With no end in sight for the lockout, more and more players are making the jump to Europe, and now you can add Craig Smith to the list.
The Predators’ rookie phenom announced that he will be joining Finland’s SM-Liiga while the NHL and NHLPA continue to duke it out.
Smith is the fourth Predator to head overseas, including Roman Josi, Pekka Rinne, and Patric Hörnqvist.
Although ESPN is notorious for ignoring all things hockey related (including acknowledging this current lockout), they turned some heads today by coming to an agreement with the Russian-based hockey league to air games on the sports giant’s online channel, ESPN3.
While it isn’t much, at least ESPN is taking the the initiative to draw NHL fans to their site, giving fans at least some chance of seeing their beloved players take to the ice – even if it’s half way around the world. And, believe it or not, this isn’t the first time KHL games have been aired on ESPN3. For the past two seasons, ESPN3 has aired a few games on their station, though thanks to the lockout, it has gained more attention now.
The first game to be shown on ESPN3 will be between Dynamo Moscow and AK Bars on Wednesday, with four more games to follow up until the 9th of this month. More games are set to be scheduled as the lockout continues.
Though almost the entire team is eligible to play in Europe, only a few have fully committed to a team during the lockout including:
– Pekka Rinne – Dinamo Minsk
– Roman Josi – SC Bern
– Patric Hörnqvist was set to return to his former team Djurgarden, but due to high taxes and insurance, Hörnqvist is seeking another route. Where to now? HC Red Ice, yet another Swiss league team.
Rumors are still swarming around as to what Martin Erat is up to, along with rumors that Sergei Kostitsyn wants to stay with the KHL, even after the lockout is settled. However, we have yet to come across anything that has stated he has even signed with a team. Maybe we missed it in the Russian-to-English translation.
Also, be prepared for the NHL to start announcing the cancelation of regular season games some time this week. Good news, however, if the NHL and NHLPA can come to an agreement before November, all 82 games will still be scheduled. Let’s hope for that.
Pekka Rinne, Patric Hornqvist, & Roman Josi have hit the trail to Europe.
With all of September’s preseason games cancelled and three already missed, the Predators (along with players across the league) are struggling with the decision of wether to wait out the NHL Lockout or head over seas to continue what they do best.
Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Alexander Semin have been vocal about their departure for the ‘Mother Land’, prompting fellow NHLers to consider the same decisions, wether they nestle in the KHL or not.
Rumors have been swirling around particular Preds, with Martin Erat supposedly returning to the Czech Republic and Sergei Kostitsyn possibly signing with a KHL team, but the only truth for Predators fans is this: Pekka Rinne has signed with a KHL team, Patric Hornqvist signs with Sweden, and Roman Josi (who actually made his announcement earlier in the week) returns to Switzerland.
Amidst rumors of him signing with the Finnish Elite League, Pekka was adamant about settling with a KHL team instead of one in his native Finland. Rinne will be goaltending for Dinamo Minsk out of Belarus during the duration of the lockout.
Patric Hornqvist naturally returned to Sweden, signing with Djurgården, a key team of Sweden’s Allsvenskan league. Preds’ first rounder Pontus Aberg is active on Djurgården’s roster, giving Hornqvist the opportunity to help the youngster prepare for (maybe one day) a shot in the National Hockey League.
Roman Josi was the first to announce his departure to Europe under the Predators roof, shipping back to S.C. Bern of Switzerland. Former Pred J.P. Dumont played for S.C. Bern last season, gaining eight goals in just 31 games. Josi is expected to hit the ice for S.C. Bern on September 29th.
With Pekka, Patric, and Roman packing up and heading overseas, it’s only a matter of time before the other members of the Nashville Predators inevitably agree to the same decision. As mentioned, SK74 and Martin Erat are already in negations with European teams, so only time will tell when they sign.
The NHL and NHLPA have scheduled a formal meeting on Friday to discuss options on the current lockout, hopefully coming to some sort of an agreement.
Whatever he’s thinking about, it isn’t the fans.
You are probably wondering why we haven’t covered the current Collective Bargaining Agreement that haunts the future of the 2012-13 NHL season. Welp, we figured you were hearing enough from everyone else, but also because we just didn’t want to discuss it. Bad juju, really.
Well, after trying to ignore the potential lockout like a five-year-old (if you close your eyes and cover your ears, it’s not real, right?), we finally hiked up our big girl undies and weighed the pending situation at hand.
As of Friday, the NHLPA and the NHL have come to no conclusion, with no intentions of meeting again before the CBA expires on the 15th. The meeting lasted a whopping 90 minutes. That gives these two knot-heads twelve days to agree to disagree or say bye-bye to the 2012-13 season (that, or it’ll be delayed).
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t seem worried about a potential lockout, claiming that, because the league survived the last lockout (2004-05 season), it will be just fine if another one occurs. Fans and the media, however, beg the differ.
The strength of hockey will not be effected in certain places such as Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit, and all of Canada, but for non-traditional markets, the event of a lockout could be disastrous. The Columbus Blue Jackets are walking a very, very thin wire and, after losing Rick Nash to the New York Rangers, a lockout could be the scissors that cut their lifeline. Hosting the All-Star Game won’t help much if there isn’t one, and it sure won’t bring an already waning fan base back on board, either.
The Phoenix Coyotes, still floating on Cloud 9 after making it to the third round of the playoffs, will soon find their cloud bursting into flames if the lockout does indeed occur. What fan base they generated during the playoffs will enviably die off due to lack of a season, sending the Coyotes back into the limbo that is “What Canadian city will be getting an NHL team”. Now, not to bash the Coyotes, as they do have a committed, loyal fan base, but I am talking about those who jumped on the bandwagon and/or those Arizonians who were introduced to hockey during that time.
Though we do not want to discuss it, Nashville will be effected as well. The Predators have nestled themselves into Music City just fine, and the team managed to survive the 2004-05 season without fail. However, although the fan base is strong and loyal fans have began to emerge, Nashville is still a non-traditional market and, enviably, will be damaged by a potential lockout. The Predators bring fans from across the South, from Alabama to Arkansas (most notable Preds fans from Arkansas? The Duggar Family from 19 Kids and Counting) and, without a season, but in a lockout situation, those fans will revert back into college football drones.
No matter if the team is settled in a non-tradition market or in a thriving, hockey-centered community, every city with an NHL team will be affected negatively. Wether it be monetarily, numerically, physically, whatever- Bettman can easily shrug off the fact he will lose no more than chump-change and a few “bandwagoners” if a lockout occurs. The fans, however, lose out in every aspect of the situation. Cities that don’t even have teams will be affected.
“Once we get past Sept. 15, I think the dynamic changes,” Commissioner Bettman stated. “The damage to the business changes the dynamic of the negotiation. So, from our standpoint, we’re hoping to make a deal by Sept. 15. That’s how we’ve positioned the offers we’ve made. And I’m hopeful that it can still be done. There is enough time if there is a willingness to negotiate.”
As stated above, the NHL and NHLPA have not set another meeting to discuss the CBA any further, leaving the 15th of September looming over every fans’ head.
Here’s to hoping the NHL and the NHLPA get their butts in gear and finish these CBA talks before the 15th. Even if the season is pushed back, we’d rather see that than an entire lockout. Though it looks like neither side is going to back down, something’s got to give soon. For the fans sake.
Chris Parker picked up one award for the Nashville Predators
The Tennessean released its winners of the 2012 Toast of Music City today, revealing that Nashvillians are quite fond of hockey in the South and the Nashville Predators.
The Taste of Music City bundles different local businesses, personalities, and restaurants into a city-wide (heck, nation-wide) online voting, separating into like categories, such as Best Restaurant, Best Wedding Venue, Best Hair Salon, etc. The Predators landed in the top three of three different categories: Best Place to Take the Kids, Best Blog, and Best Local Pro Athlete.
– The Predators came out on top under the Best Place to Take the Kids category, overshadowing the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere and the Adventure Science Center.
– Pekka Rinne knocked off Chris Johnson, Frank Wycheck, and Cortland Finnegan (who tied Wycheck for 3rd) for Best Local Pro Athlete. We aren’t sure how Pekka feels, but seeing hockey knock off three NFL players is a good sign for hockey in Nashville.
– Although the last winner isn’t officially with the Predators, they still are the leading blog for Nashville Predators information. OntheForecheck.com nabbed third in overall Best Blog, with Holly Stokes of myravenblog.com and Styleblueprint.com rounding out the Top 2. With all the sports blogs bouncing around the Internet, it is refreshing to see a hockey blog round out the Top 3 blogs of Music City.
Although it was only three categories of many, the Predators came out on top sports-wise in the Nashville community. No other sports team, besides the three Titans that finished behind Pekka Rinne, made the list. So, as Predators fans, you can’t help but beam with pride knowing that, despite the lingering nag of being a non-traditional hockey market, hockey is alive and thriving in Music City.
For all the winners of the Toast of Music City presented by the Tennessean, click here!
Is Hannan the veteran d-man the Predators have been searching for?
A little before noon this morning, the Predators reached an agreement that hit the cap floor and gained the franchise yet another defenseman.
Nashville signed former Calgary Flame free agent, Scott Hannan to a one-year, $1 million contract, giving the team the veteran strength and experience it was looking for. Here’s the official statement from the Nashville Predators:
Hannan, 33 (1/23/79), has amassed 197 points (33g-164a) and 522 penalty minutes in 908 regular-season games and 15 points (1g-14a) and 89 penalty minutes in 82 playoff games with San Jose, Colorado, Washington and Calgary since the 1998-99 season. The 6-1, 225-pound blueliner enters the 2012-13 season having played more games than any NHL defenseman in the last 10 seasons (798). Hannan dressed for 75-or-more games for the 11th consecutive season (78), and averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons (20:21) with the Calgary Flames a season ago.
Hannan has bounced around to a few teams, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worth keeping for the long run. Hannan has proved to be a reliable, well-versed d-man who will work well with both vets like Hal Gill and young guns like Roman Josi.
Will the Predators keep Hannan around for longer than a season? Time will tell, but we have a feeling, from the videos we have seen of the 33-year-old, the fans will latch on quickly. Although, he will have to find another number; we don’t think Brian McGrattan will give up 23 easily.
Better get used that country music, Shea…
To say Preds fans are sighing with relief is quite an understatement. After much anticipation – and many ruined manicures – Music City and the rest of the hockey world was greeted with this:
Follow Kevin Wilson on Twitter at @KWilsonPreds
Moments later, the Predators released the official press statement, just to clarify:
Nashville, Tenn. (July 24, 2012) – In the most important hockey transaction in franchise history, Nashville Predators Chairman Tom Cigarran, President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile and CEO Jeff Cogen announced today that the team has matched the 14-year, $110 million offer sheet between the Philadelphia Flyers and defenseman Shea Weber, insuring that the Predators’ captain will remain with the franchise for the next 14 years.
The decision to enter into the largest contract in franchise history was made by all parts of the organization, including ownership, hockey operations and business operations.
Although the largest in Predators franchise history, Weber’s $110 million, 14-year contract still falls to Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals’ 13-year, $124 million deal. Wowza.
Throughout this gut-wrenching ordeal, one thing that cannot be overlooked is that, not only did Nashville hang onto their captain, they also stuck it to one of the wealthiest, most-powerful franchises in the league. By doing this, the Predators proved themselves as more than just a development team for higher powers, such as the Flyers, the Rangers, the Penguins, for example. Writing out a check for that much is painful for a adolescent team such as Nashville, but matching that offer means so much more in the long run for the Predators than just nabbing their most-influential captain for fourteen years.
Cowgirl butts will continue to drive him nuts for the next three years.
Overshadowed by the matching offer, the Predators also signed another key component to Nashville’s run towards the Cup. Forward Colin Wilson was signed a few hours before the news release of Shea Weber, shaking hands on a three-year, $6 million deal. Though we questioned wether Wilson would remain a Predator due to his run-ins with Coach Barry Trotz, we are glad to see such a valuable player sticking around for three more years.
Again, with this matching offer, the Predators take a swing at the bigger brothers of the NHL, proving that “little brother” isn’t afraid to grab the bull by the horns and hang onto what belongs to them.
Sergei has no problem committing during the Weber ordeal.
Though the fans and media have basically been left in the dark during this Weber Watch (Poile Watch, whichever you prefer), the Predators haven’t been sitting blindly on their stumps, fully concentrated on to match or not to match Philly’s Weber offer.
News was released late this morning of the Predators signing youngster Jack Maclellan to a one-year, two-way $600,000 deal. The 24-year-old signed as a free agent after finishing up his collegiate career at Brown University this past Spring. You may recognize the name, he was listed on the roster during the playoffs this past season. Maclellan will join the Milwaukee Admirals in the mean time.
And, following shortly in the early afternoon, news broke that the Predators and Sergei Kostitsyn reached a two-year, $6 million contract. As we reported earlier in the year, SK74 was seeking a long-term contract with Nashville and, although two years isn’t exactly career-length, it is a step in the right direction for Sergei, one that he and his agent obviously felt comfortable with. Maybe this will kick Sergei into shooting more, eh?
The rest of the hockey world was on its toes as well this afternoon, with the announcement of Rick Nash, Columbus’s last link to a successful franchise, was traded to the New York Rangers for two centers (Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov), defenseman Tim Erixon, and first round draft pick. Although Nashville is far, far from being in Columbus’s shoes, the Predators should take note of what is happening with the Blue Jackets and heed the warning.
We are hoping maybe, just maybe, David Poile was waiting out for what would happen with Rick Nash (it was obvious he was out of there) and now that the Rangers have him, he’ll go ahead a M A T C H – T H E – O F F E R.
Here’s to hoping.
How will not matching Philly’s offer impact Nashville’s young franchise?
As you all know by now, the Philadelphia Flyers have offered up a 14-year, $110 million offer sheet to the Nashville Predators captain yesterday, with the news hitting the media outlets at 12:30AM CST this morning. Unfortunately, some of us work 9-5 and are asleep at that time in the morning, so we are just now sitting down to gather all the facts of today’s shindig in order.
David Poile (Predators General Manager) as but two options: Match Philadelphia’s offer or let Philly have Weber.
Simple, right? In a fan’s perspective, um yes; very simple. However, trying to look at it from the outside in, we can see why Poile might want a moment to reflect on the perpetual decision he is about to make… but will he flake like times before?
After losing two of the biggest names in franchise history, with Suter signing with the Minnesota Wild and Jordin Tootoo signing with the awful Detroit Red Wings, Nashville can’t afford to lose yet another face of the franchise in one off-season. Not only will it take a toll on the team, it will also be a huge blow to the fan base. Loyal Predators fans will back the team no matter what, but after losing big names to bigger franchises and players avoiding Nashville as a whole, eventually even the loyalist of fans get the wind knocked out of their sails.
It’s pretty clear the Predators need to match Philadelphia’s offer and, if worse comes to worse, trade Weber after a season and gain a whole team of draft picks with it. If Nashville just lets Weber go to Philly now, all the franchise will get is four 1st round draft picks for next year’s draft. That sounds okay, right? Wrong. That couldn’t be more of a 50/50 chance of good luck vs. bad luck. Just because you are a first rounder doesn’t mean you’ll end up being a Sidney Crosby or a Steven Stamkos. Heck, look at Patric Hornqvist, for instance.
The clock is ticking for Poile and the Predators and, what’s funny, is that the Philadelphia Flyers were able to sign Shea Weber within a month what has taken David Poile almost two years to do. All kidding aside, by signing an offer sheet, Shea Weber is openly saying to David Poile that he is wanting to speed the signing process and make a career-long agreement, wether Nashville wants it or not. Weber would not have signed the offer if he wasn’t willing to play fourteen years with the Predators, so don’t assume he wants out.
Seven days. Wednesday night at 11:30PM. That’s all David Poile has to decide wether or not to match Philadelphia’s offer. Will he take that much time? Let’s hope not. Though we will never GMs of a professional sports team by any means, when you weigh the factors, to advance your franchise in the best way possible, there’s only one choice:
MATCH THE FLYERS’ OFFER.
Photo courtesy of: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Is signing Shea Weber that important to the future of the Predators organization?
It’s been awfully quiet on the home front as the wake of Ryan Suter’s signing with the Minnesota Wild is finally beginning to settle. Though some are still licking the wounds Suter [and Jordin Tootoo] inflicted on both the fans and organization, most are finally turning their attention on the captain himself and what David Poile will do to anchor the star defenseman in Nashville.
Ryan Suter high-tailed it to Minnesota to be closer to friends and family, we understand. However, it’s quite obvious that Suter was tired of living in Weber’s shadow – It was a little Batman and Robin-ish, if you think about it – and was ready to be the star of his own team. Yet, Suter won’t be the star by any means; thanks to the combined signing of he and Zach Parise, it looks like it’ll be ‘two’s company’ in Minnesota. Sorry, Suter.
Becoming the face of the franchise
Due to Suter booking it North, now Shea has the opportunity to be the face of the Nashville Predators. Even though Mike Fisher, Pekka Rinne, and David Legwand are pretty familiar faces, Weber is the most familiar amongst the league and beyond. Essentially, if signed, the Nashville Predators will be Shea Weber’s team. It will be his opportunity to take the horse by the reins and steer this franchise into a legacy lead by him alone. Now, who do we think will take Suter’s Alternate Captain position? We’re going with David Legwand and we’re almost positive you were, too.
Make him an offer he can’t refuse
A bit ‘Godfather’-ish, right? Well, it’s either that or trade him for all he’s worth. Suter can go on and on until his face turns blue about being completely “forward” with David Poile and the Predators franchise, but we aren’t buying. However, we cannot completely turn this all on Suter; absolutely not. No, David Poile should not have built his pillars so high on promises alone. Anyone can say half way through the season that he has no intentions to pursue other opportunities, but thoughts and minds change. It was clear Suter was not going to return to the Predators, and Poile wasted too much precious time waiting on his decision. His attention now should be fully focused on signing the captain – which means offering what is reasonable without going overboard – and, if it starts looking hairy, make a decision or move on to Plan C. If not, Poile might see even more players jumping ship before Weber’s wake can subside.
A team without Shea Weber
Say, worst comes to worst, and David Poile and the Predators cannot reach a deal with Shea Weber. What’s next for the Predators? With Tootoo and Suter jumping ship, it’s enviable fans will be left with lifesavers themselves, completely disheveled as to what happened to their unsinkable team and what will happen next. However, not all is lost if the captain abandons ship before the passengers do.
Let’s use the Edmonton Oilers, for example:
When Wayne Gretzky was traded, the decision by the Oilers was deemed complete ludicrous and mind-boggling by the rest of the league. I mean, it was Wayne Getzky. However, as we all know, one player does not constitute a team; he can make a huge, major contribution, but he is not a team as a whole. Likewise, the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup two years later.
The Predators have this opportunity, just as much as the Oilers did back in the day. Is Nashville in the same predicament as the Oilers? No, but it’s a good life example of how a move so ridiculous and outrageous can turn into the greatest celebration in the hockey world. Shea Weber is not everything to Nashville and, if traded, the Predators could gain a Stanley Cup-worthy team from his departure to another franchise. Or, it could send Nashville into a Columbus-like atmosphere (worst scenario).
The Waiting Game
Unfortunately, until David Poile and Shea Weber come to a deal, all the fans can do is wait and watch. Weber has opted out of arbitration, which is a good sign, but it doesn’t mean everything. Every day that goes by is both good news and bad, though most lean to the pessimistic side of that coin. David Poile is a general manager for a reason, so – although most are hurt to admit it – we must put faith in Poile’s decision making and his ability to convince Weber that Nashville is the place plant his roots long-term, possibly for the rest of his career. It’ll be difficult, especially with the prestige history that shines from teams like Pittsburgh, Montreal, and/or Detroit, but what Nashville has that these teams do not is a building legacy. Every year, the Predators break a new record franchise-wise, and why wouldn’t Weber want to lead this organization to its first third-rounder, its first Stanley Cup finals, its first Stanley Cup.
Ryan Suter and Jordin Tootoo are gone, there’s no time to look back on the past and dwell. The time now is to continue to Predators run towards the Cup and it’s time for David Poile to either do this with Shea Weber behind the wheel or leave him at the station. Weber isn’t going to come back cheaply, but Nashville’s perseverance has proven it can make it through the toughest of times…
and Shea can either tough it out long-term or hit the trail.
Lady Preds 