Tag: Devils

Preds Sign Volchenkov; Fisher Out 4-6 Months

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After a relatively quiet 4th of July weekend, the Predators have been awfully active for a Monday afternoon. An hour or so ago, the Predators announced the signing of veteran defenseman, Anton Volchenkov for a one-year, $1 million contract. Volchenkov, a native of Russia, was offered a KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg if no team from the NHL showed interest, but Nashville snatched him up for a good price — his former contract with the New Jersey Devils was a 6-year, $25.5 million. The left-handed Volchenkov will probably land on the second line and pair with right-hander Seth Jones for now.

On to more pressing news is the loss of Mike Fisher, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon thus placing him on the IR for at least 4-6 months… ouch. Fisher, who has been weighing his career options, may find this is the turning point to retire early, but we shall see. Fisher had his surgery to repair the torn tendon last Thursday, July 3rd. As you may imagine, now that this news is out, rumors of Nashville taking a stab at veteran, Vincent Lecavalier are becoming more and more heated. Personally, I don’t think it’ll happen, but with David Poile at the helm, anything is possible.

We will continue to update as more information on both players becomes available.

More than just a Goalie Problem: Preds Shutout Twice in a Row

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Image Courtesy: Getty Images

There’s no question that Nashville misses Pekka Rinne, but is it really just an absent five-star goalie that is slowly digging the Predators into a deeper hole? Sorry, but it isn’t. As easy as it is to blame Pekka Rinne’s hip infection for the reason Nashville has been imploding, it’s not the whole truth.

There is no reason for me to go over the highlights of the Winnipeg & New Jersey games, due in part there weren’t any highlights (for Nashville, anyway). For a team the Predators skated past twice this season, a trip to Winnipeg was supposed to be a no brainer on this 17-day road trip. And that, my friends, is the kind of thinking that gets you killed; or, in this case, completely and utterly dominated 5-0. You could almost say that’s exactly what the Jets were hoping for when the Predators came strutting into Winnipeg. One possible highlight from that game? Marek Mazanec got his NHL debut after Carter Hutton was pulled after 8:23 of pure torture.

And, after the embarrassing outcome in Winnipeg, Nashville took a second beating in Newark, losing yet another 5-0 matchup. Carter Hutton was again given the go in goal, but just couldn’t keep the Devils from racking up the goals. And don’t think I’m targeting Hutton; oh no. This is not only goalie error, but defensive error, too. The reason Pekka Rinne is known affectionately as “The Eraser” is because he is constantly erasing Nashville’s defensive errors. Pekka just has a knack for picking up where the defense leaves off and poor Hutton just hasn’t mastered that strange ability yet. It’s not that Carter can’t stop goals, he just needs more help from his teammates, who have always slacked just a bit.

So what’s next? The Islanders, who haven’t beaten Nashville in regulation since 2002, are up next on the schedule then one last stop in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. Oh, and let me note that the last stop in Pittsburgh is back-to-back with a visit from the Chicago Blackhawks. No pressure, Preds.

One last thing: Check out this video of Rich Clune’s tussle with Winnipeg’s Adam Pardy. Blood.