PLAYED WITH ZERO PRODUCTION! So Preds fans, I ask you: Who's to blame? What needs to change? There are many who are pointing at the players... they are, after all, the ones who are counted on to do the actual scoring. Others will point to the injuries, with regulars Hamhuis, Arnott and Tootoo currently out of the lineup. I will say this, I feel like Tootoo being out is of a much bigger impact than the scoresheet, at least the Nashville scoresheet. You've heard it seemingly a hundred times, those quotes from other players that describe Tootoo as a player you love to have on your team, but you hate to play against him. Tootoo brings an energy to the ice that invigorates the rest of his team, while at the same time has opposing skaters looking over their shoulders. There's no greater mistake that a player can make than not being aware of Tootoo's presence when he is on the ice. The Preds fans reading this are like me in thinking that Tootoo plays a hard game, but plays with respect, while fans of any other teams will consider him a dirty player. Regardless of your opinion of him, you watch him. So I think the Preds fortunes will improve when he returns. Some may feel inclined to blame Poile for the disastrous start to this season. Many have pointed out the inactivity of the Predators during the summer, when they opted to give the kids a shot instead of spending money in free-agency. Here's where some of you will get up in arms with me: I think it is finally time for a coaching change. I have never before felt that way, even last season when we started so slowly. But this season, it seems to be the coaches just aren't getting through. The power-play is a laugh, converting at a rate of just over 8%. During the Preds second visit to Dallas, after giving up a 3rd goal, the camera zeroed in on the Preds bench, and even though there was no audio, it was clear that Trotz was stringing together a run of "f-bombs". The Preds responded by surrendering another 3 goals. Right now, I don't have any faith in our coaching staff, and after a string of first-round disappointments for 4 years running, and missing the playoffs last year, it seems to me that any praise for Trotz and company is a celebration of mediocrity. Now... that's what I think needs to happen. As for what I think will actually happen, it's simple. Nothing.

I realize that this post has been pretty strong in opinion, and the beauty of opinions is that everyone has one. Now that I have shared mine, I hope you will do the same in the comments section below. All I ask is that you keep it clean and respectful. I will be the first to admit I am no genius, and if you want to blast me, go for it. If anyone else posts a comment, do not insult them or verbally assault them. And lastly, if you disagree with anything, tell me why. In explaining our opinions, we may color someone else's simply by having given them another perspective. Until next time, God bless. - Big Kev

Ryan Ellis signed to entry-level contract

2009-10-19T21:24:00.004-05:00

The Predators announced today that 2009 first-round pick Ryan Ellis had been signed to an entry-level contract. Ellis is currently assigned to the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, though currently sidelined with a wrist injury. Ellis has 10 assists in 7 games played, a plus-8 rating and 4 PIMs (penalties-in-minutes). I know many of the friends and family that read this site may not be familiar with what exactly it means when a player is signed to an entry level contract, but may not have had the opportunity to ask so I will do my best to explain it here. I have been unable to locate the terms for Ellis' deal, so I will be explaining in very generic terms.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the player's union and the league dictates players between the ages of 18-21 years of age can only be signed to an entry-level contract for their first 3 NHL seasons. Players 22-23 must be signed for 2 years, and 24 year olds to a 1 year deal. The maximum annual salary allowed for a player drafted in 2009 and 2010 is $900,000 at the NHL level. The players are also eligible to receive a signing bonus up to 10% of the player's maximum annual salary at the time the deal is completed. Entry-level players can also negotiate for up to $850,000 in individual performance bonuses(i.e., goals-scored, goaltender wins, etc), as well as performance bonuses up to $2 million for league-wide excellence (individual year-end recognitions such as Calder Trophy, Vezina, etc.) Performance bonuses are calculated in the following season's salary cap, unless the season being played is the last season of the collective bargaining agreement, which is currently set to expire at the end of this season. In these instances, the maximum bonuses being given are calculated against the team's current cap hit. For example, if a team's cap hit for salaries of players is $55 million, but the team has agreed to pay up to $500,000 in performance bonuses if a player meets a certain criteria, the team's cap hit is calculated as being $55.5 million.

I hope this explanation has helped anyone who may have had any uncertainty regarding an entry-level deal. Any questions or further insight is encouraged in the comments section.

Losing slide streches to 4th game

2009-10-16T04:37:00.003-05:00

"Lets shake it off and let it go/Forgetting what we think we know/We'll make it all a memory/We're taking back control" - We Are The Sound by THE AFTERS

The Predators faced off against Central Division rival Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night at the Sommet Center. In the previous 2 games, the Predators lost to Edmonton and Dallas by scores of 6-1 and 6-0, respectively. There was very little,if anything, positive that could have been taken away from these games, wherein both games the Preds allowed 4 goals early in the opening period and all but took themselves out of the games to begin with. You'll notice an absence of posts for both of these games. I found myself at a loss when I really thought about these games, especially as I re-watched them on the DVR. (I actually wrote a blog post for both of the games in one post, my wife's new kitten managed to climb up on the laptop and somehow erase it... no way I was regurgitating that disappointment.) As the fans prepared for tonight's game, there was an unease with the fans I talked to,and a tentativeness about how the Predators would react to the past 2 games' struggles. The 13,103 that came out to the Sommet Center were encouraged to see the Predators endure the first period without surrendering a goal against, but the struggles offensively remained apparent as the Predators were credited with only 5 shots on goal, none of which went in. For what it's worth, Goc had at least 2 shots ON GOAL that were not counted on the ticker, but regardless, 7 shots in a period still will not suffice. Early in the 2nd, the Blackhawks scored 2 goals 28 seconds apart, and you could just sense the crowds "oh-no, here we go again" anxiety. However, this time instead of crumbling, the Predators quickly responded with Martin Erat finally finding his first of the season in his second game starting on a line with "The Beast" Wilson. Erat must have sensed that just a few hours prior I had picked him up off the waiver wire on my fantasy roster... The crowd, and more importantly, the bench was encouraged by the goal and there was a buzz amongst the fans. That certainly didn't last long as the Predators continued to struggle with getting shots on Huet. Huet has struggled since coming to the Western conference in the summer of 2008, and until they replace him in net, I don't see that they will have the performances needed between the pipes for legitimate cup contention. That said, if you don't get the shots to him, he doesn't have to stop them. The struggles continued throughout the 3rd, with the Preds mustering two shots on net for the period. TWO!!! Neither of these found the net, and the Preds eventually dropped the decision to the Hawks by a final of 3-1, having been outshot 30-13.

My thoughts on the game: Where the heck was the first line? JP Dumont declared himself fit for play early in the afternoon, and was back in the lineup after having missed 10 days of action on the Injured Reserve list with concussion-like symptoms. That line has easily been the most "dangerous" of the Predators, having scored all individual goals for the season. Tonight the line of Sully, Arnie and JP combined for just 2 shots on net, and looked lethargic at times. Arnott has never been known for throwing his big body around, but he twice tonight pulled up instead of finishing his checks along the board. As I heard one lady so eloquently state it tonight, "Arnott when you play half-a**, the team plays half-a**." Colin Wilson got his first NHL start tonight, centering a line with Erat and Ward on the wings. I thought this line was easily the most active and potent tonight, with Erat eventually getting the Predators only goal. Wilson hasn't yet been on the scoresheet, but considering no one else has either, I think his hunger has been there and was good in the face-off circle, as the only Predator to win over 50%, taking 7 of 12 draws. Goc was back in the lineup after Trotz scratched him last night feeling like he wasn't getting enough "pop" from the former Shark. I felt like Goc had gotten the message, with a team high 3 shots on net (and the 2 not counted) and treated the crowd to flash of stick-handling skills. Defensively, the Predators held a very offensive-minded Blackhawks team to 30 shots on goal, which is almost 7 shots less than they average. Considering our last 2 games' defensive breakdowns... it's a start.

I'd be interested to learn what you took away from the game tonight. Feel encouraged to hit up the comments section below. Until next time, - Big Kev

Wilson set to "Crash" into Oilers

2009-10-12T14:24:00.002-05:00

"So here we are right now/This is our time to cross this line/Every single time I could drive in blind/Can't make up my mind/I know I'm gonna find my way out" - "Crash" by Decyfer Down

All summer, Preds followers have been pondering the fate of 2008 first-round pick Colin Wilson, with Wilson having come off a hugely successful campaign playing with the Boston University Terriers, where he had 29 goals and 61 assists in 80 games. Having never played a NHL game coming into training camp this summer, it was often speculated Wilson would be sent down to Milwaukee for some seasoning before seeing action in a Predators uniform, but Wilson has already filled out his 6'2" frame, coming into camp at around 215 lbs. The chief reason you hear cited about young players being sent down to juniors or the AHL is that they need to beef-up, clearly not the case with Wilson. Wilson also plays a very smart game, and the Predators roster is often seen as offensively-starved, so we wondered this year if Preds management would take a risk on keeping Wilson or if they would stick to their adage of "the road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee." Today, word comes out that Wilson will suit up for his first professional game, as he is expected to center the 3rd line with Ward and Jones on the wings for tonight's game against Edmonton. While certainly not a guarantee that Wilson will stay in Nashville all season, I am excited to see management is going to give him the opportunity to make a case for himself instead of immediately sending him down. Any of you that know me personally know how excited I am about Wilson's potential, as I have been raving on about him for the last year. Many people like myself are anticipating that Wilson will be a future cornerstone of the franchise. I am changing my plans for the night and making the drive up to Nashville tonight just to see this game. I hope to see you all there!

Some other thoughts before I leave for the game: JP Dumont seems to be getting close to returning, with the possibility of playing against Dallas on Wednesday. Dumont is a key contributer on this team and has unquestionable chemistry with Arnott and Sullivan on the first line, so it will be great to see him back on the ice. However, since his injury, Hornqvist has been filling in for him admirably on the top line, having netted 2g,1a in the game against the Avalanche last Thursday. There has been a lot of criticsm of the 2nd line of Santorelli-Legwand-Erat and their lack of production. Short of Legwand and Santorelli's shootout conversions in the season opener at Dallas, there has been zero production from this line. Santos has actually played, in my opinion, a very solid game and has created chances but just hasn't found the back of the net. Legwand and Erat however have seemed lethargic as they get off to their typically slow starts. I wonder if Hornqvist gets rewarded for his stepping up this season by a reshuffling of lines that finds Hornqvist playing 2nd-line duty. I think he's earned it. I'm thinking a line of Legwand-Hornqvist-Santos would have pretty good opportunity.

Tonight should be a blast, with the Preds having an 11-1 record against the Oilers over the last 3 seasons. I hope to see you all there. It should be well-worth the drive. Look for me in 309 and say hello. - Big Kev

"What better place than here, what better time than now?" - Rage Against The Machine

2009-10-08T00:24:00.001-05:00

Finally, game day is here. Tonight, the Preds host the Colorado Avalanche, who thus far have have raised a few eyebrows by beating San Jose and Vancouver handily, both teams that were division champions last season. Craig Anderson is making the most out of his opportunity to establish himself as a number one goalie. Anderson has been nursing a sore groin, which is a tough thing to heal as a goaltender, for the last few days and is beginning to look questionable to start the game tonight. It is known that Ellis will get the nod tonight for protecting the Nashville net. Dumont, Tootoo and Wilson are out with Ward being a game-day decision. Ward has been on injured reserve with a strained groin since early in training camp, and has just been skating with the team in practices for the last 2 days, so don't be surprised if there is an emergency call-up from Milwaukee. I would expect the most likely players to be called up would be Spaling, Thurreson or O'Rielly. The Preds will be looking to use the energy of the famous Nashville crowd to get an early start, and will have to focus that energy to keep Colorado from getting an early advantage. Naturally the boys in blue will be running on adrenaline, and will have to maintain discipline until the nerves are worked through. The Central division is ridiculously tough this year and the Preds will have to play with a lot of heart to stay in the playoff race. Like the RATM song "Guerilla Radio" says, "It has to start somewhere/It has to start sometime/What better place than here/what better time than now?"

In other roster news, the Preds made a depth signing yesterday, signing Dave Scatchard to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $550k at the NHL level and $105k at the AHL. I don't expect Scatchard to ever make it to the Preds roster unless he impresses in a big way in Milwaukee.

I will be sitting in section 309 Row L, next to the press box this season. Feel free to stop by and say hello. See you at the game tonight. - Big Kev

"We Need A Hero" - Skillet

2009-10-07T13:02:00.003-05:00

A few updates regarding tomorrow's game against the Avalanche. It's being reported among the Twitter universe that Ellis is going to get the start in net tomorrow, with Rinne getting the start on Saturday. I can't say I'm surprised, it's typically been Trotz's method to reward strong goaltending performances with the next start. Now for the bad news, JP Dumont has been added to the list along with Tootoo and Wilson of players who will not be playing tomorrow. JP took a big (clean) hit into the boards early in the second period that left him on his back on the ice for several minutes in Saturday's game. In classic Trotz fashion, the condition of Dumont was downplayed, saying that Dumont was held out of the game for "precautionary" reasons.Apparently, the play was harder on JP than Trotz let on. JP was also rocked by a dirty hit by Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks last season that held him out for a string of games. Hopefully, JP recovers quickly. With JP out of the lineup, does Hornqvist fill in for him on the first line again? Hornqvist played on the top line with Arnott and Dumont in a preseason game when Sullivan was kept out with groin tenderness, then he filled in for Dumont when he left the game Saturday. Hornqvist has looked a lot better this year than he did last year, looking more confident in his game and more willing to play along the boards and in the corners. Hornqvist came into last season with a lot of expectations, having snapped a record held by future hall-of-famer Peter Forsberg for most goals by a junior player in the Swedish Elite League. He did not hold to those expectations and was eventually sent down to Milwaukee. I don't feel like Hornqvist is the next Forsberg by any means, but if he continues to play as well as he did these last 2 chances he's had on the 1st line then he'll do well. My other thought regarding all of these injuries, does someone get an emergency call-up from Milwaukee? With Tootoo, Dumont and Wilson all hurt, the Preds will have to be absolutely confident that Ward is returning to the lineup completely healthy. Until next time - Big Kev

We're almost there...

2009-10-07T00:29:00.001-05:00

It's officially Wednesday. I am watching the Sharks have their hearts broken after coughing up a soft goal just after they rallied from a 4 goal defecit to tie. Any Preds fan will tell you, watching the Sharks lose is a beautiful thing. An even more beautiful thing...hockey-night in Smashville. Thursday at 7pm, the Sommet Center will finally be back in action as the Preds host the Colorado Avalanche. There are a few questions running around in my head as we wait for the puck to drop. Goaltending: throughout training camp, Coach Trotz had said that Pekka Rinne was going to be the number one goaltender, but tapped Dan Ellis to start last Saturday's 3-2 shootout win. In and of itself, not a stunning move, as Ellis has had a lot of success against Dallas, a team we typically struggle against, and being a former Star, Ellis would be familiar with a lot of the opponent's tendencies. With the exception of a puck-handling gaffe that led to the Stars second goal, Ellis was superb, stopping 38 of 40 shots, giving him a .950 save percentage and a 1.85 GAA. Does Ellis get rewarded for his heroics, or does Rinne get the start being declared the number 1 prior to the season? Ellis had a much better preseason as well, but Coach Trotz is nothing if not unpredictable, so it will be interesting to see who he opts for. I don't expect him to publicly announce his decision until Thursday to keep the Avalanche from being able to get a scouting report together. I will also be curious to see who makes up the 3rd and 4th lines, with Ward and Wilson making their way back onto the ice as reported by John Glennon of the Tennessean. Once Wilson has recuperated from the groin injury, does he get sent down to Milwaukee, as is the habit of the Preds management, or does he get the opportunity to earn a spot on the Preds roster right off the bat? I am a big fan of Wilson, as are most of the other bloggers reporting on the Preds. I personally would love for Wilson to get the chance to stay up. I was really impressed by what I saw of him in the NCAA Championship last year and training camp this September. I don't think it would be of any extra benefit, in either the short- or the long-term, to send him down to Milwaukee if he is ready for the NHL game. No matter what, one thing is certain: the Sommet Center will be rocking come 7pm Thursday night. I love Preds fans and think the atmosphere is second to none. Columbus fans have been getting a lot of praise lately for standing up the last 5-10 minutes of the games at Nationwide, but I think they'll be no match for Smashville. Let's be loud and proud Nashville!!! - Big Kev

My head hurts from all the math...

2009-10-05T00:27:00.002-05:00

All summer, Preds fans have heard the same song and dance from all of the "experts" when it came time to predict the fate of our beloved team: there's not enough offense, the Preds didn't do anything in the free-agent market. I disagree. On July 1, after briefly testing free-agency, Steve Sullivan was able to come to terms with the Predators, returning to the team on a 2 year commitment (maybe he just got a new cell-phone and didn't want to pay an early termination fee), a mild risk considering his potential for re-injuring to the back, but an absolute steal if he stays true-to-form.I am one of the fans that sees an entire season of Sully being in the lineup a significant enough boost, but wanted to be able to support my belief in the teams ability. This post is a result of my efforts:

The Preds scored 213 goals for the 2008-09 season, with 111 goals being scored after Sullivan returned to the lineup on January 10. Without any further insight, you can already ascertain that there was an improvement, going from 2.48 goals per game prior to his return, as opposed to a 2.70 after he returned. However, even though Sullivan returned to the lineup on January 10, any regular follower of the Predators last season can testify to the fact that it took around 10 games for Sullivan to knock the rust off and begin to return to his dangerous form, posing offensive threats on a regular basis. Considering that, lets review the goals from a slightly different perspective: During the months of Oct-Jan, the Preds played 48 games scoring 117 goals, equaling a GFA(goals-for average) of 2.44 per game. Over the final 34 games (Feb-April) of the Preds regular season, they scored 96 goals, giving them a GFA of 2.82 per game. There were 55 goals from the top 5 (Arnott,Sullivan,Dumont,Legwand and Erat) after 1/10, averaging 1.34 per game. Prior to that, there were only 38 goals from the top 5(minus Sullivan, of course) in the front half of the season, only 0.93 goals per game. To speak to the chemistry and added offensive spark Sullivan provides, you can also consider that there were 102 points (goals+assists) total in the first half of the season by the top 5, 2.49 per game, while there were 143 in second half, resulting in 3.49 per game. Futher still, remember that following Sullivan's return to the lineup, Captain Jason Arnott missed 11 games due to a concussion, Erat was out the final 6 games after suffering a broken leg courtesy of a Shea Weber slap shot, and David Legwand for the last 9 games of the season with a broken jaw. (All stats courtesy of NHL.com)

Perhaps you agree, perhaps you don't. Either way, I encourage your comments. See you all at the game Thursday! - Big Kev

Preds defeat Stars in shootout, 3-2 Final

2009-10-04T01:19:00.000-05:00

FINALLY IT'S HERE! The regular season is upon Pred nation as the Predators visit the American Airlines Center in Dallas to take on rival Stars. Make no mistake, even though this was the first game of the regular season for each team, this is a very important game, as I expect Dallas and Nashville to both be challenging for one of the final playoff spots come April. If you have read my previous posts, you already know how I despise the Stars, so I was very happy to see the Stars fall to the Preds.

The Preds had a lot of jump to start this game and it paid off early, as Arnott scored on the power-play (I'm not kidding). Great goal, as Arnott was crowding the net and finding a rebound off of his own shot back on his stick and slid it five-hole into the net at 1:48 of the first period. Throughout the first period, the Preds looked really strong on the puck. The Stars were really quite sluggish and if not for a strong start by Turco, Preds could have easily marched into the first intermission with a 2-0 or even a 3-0 lead.

Scary moment at 17:20 of the 2nd period, when Dumont takes a big hit by Robidas along the boards after which Dumont lay still on the ice. Dumont was rushing along the boards and backhanded a pass to the slot and had started to lean left to turn along the walls just as Robidas finished his checked. From what I saw, it looked like Robidas straightened to administer the hit just has JP began to lean so instead of coliding to shoulder-to-shoulder, Robidas inadvertently drove his elbow into the head of Dumont. After being tended to for several minutes, Dumont was eventually able to leave the ice on his own accord with the assistance Arnott and Suter. JP did not return to the game and as of this posting, I have not heard any updates to his status. On an encouraging note, the Preds do not play again until Thursday, which may afford him the opportunity to return before any games are missed.

The Preds continued to look good at the start of the 2nd, with Arnott, Hornqvist and Sullivan all crashing the net on a loose puck at 15:13 with Sullivan able to tap the puck home, assists credited to Arnott and Hornqvist. Hornqvist took Dumont's spot on the 1st line and was really impressive to me. He blended in quite well and was as dangerous as any other Predator throughout the night.

At around the 12:00 minute mark of the 2nd, the desperation level of the Stars really seemed to pick up and they started to really pepper Ellis with high quality scoring chances, eventually converting with just 9.3 seconds left in the 2nd. Fabian Brunnstrom firing from the top of the right circle. Ellis made the initial save with his right pad, but an inopportune bounce finds the puck right on the stick of James Neal who bounced the puck into the net off the stick of Ellis.

Upon returning from the 2nd intermisison, the Stars remained dangerous and really put the Preds on their heels, forcing the Preds to take 3 unneccesary penalties with a 10 minute window. The Stars outshot the Preds 13-5 in the 3rd alone, and 40-26 over the course of the game. The Stars persistence paid off, as James Neal struck again, this time at 4:05 of the third on the power-play. This was a really unfortunate goal, where Ellis basically shot himself in the foot. The puck had been dumped into the Preds zone from near center ice and Ellis was able to calmly glove it, but instead of holding it, he tried to clear it out of the zone. He was pressured by one of the Stars (if I remember right, by Brad Richards) so Ellis hurriedly just tried to fire it up the center of the ice. Neal was a recipient of the right-place, right-time award, finds the puck coming to him, and one-times it into the back of the net. The Preds had a really bad 3rd period, and if not for the efforts of Dan Ellis, would have lost this one in regulation after the skaters stopped playing around 40 minutes into the game.

Despite being outshot 5-3 in the overtime session, I though the Preds were the more dangerous team during the 5 minute period. Despite the Preds returning to their dangerous form they had started the game with, there was no goal scored, leaving the teams going into the ~~all-star competition~~ shootout. Ellis allows a conversion in the 2nd round with Mike Ribiero finding the twine, but David Legward tied it up in the 3rd round and Santorelli finishing it off in the 5th round.

Game 1 standouts: Jason Arnott, 7 shots, 1 goal, 1 assist in 20:20 of playing time. Patric Hornqvist got moved up from the checking line to the scoring line alongside and adapted well, tallying an assist on the Sullivan goal. David Legwand won almost 63% of his face-offs, and converted on the shootout with the added pressure of the Preds losing if he did not score. Dan Ellis, stops 38 of 40 shots and is the only reason the Preds survived the 3rd period.

Game 1 areas of concern: ALL NASHVILLE PREDATORS: we HAVE to play a full 60 minute game if we hope to win night-in and night-out. We had taken the crowd out of the game and had control of the game throughout. There was no reason for the Stars to be able to pick up the loser's point in the overtime session.

Overall, I am pretty pleased with tonight's game considering it was a game one. We benefit from the 4-day break, giving Ward(groin), Tootoo(groin) and Dumont(who knows?) some extra time to recuperate and get back into the roster for the home opener Thursday at 7pm against Colorado. I hope to see you all Thursday. Be there or be square. As always, your comments are encouraged.

Hi-ho, Hi-ho, Off to Milwaukee I go

2009-09-29T12:44:00.001-05:00

It's being reported by Eklund that Nashville Center Cal O'Reilly has been placed on waivers with the intention of assigning him to Milwaukee. I am not really surprised, based on Coach Trotz's comments early in camp regarding O'Reilly's disappointing play coming into camp. He is also the odd-man out in the numbers game. The Preds have a lot of 3rd and 4th line center applicants in Goc, Guite, Wilson and Smithson in addition to O'Reilly. Goc has had a better camp than O'Reilly in my opinion and would also have to clear waivers if he were sent down. Goc has a lot of NHL experience after playing the lasty few seasons in San Jose, making it a lot more likely he would be snatched up off the waiver wire by another team. O'Reilly clearly has a lot of potential, but he'll have to work hard and not let this shake his confidence to keep himself at the top of the call-up list when injuries occur on the Nashville squad.

Does this layout make me look fat?

2009-09-29T01:56:00.003-05:00

I updated the look of the blog a bit, hopefully it is now a bit easier to read. Make sure to vote in the poll to the right and if you don't mind, I'd love to hear your comments below.

Saturday night, I had expressed my enthusiasm that the Preds had seemed to have dropped the Predators' variation of Timmy McGraw's "I Like It, I Love It" chorus when the Predators scored, based on the game Saturday. Both times the Preds scored in Saturday's game, the fans were treated to "Bro Hymn" by Pennywise. Not nearly as original as the McGraw track, but less stereotypical too. Now personally, I am not too concerned about what other markets think of us, but I am not a fan of country music in the least, so I was delighted with the change. Sadly, according to many sources, this was a one-time treat and the powers that be are intending to use the McGraw track still when the Preds score. There was a lot of chatter about the change Saturday night, and from what I could tell, it was mostly positve. Let's hope the chatter inspires a permanent change sooner rather than later.

Has anyone noticed that it's been strangely quiet in the desert since the last emergency hearing in which Judge Baum entertained Jerry "The Puppet" Moyes' request to force mediation between the league and Jim "Silly-balls" Balsille? Judge Baum all summer had promised a resolution before the regular season begins. As I am sure you need not be reminded, the first day of the official season is this Thursday. Either I am completely out of the loop (which wouldn't be surprising) or Judge Baum is cutting it to the quick, so to speak. Regardless of the outcome, it can only go up for the fans of the Coyotes, as they can try to salvage what is left of what could be the last season in Glendale. It will be a welcome relief to finally be talking about the on-ice product in Arizona instead of the manipulation of our great country's laws regarding off-ice issues. Soon it will be up to the players and new coach Dave Tippett to give us something new to talk about. If anyone can keep the players focused and deliver the goods on the ice, it will be Tippett.

As always, questions, comments, emotional outbursts and soapbox tirades are encouraged in the comments.

Northwest preview

2009-09-28T00:30:00.003-05:00

Finally getting around my preview of the Northwest. Thanks for hanging out until it came down. The Northwest is not far removed from being a power-house, but now it seems that is reserved for the Central.

Vancouver: The Canucks finished first in the division last year and I can't find any reason to think the Calgary, the only other team to challenge in the Northwest, have improved enough to displace them. It's hard to bet against a team that has Roberto Luongo between the pipes. There are good goaltenders that can keep you in games, then are are goaltenders that can steal games for you. With Luongo, you get the latter. The Sedin twins can go up against any top line in the league and hold their own. It's almost unfair really: I am married to a twin and there's a sort of a mental link between them that resembles a symbiotic psychosis. It's like that creepy La Quinta commercial: they're two halves of the same brain. The offense will revolve around the Sedins, but Kesler and Raymond should be sufficient in providing the secondary scoring needed to keep the team nestled at the top of the division. Vancouver is much improved on the blue-line after an active offseason. Vancouver finally has a true power play quarterback in Mathieu Schneider, and Christian Ehrhoff will be a welcome addition to the line as well. The Canucks now have 5 defenseman that are great puck handlers and will be great on clearing the puck out of their zone and into neutral ice. One area of concern if you are a Canucks fan, what happens if Luongo is hurt again? Raycroft's last few seasons have been very inconsistent, and if counted on to string together a long series of consecutive games, the 'Nucks could slip in the standings.

Calgary: The Flames made their big change behind the bench instead of on the roster this summer, After a couple of disappointing first-round playoff exits with Mike Keenan at the helm, management decided to make a change from his run-and-gun style of play and eventually brought in Brent Sutter, who provides a much more defensively responsible game. Dion Phaneuf will benefit from the style of play, allowing him to recover after a 2008-09 campaign that saw his stats slide. I see two glaring opportunities when I look at Calgary. First, Miikka Kiprusoff. I don't drink the Kool-aid that this guy is still an elite goaltender. Over the last 4 seasons, his save percentage has went swirling. Irregardless, he is still one of the most over-worked netminders in the league and has no reliable backup. I would also be curious how Jay Bouwmeester performs with his new team after departing the Florida Panthers. Bouwmeester is going to be under a lot of scrutiny and pressure to perform to his nice, big contract, especially playing in a Canadian market. I personally think that overall he will overcome the pressure, but you can never be sure until the games are played. Certainly he is no longer in Florida where a victory alone is cause for a celebration. Calgary fans have gone into the last few seasons expecting deep playoff runs, and simply making the playoffs will not appease these fans. Olli Jokinen disappointed last year after being acquired at the trade deadline, but I think a full season on a line with Jarome Iginla will have the red mile singing his praises. Jokinen is also another player who will benefit from Sutter's defensive oriented style of play. Defense is where the Flames stand out; Phaneuf, Bouwmeester, Robyn Regehr and Cory Sarich make up one of the few blue-line groups that would rival that of Nashville.

Edmonton: Are you kidding me? This team went backwards this offseason. The aging Dwayne Roloson played superbly in net last season, but management couldn't come to terms with him for an extension and saw him depart for the Island when free-agency arrived. Seeking a replacement, the Oil picked up Nikolai Khabibulin on a 4-year deal. Fans of teams in the Central division can bear witness to the kind of inconsistent play you'll get from the "Bulin wall" between the pipes. 'Bulin seems only to excel in a contract year. To me, this alone kills their playoff chances. I DO NOT believe Edmonton is going to get the Khabibulin that carried Chicago to the Western Confernce Finals this summer. Edmonton does however have a lot of skill and speed in forwards Ales Hemsky, Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner. The problem with these guys is they don't bring any sandpaper to their game. The don't seem inclined to battle along the walls and in the corners for the pucks, and their style of play seems better suited for the Eastern Conference, which is much less physical than that of the Western. One late acquisition made by the Oilers that I really liked was Mike Comrie, who returns to Edmonton and should be able to bring the team around 25 goals this season. Big Dustin Penner is returning to camp much healthier and should be able to finally use his mix of skill and physicality to meet the expectations that come with his lofty paycheck. Simply put, Edmonton's hopes hinge on a ton of "What-if's" coming to fruition, and I think there's no way. Quinn is a great coach, but you can't make orange juice outta lemons.

Minnesota: Only when I started preparing this season preview did I fully realize the amount of changes the Wild undertook this offseason as they try to prepare for a much more up-tempo style of play under new coach Todd Richard's system. But in spite of all these changes, the Wild didn't make any notable improvements. The release of injury-prone Marian Gaborik, only to sign Martin Havlat instead should be cause for concern to the fans of the Christmas-colored Wild. Havlat, like the player he is meant to replace, is made of glass. Playing in the ultra-physical Northwest division, Havlat is going to get banged around a lot. Can his body handle the beating? Minnesota's big advantage is in net: Backstrom is a wizard between the pipes. However, he will have to perform miracles to withstand the onslaught of extra pucks he will face compared to what he is used to. With coach Jacque Lemair leaving for New Jersey, gone is the defensive style of play that limited the quality shots that Backstrom had to turn aside. If you consider their top 4 defense; Brent Burns, Marek Zidlicky, Greg Zanon and Shane Hnidy, all are decent defensemen (excluding Zidlicky,who may as well play forward) but there is no blue-line stud to take ownership and lead by example on the blue line. I believe the Wild will lose a lot of ground out of the gate trying to adopt a new style of play and will not be able to recover, but 2010-11 looks to be a better season.
Colorado: There is no one who has high-hopes for the Avs this year. Colorado continues to rebuild, and the best they can hope for at the end of the season is another high draft pick. Sakic's retirement this summer serves a large blow to this team, losing one of the classiest players to play the game. Craig Anderson is finally getting the opportunity to serve as a number-one netminder and behind a seasoned defense, should perform well. Colorado hasn't had a true number one goalie since Patrick Roy retired, so Anderson will be a very welcome addition in the mile-high city. I am interested to see how the Avalanche will handle highly-touted Matt Duchene, their first-round pick (3rd overall) from the 2009 draft. I personally see no reason to send him down to their AHL affiliate in Lake Erie, instead give him the opportunity to get the experience of NHL games while there are no expectations on the team.

Preds swept away by the Hurricanes: my thoughts

2009-09-27T01:09:00.002-05:00

What a strange night.... The Preds lost tonight's game against the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 5-2, however this was one of the oddest games I have seen in my life. Perhaps the often referred to "hockey gods" misread the calendar and thought today was April Fool's Day. You almost had to laugh at the way things were working out at times. Need examples: Dan Hamhuis scores an "own-goal" into the Preds empty net, Patric Hornqvist was the best player of the night, I saw Preds defenders lose an edge and fall no less than five times tonight, and Carolina scores after dumping the puck into the Preds zone high over the net, only to have it bounce directly back across the net mouth as Stall approached the net and displayed his amazing eye-hand coordination, batting the puck out of the air and into the net, just as Rinne was able to try to turn back around to recover the puck. There were a lot of rumblings about the play of Rinne tonight, but honestly, it would be hard to find fault in his game tonight. His GAA for the preseason is going to be deceiving for sure, but I am confident that when the season begins for the Predators next Saturday, Rinne will be at the top of his game. I was really impressed by the play of Hornqvist tonight, he was banging hard and creating plays, as well as scoring a gritty goal by establishing himself in the crease. The first period, you could see the confusion on the 19-71-27 line, but as the game wore on, the guys seemed to find each other a lot easier. Trotz has confirmed Sully will be held out of tomorrow's game at Columbus as well, so expect Hornqvist to be right back on the same line again. Santorelli also really shined tonight although his partners seemed much more reserved. Erat was skating hard, but didn't seem to come up with a lot of offense. Legwand was barely there, I hardly noticed him all night. He was so quiet on the ice, I may start calling him Shinobi. Or dragon-ninja.. I dunno. I was really disappointed with the defense as a whole tonight. I realize this is the preseason, but the defensive miscues and let-downs that we witnessed tonight bore a frightening resemblance to the Preds of October-November during the regular season last fall. Simply put, we CANNOT afford to come out this year like we did last year. The team we had from February-April last year, I would put against any team in the league and feel comfortable about my odds, but as much as the Western Conference and the Central Division especially have improved, we simply cannot match the pace of the run-and-gun we started with last year. Goc was another player that caught my eye tonight, and I feel like if there are any players we can say are a lock for the start of the open roster spots so far, I would imagine most of us would agree that the 2nd-line wing position is Santo's, barring an epic collapse during the last 3 days of camp. I would also be inclined to say that Goc has pretty well gotten a hold on one of the available Center positions, and Hornqvist has earned the right to stay up, based on what we have seen so far. He's certainly happy to pull the trigger. Put him with a playmaker such as Wilson, who I expect will begin the season in Milwaukee, and I think Hornqvist has a pretty productive season. I do want to apologize for the randomness of my thoughts in the post. I realize this may not be the most cohesive post you'll read (or don't read), but it's a 1:45 drive home, it's 1 in the morning, and I'm too tired to care. Remember to listen in to tomorrow's game at Columbus, 4pm Central on 104.5 The Zone. Be there or be square, Kev.

On a side note, hat's off to the sound and video crew for finally ditching the Tim McGraw drawl of "I like it, I love it" when the Predators scored tonight. Fingers crossed that it is gone for the good. Bro Hymn by Pennywise is not the worst choice, although I would also have liked "Chelsea Dagger" by the Fratellis. So that brings me to this question: what song would you use to replace Tim McGraw's celebration song? Hit up the comments. Kev

Hey, at least it's over

2009-09-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

For the last week or so, the online hockey community has been buzzing about the future of young Phil Kessel, a 21-year-old winger who netted 36 goals for the Bruins last year on their way to claiming first place in the East during the regular season. Kessel became a restricted free agent this summer, and with Boston floating around $2 million below the salary cap, simply couldn't afford to extend him an offer. As a result, they started shopping the rights to him to see what trade offers would be rendered from other teams. Much to the surprise of Pred Nation, Nashville was one of the front-runners in the race for the young stud, but eventually lost the bid, as Toronto acquired the rights to him last night by sending a 1st- and 2nd-round pick in the 2010 draft, as well as a 1st-round pick in the 2011 draft. Toronto promptly locked up the star for the long-term, signing him to a 5-year contract worth $27 million. During the week's excitement, I couldn't help but get caught up in all the potential "what-if" delirium, as it was being reported that the Preds were offering a 1st-round pick, a defensive prospect (likely Jonathan Blum) and the rights to Radulov. Blum, while full of potential, is one of a long line of prospects that the Preds have collected over the years, so I was comfortable with offering him, and ask any Preds fan who has been closely following the team for the last couple of years, and they'll tell you they would be happy to have the Radulov ordeal behind us. However, according to Brandon Felder's source, the Bruins weren't comfortable with the uncertainty of Radulov's eventual return to the NHL and were demanding Colin Wilson to be offered. Personally, I am inclined to believe Felder. Say what you want, he is a passionate and resourceful fellow fan. I haven't met him, but have corresponded with him several times by Twitter and email and trust his integrity, so that being said: what do you think fellow Preds fans? Jonathan Blum, Colin Wilson and a 1st-round pick? I personally feel like Toronto gave up too much, and I am glad Poile didn't send Wilson. This kid has a huge potential, as he appears to me the heir-apparent to Jason Arnott as the first-line center and power forward and based on his training camp, he seems ready to make the Preds roster, sooner rather than later. As always, your thoughts are encouraged in the Comments section below. See you at the game tonight, Big Kev.

Stomp, stomp, clap.....ehhh....forget it.

2009-09-18T01:37:00.001-05:00

The hour was finally upon us. The amazing new 3rd jersey had just been revealed. The starting lineups had been announced. There was an energetic buzz circulating amongst the 14,103 in attendance. Finally, the puck was dropped and hockey had returned to Nashville and the friendly confines of the Sommet Center.

For the first time in 5 years, Predators fans had their season end in early April when the Predators missed the playoffs by 3 points. After an intriguing summer that saw fan favorites in Nashville depart in Zanon, Fiddler, Nichol, Bonk, Pihlstrom, Koistinen without a lot of other talent being brought on, there is a lot of interest in the young prospects who are going to be counted on to pick up the slack. This game would be the first real glimpse of how these kids would play under pressure. And they answered the bell, as the Predators beat the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 5-0. Before you get too excited, bear in mind that Atlanta dressed a far less experienced roster than the players that we iced, but there was some play by a few prospects that certainly caught my eye. I can't say I was terribly surprised to see the defensive pairing of Weber-Suter split up as these were the two most-experienced d-men on the ice tonight. You can certainly see the logic in pairing them up with the rookies to share experience and provide some coverage for any potential mistakes made. A few of the rookies that stood out to me were Wilson, Thurreson and Eaves. "The Beast" Wilson was huge tonight, netting a goal and assisting on two other goals, as well as winning 12 of 19 faceoffs. When you consider this was Wilson's fourth "game" in as many days, it would certainly seem he is making a strong case to stay in Nashville when the regular season begins. Wilson also seems to play very well positionally, which will compensate for the fact he isn't the strongest skater. Wilson actually reminds me a lot of Joel Ward in that he can see where the play is going to be and act, as opposed to seeing where the play is and reacting. Wilson seemed to see the ice away from the puck very well. Thurreson didn't strike me as someone who is going to net 20 goals, but he plays with a great energy and seems to have a pretty solid foundation on playing responsibly in his own end. Ben Eaves was really solid in the first period, but did not return for the final 2 periods of play with some sort of groin injury. Eaves strong skating ability is the key part of his game, so here's hoping he recovers soon. As I watched Eaves play in the first period, he seemed to have a real hunger for the puck, so much so that it slightly resembled the play of Radulov to me. I was encouraged by the first line's chemistry tonight. Arnott, Sullivan and Dumont seemed to be finding one another will relative ease tonight, combining for five points if my memory serves right. About midway through the first period, Arnott sent a pass from the wall across the ice to Sully who was crashing the net and the connection was off by mere inches. Had this connected, it probably would have been the talk of the night. My only real concern with last night was the power-play. I am well aware that this is the preseason, and the power-play units will be ironed out and improved as the season approaches, but during the first period, the Preds had an extended 5-on-3 power play and sent our veteran's out in Arnott, Sullivan, Dumont,Weber and Suter and they failed to convert. Again I'm not panicking but it stuck out to me. Hopefully it will be resolved soon. I also thought Ryan Jones did a great job in the second half of the game. He actually had an amazing stick lift and stole the puck in the 3rd period. Overall, I am actually pretty comfortable with our chances if these are the options we have for our roster going into the regular season. Satuday, I will be located in Section 309, Row F. Look for me there and say hi. Until the next time, Big Kev.

Where's Brad?

2009-09-17T01:56:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to apologize for the lack of updates since I started this blog last week. My wife and I went to visit my sister and her kids in southern Georgia, and to be perfectly honest... I just didn't feel like staying on a computer. My thoughts on the Northwest division are coming within the next few days, as well as my initial impressions on tonight's first preseason game versus the Atlanta Thrashers. Our rookies earned a split in 2 games against Atlanta's rookies early this week, losing on Monday 6-3 and rebounding with a 3-0 shutout on Tuesday. In my opinion, this is actually a pretty significant showing, considering Atlanta's rookies have already participated in several rookie games in the tournament that was held in Traverse City earlier this month. Colin Wilson and Nick Spaling certainly made their cases to try to stay up with the big team, each having multipoint efforts over the 2 days. Colin "The Beast" (at least that's what I am calling him) Wilson is expected to be in the lineup on Thursday night. I am very excited about seeing him play live after having watched him in the NCAA finals. The 3rd-line center position seems like it is basically his to lose.

On a final note, I have to admit that I am completely surprised that, based on John Glennon's articles in The Tennessean, Poile is making a pretty significant push for Boston sniper Phil Kessel, who netted 36 goals last season. Boston is very nearly at the salary cap, with no room to fit Kessel into their long-term plans. When suggested that Toronto GM Brian Burke has offered 2 first-round and a second-round pick to Boston in exchange for Kessel's rights, Poile stated that it would be "very good compensation," which to me indicates Poile is not prepared to match that offer. However, one important consideration to keep in mind is the fact that Peter Chiarelli may be far more inclined to deal a player of Kessel's talent to a Western conference team his Bruins will see once a year, versus dealing him to division rival Maple Leafs who Boston faces six times per year. Reportedly, Poile has offered a combination of picks and prospects, but no details have been offered. I am inclined to agree with Glennon's speculation that the rights to ~~traitor~~ Alexander Radulov, who will likely not return to the NHL until at least the 2011-12 season, would be a part of the package being offered to Boston. While a bit of a gamble on Boston's part, this would be a pretty equal return for Kessel. Kessel is reportedly looking to sign a contract that will give him $4-5 million per season, which is not much more than what we would likely have been offering Radulov at this point had he never bolted to Russia. Kessel is 21 years old and netted 36 goals last season. Kessel has the potential to bloom into a superstar, and the opportunity to lock him into around $5 per up until he is a UFA is a pretty significant bargain in my mind. Simply put, Poile HAS to do something to add offense the Predators if we are to remain competitive in our division alone, let alone the Western Conference. Feel free to comment below! Until next time, Kev.

Pacific Preview

2009-09-11T00:58:00.001-05:00

So since I am starting the blogging business a bit too late for a team-by-team preview before the beginning of the regular season, I thought I'd do occasional previews per division instead. Luck-of-the-draw, we'll start with the Pacific. I am going to rank teams based on my predicted rankings:

San Jose: The regular-season darlings choked (again) during the playoffs, but a staggering first-round loss to Anaheim certainly was a sobering return to reality and has left the Sharks struggling (still) with a reputation for not being able to pull it off when it truly matters. The core of this team remains the same, and a healthy Nabokov is one of the best goaltenders in the league. I don't see that any of the other teams in the Pacific have improved enough to knock the Sharks out of the number one slot, but I don't expect the Sharks to have such a comfortable lead over the other teams either. Strengths: One of the better top-4 bluelines in the league sporting Boyle, Blake and a way-underrated (in my opinion) Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Nabokov is a work-horse and the real-deal as a protector of the net. He will be good for 40+ wins on his own, provided his health holds. The Shark-tank is also known to be one of the loudest barns in the league and teams struggle against the Sharks at the HP Pavilion. The question is: I find two things that would have me anxious if I were a fan of the fins: who steps up if Nabokov goes down. Gone is a proven reliable backup in Boucher, leaving relative unknowns to backstop the Sharks if Nabokov is injured or falls ill. Also, after the post-season collapse, the very vocal disappointment of GM Doug Wilson, and coach Todd McClellan's stripping of Captaincy assignments, will this season's Sharks struggle out of the gate in trying to find an identity. My gut says no, but certainly not with any confidence.

Anaheim: Last season, the Ducks caught on fire late in the season and were able to ride that momentum to embarrass their division rival Sharks, and took the eventual Western Conference champ Red Wings to task with a nail-biting 7 game series, which in my opinion, was the best playoff series that came out of the 2009 playoffs. Offering one of the most explosive scoring groups in the league, I expect the Ducks will heavily challenge for the Pacific crown, but will fall short by no more than 4 points. It most definitely would not surprise me to see them actually come out ahead of the Sharks. Strengths: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, Saku Koivu, Teemu Selanne... 342 points from these players alone,if my math holds. The Ducks have big, physical forward group who have a real knack for lighting the lamp, which is unfortunate because the Honda Center has easily the most ridiculous goalhorn that has ever been used in the league. Despite his struggles last year, Giguere is a bona-fide goalie who will be looking to prove last year was a fluke, and Hiller will be on a mission as well to prove that his success last year wasn't just a flash in the pan. But what about?: When Niedermeyer informed his team that he intended to return another year, it forced the Ducks to trade Pronger to the Flyers in order to clear cap room. As a result, the blue-line actually looks rather exposed. Will the D-men be able to keep the puck out of the zone enough for the forwards to score enough to win games? Getzlaf is one of the best two-way forwards in the game, but what good is it if he has to head off for a shift-change when the puck is cleared out of the defensive zone?

Los Angeles: For the last several years, the Kings have been rebuilding, and the fruits of their labors are finally beginning to show. Lombardi has done an good job assembling a complementary mix of skill, experience and grit, and I believe that this year they will be contending for a playoff berth. Last year, the Kings missed the playoffs, and had rashes of inconsistency, but I believe they saw enough success that their young players (of which there are many) will have developed the confidence that they can play in this league. Strengths: Captain Dustin Brown is as physical as he is skilled, as he is just as likely to bowl you over as he is to out-maneuver you and leave wondering where he went. There is a lot of raw ability in the likes of Frolov and Stoll, and highly-touted first round 2009 draft pick Brayden Shenn will have ample opportunity to make the team on the opening night. Recently acquired from the Colorado Avalanche, Ryan Smythe brings a nice balance of skill and leadership, although he comes with a heavy price tag. On defense Jack Johnson will be on the All-Star team frequently throughout his promising career as will Drew Doughty, and Rob Scuderi brings playoff experience and a winning attitude to the locker room. I'm not quite convinced: Goaltending... It's like the Kings are Western Conference equivalent of the Tampa Bay Lightning. All the pieces to puzzle are there, but can't get the reliable goaltending needed throughout a full season to carry the team to the playoffs. There is a lot of buzz about Jonathan Quick, and while I see a lot of potential in the young 2005 pick, he will be under a great deal of pressure as the undisputed number 1. Does he fold under the pressure? That's why we play 82 games.

Phoenix: Man... what a hard situation to get a handle on. There are a lot of variables here. For the sake of this entry, I am going to assume the Coyotes have been left in Phoenix, simply because I don't feel that Judge Baum is going to want to set a precedent in overruling the 26-0 rejection of Balsillie as an owner. I am actually expecting good things out of the Coyotes this year, provided the off-ice distractions of this off-season haven't taken an emotional toll on the young Desert Dogs. There is a lot of youth on the Coyotes, yet because the youth was relied on so heavily last year, they already have a reasonable amount of experience. The Coyotes were actually in the hunt up to the All-Star break last year, then the wheels fell off. Strengths: Team chemistry and work ethic. These are a bunch of kids that had to learn a lot of lessons, both good and bad, as a group last year and I believe that bond will carry over into team play, as opposed to individual efforts. Goaltending, Ilya Bryzgalov had mixed year last year, but having seen him play enough, first as a backup to Giguere in Anaheim, and his play when he first came to the 'Yotes in 2007-08, he has proven he is a very competent goalie. I believe last year was Cool Bryz struggling with the pressures of being a clearly-defined number one, and will look to bounce back this fall. Deer in the headlights: How could you not wonder how the bankruptcy drama will affect the on-ice performance? Keep in mind, my expectations based on the team staying in Phoenix. How will the players react if they are yanked out of their homes in Arizona and carted north to Hamilton? Is the fan base so disgusted with the proceedings, they quit coming to games? I am also concerned about coaching. Gretzky is arguably the greatest player that ever has or will play the game, and no one will argue that he thinks about the game on a level that boggles the mind. But what good is it if he can't relate those ideas to his players? Gretzky's track record as coach of the Coyotes has been mediocre at best, and I think that were it anyone besides the Great One, he would have been released from his duties long ago.

Dallas: for those of you that are expecting a fair and unbiased representation of each team in this blog, I hate to disappoint. Those of you that know me already know, and those of you that don't are about to learn... There are 2 teams in this league I have absolutely no respect for: the Blackhawks and the Stars. I find the Stars organization to be completely without class, the players an eclectic mix of age and mediocrity that are supposed to be coached by Marc Crawford, who may be a stand-up guy, but his coaching resume is a certainly not that of Dave Tippet, who failed the get the (more-or-less) same group of players to the playoffs last year. Madonna (Mike Modano), Brad Richards and Marty Turco can't do it alone. I wholly expect the Stars to miss again this year. And even if my Preds miss this year too, I will still point and laugh at the Stars. Why? Because I'm a hockey fan.... and we're made to hate other teams

Until the next division preview, thanks for reading! Feel free to hit up the comments section!

No Sale?

2009-09-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

Interesting revelation with today's auction proceedings: Judge Baum states that the possibility of neither bid by Balsillie or the NHL being accepted is "more than theoretical..." So what happens if neither bid is accepted? Intriguing...

Phoenix.... nearly behind us?!?

2009-09-10T12:08:00.000-05:00

Early this summer, when we should have been excited about the amazing playoff action that had transpired over the course of two months, we were instead to focus on the aggressive tactics implemented by Jim Balsillie to acquire a NHL team (again). This has been an ugly drama that has had so much attention, it seemed like a Kardashian. Finally, the ordeal is nearly behind us. Regardless of how you feel the outcome should play out, no one can argue, this has been an embarrassment for the league, the city of Phoenix, the fans of hockey in both Phoenix and Hamilton... In fact, this has been a distraction to the game of hockey as a whole. With a collective sigh of relief from fans of the game, Judge Baum has set aside today and tomorrow as the auction dates to begin determining the fate of the Coyotes. And as most teams are beginning their training camps, it will be great to focus on the game again, instead of the personal agendas of business people.