Tag: NHL

Preds release Pre-Season Schedule

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Ready for some pre-season action?

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here! Okay, so it isn’t the regular season schedule, but it’s just as good when it’s July and hockey is still two months away. Here is the schedule:

September 16, 2013 – at Florida Panthers – 1:30PM
September 16, 2013 – at Florida Panthers – 6PM
September 19, 2013 – at Tampa Bay Lightning – 6:30PM
September 22, 2013 – Home against New York Islanders – 5PM
September 24, 2013 – Home against Tampa Bay Lightning – 7PM
September 25, 2013 – at Washington Capitals – 6PM
September 27, 2013 – at New York Islanders – 6PM

So, although it truly starts the 16th, Preds fans will have to wait until Sunday the 22nd before they can settle in the cushioned seats at the Bridgestone Arena.

Have you already have your calendars marked for the 22nd and 24th? We might have…

Nick Spaling files for Salary Arbitration

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Image Source: Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Per his agent and the NHLPA’s website, Nick Spaling has filed for salary arbitration.
What does this mean?
NHL salary arbitration is a tool available to settle contract disputes. The player & team each propose a salary for the coming season, and argue their cases at a hearing if there is a dispute. The arbitrator, a neutral third party, then sets the player’s salary. A decision must be made within 48 hours of the hearing and when the decision is announced, the team has the right to decline, or “walk away” from the award. If the team exercises this right, the player can declare himself an unrestricted free agent.
Hearings will be held from July 22 to August 6th.

Uh oh. Apparently, Nick Spaling was not happy with his proposed salary. Will this be the last of Nick Spaling with the Preds?

Seth Jones signs first Pro Contract

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Source: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Well, he fell to fourth in the draft, so did you honestly think Nashville would not sign the 18-year-old star defenseman? Of course not! At 12pm on the dot today, Seth Jones and the Preds sat down to confirm his commitment in writing with a three-year, entry-level contract. The base salary of the contract is $925,000, with maximum rookie contract signing bonuses giving him a salary cap number of $3.225 million. We assume that Jay-Z (his agent) approved of this, though there was no word of his attendance this afternoon.

Jones will be donning the No. 3, which has displaced a few Wade Belak fans. Though he was close to many hearts in Nashville and the NHL abroad, Belak had retired before he passed and Nashville did not retire his number nor have the discussion with the public as to whether it should be. Minnesota’s newest signee from Pittsburgh, Matt Cooke, actually contacted Derek Boogaard’s parents in regards to wearing the late enforcer’s number 24 who died just two months before Belak. Are we saying Jones should contact Belak’s late wife and ask permission to wear a number he’s always worn and just so happens to be associated with a lost enforcer? No, not at all. It is not his duty to do so and we are betting Jones’ has no idea that he’s stepping into a number held by greatness.

Again, no surprise that Nashville was quick to have Jones commit to the organization and put him in a jersey. Per some, the look on David Poile’s face was sheer joy as Jones signed his contract. We can’t blame him. Jones will be huge.

SK74 headed to KHL for Good?

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Well, we all saw this coming… even the most diehard SK74 fans. It began even more clear during the lockout, when Sergei Kostitsyn, everyone’s favorite Belorussian, made a name for himself with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk. At the time, it was inspiring to Preds fans watching the struggling talent shine so brightly amongst the KHL; so much so that we all hoped he would bring that momentum back with him when the lockout ended… He didn’t.

SK74 managed to score 27 points in 28 games with Avangard, but only 15 in 46 when the NHL season resumed. Ouch.
Sergei was a force to be reckoned with when he was picked up from the Montreal Canadiens before the 2010-11 season, scoring 23 goals and picking up 27 assists in that season alone. But after that season, everything seemed to fall apart for the young Kostitsyn, with the 2011-12 season producing a lesser, but still good, 17 goals and 26 assists. This past season? An embarrassing three goals and twelve assists. Ouch again.

During the 2011-12 season, the Preds tried to bolster SK74’s momentum by bringing his older brother, Andrei on board, picking him up before the trade deadline from Montreal. Unfortunately, the plan backfired and trouble between the Kostitsyn brothers and Alexander Radulov resulted in Andrei and Radulov’s dismissal from the team. Understandably, that left a bad taste in Sergei’s mouth.

And again, when he went to the KHL during the lockout this past season, it was another sign that SK74 felt more comfortable amongst more common fellows. It couldn’t have been more clear as to how truly comfortable he was with Avangard and, for the Predators, that wasn’t a good sign for the future of SK74 with Nashville.

The GM of Avangard Omsk offered Sergei Kostitsyn a contract this past week, wishing him to return to the Alexander Frolov and Dmitry Semin line that worked so well together. Apparently, by the stats, it worked 10 times better than the SK74-Fisher-Erat line. Preds GM David Poile has been quoted has saying he would have “no objection” for allowing SK74 to return to the KHL.

The question in the coming day is, will David Poile risk one of two Compliance Buyouts to keep the struggling Belarussian or will he let Sergei go after this year? Also, there is the possibility that SK74 pulls an Alexander Radulov and runs off before his contract ends.

The truly sad thing is, even though he is given a lot of grief for his terrible performances and his huge mistakes (A.K.A. the infamous “quit” moment), Sergei Kostitsyn has a ton of talent that, for some reason or another, cannot be displayed. And that goes for any NHL team, not just the Predators. He struggled with behavioral and accountability issues while with Montreal and he would do it again with any other NHL team that gave him a chance.

Could it be he is more like Radulov in the sense that, in the KHL, rules are different and life is a little bit less strict for a player? I believe it is a mixture of that and the comfort level he feels being back in a more familiar role, surrounded by people who all speak the same language and there really isn’t a barrier for him to get stuck behind. Unlike his fellow non-American teammates, like Pekka Rinne and Patric Hornqvist, SK74 has not clung to English very well and is not comfortable with ten mics thrown in his face. However, interviews seem to come naturally to him when they are in Belarussian or Russian, two languages he is comfortable relaying information in.

You can’t hate the kid for wanting to return to something familiar and somewhere he excels. He’s given the NHL his best shot and, unfortunately for the few SK74 fans other there, it wasn’t his best. As long as he doesn’t jump ship like Radulov, we won’t turn our backs on SK. We’d like him give it all he’s got this last season because, even if Nashville offers him an extension, I believe this is our last season with Sergei Kostitsyn in the Predators gold.

Preds vs. the 2013 Draft

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The much anticipated 2013 NHL Draft is just around the corner on June 30th, and rumors of who will nab who are floating around the Internets, clogging our Twitter feeds and Facebook walls.
So, say you’re new to this whole “draft” thing. You just started following hockey within the last few seasons or are just now getting interested in more than just the gameday routine. Well, here’s a background on the 2013 Draft in a nutshell:

Hockey players born between January 1, 1993 and September 15, 1995 are eligible for selection in this year’s draft. Along with those players, any un-drafted players over the age of 20 are also eligible for the draft on June 30th, as long as they are not from North America. And, last but not least, any players who were drafted in the 2011 Draft but were not signed by an NHL team who were born after June 30, 1993 are eligible to re-enter this year’s draft.

The NHL hosts a “Draft Lottery” every year to determine who will get the first overall pick in the Draft. All fourteen teams that did not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs were given “weighted” chances towards the first pick, with the Colorado Avalanche winning the coveted first choice.

The Draft order ranks as follows (Top 10):
Colorado Avalanche
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Nashville Predators
Carolina Hurricanes
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Buffalo Sabres
New Jersey Devils
Dallas Stars

We’d go through all 30 teams, but that would make this an extremely long post and would stray from the original point. Anywho, as you can see, our tried and true Predators have the No. 4 pick, which is a relatively relieving position to be in… IF the organization chooses wisely.
Wait- How can Nashville possible go wrong? A chance at any of the top four picks in the draft; there’s no way. Oh, with Nashville’s history of choosing “defensively”, so to say, there’s a definite way, alright. But let’s give our guys a break and put some faith behind them, shall we? Here are the top 5 prospects in this year’s Draft:

NORTH AMERICAN
Seth Jones (D)
Nathan MacKinnon (C)
Jonathan Drouin (LW)
Darnell Nurse (D)
Sean Monahan (C)

EUROPEAN:
Alexander Barkov, Jr. (C)
Valeri Nichushkin (RW)
Elias Lindholm (C)
Rasmus Ristolainen (D)
Alexander Wennberg (C)

Now, you would assume that Colorado would go for Seth Jones, the prospected No. 1 pick, right? Well, in the last few days, Colorado has began to back away from the young defenseman, claiming that their options are “open” to any of the top prospect, not just Jones. Though the chances of him, if Colorado passes him up, ending up within Nashville’s grasp are slim, the possibility is still there. Thus leads to this blog post that you are reading.

Without dreaming of Seth Jones, Nashville’s most realistic draftee would be Alexander Barkov, a young Finnish-Russian who collected 21 goals in the 2012-13 season with Tappara in the SM-liiga, along with 27 assists. And you are thinking, “How could Nashville pass this kid up? Forget Jones! Let’s get a goal scorer!” Reviewing his stats with SM-liiga, it’s easy to g0al-hungry forget the fact that, although it is an utterly annoying cliche, NHL-style hockey is a whole new ballgame. Though he did extremely well in Europe doesn’t guarantee he’ll do well on NHL ice or under an NHL coach… especially one that does not take risky, unorganized plans very well (ex. Colin Wilson and Craig Smith, foresee the future of Filip Forsberg). However, despite that risk, in Nashville’s case, a Center with a positive goal and assist history is something to jump on if given the chance.

So with that, you wonder why Nashville would even go for a defenseman like Seth Jones. Well, remember, it is Nashville we are talking about; the team that loves to known for their defensive abilities. While being known as one of the top defensive teams in the league is great, one excelled attribute doesn’t win the ultimate goal. You have to find the right mixture of defense and offense and, for the Predators, that has been awfully difficult. This may be considered tacky, but let’s use this as an example: Everyone played the Sims (don’t you dare deny it). Whether you played to live our your fantasy life with a crush or just enjoyed setting your Sims on fire, you had to design your Sim person before you could start anything. If you actually played more than just to burn the house down, you had to create a Sim with a good, even mixture of personality. Be too “outgoing” and you’d come off as annoying to other Sims; not enough “neat” and your trash would be piling up all over the house. Again, terrible and silly comparison, but you have to admit; it’s true.

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You remember this…

While Nashville had the defensive powerhouse that was Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, the rest of the team was neglected, thus leaving the Predators to come up short time and time again in the playoffs (this year, not even making them). Sadly, this theory can be thrown at the team over and over, but action has to be taken in order to see the fruits on one’s labor.

The Preds tend to stay in the “safe zone” when it comes to drafting or trading, and that goes for any time of the season. More than likely, the same will happen June 30th. If Seth Jones is still available by the fourth pick, Nashville will undoubtedly snatch him up. You can’t blame them, of course. Ranked the best upcoming defenseman? Sure, he’s an outstanding choice that Nashville would be nuts not to pick up. However, it is a fact that Seth Jones would be much better for other teams, but I assume it would be okay to greedy… until he grew to big for his britches and he would either ask to be traded or would take an offer elsewhere when given the chance.

Speculation is all that is.

As much as either Seth Jones or Alexander Barkov would make Nashville a happier organization, no pick is set in stone. Colorado could be lying and grab Jones with their first pick, or they could go off the wall and draft someone further down the line. Tampa Bay could tell Nashville to kiss their butts and draft Barkov or Jones before Nashville gets the reins. Luckily, the Predators have landed in a good spot, no matter who they end up drafting. Personally, we pray it is NOT a defenseman but hey, all we can do is put faith in our fellow man and pray they spice it up a bit with an offensive player.

Bobby Butler traded for Florida’s T.J. Brennan

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The off-season can bring relief when it comes to roster moves (ex. Roman Josi signing a seven-year contract), but it also reminds us that our favorite players, if in the cross-hairs, can wind up on another team.

Though Bobby Butler wasn’t a fan favorite that ripped a few holes in the hearts of the fan base (Tootoo… Suter…), he still made a significant impact with the Predators during his short period with the organization after being snatched off of waivers.

So, who did Nashville get for Mr. Butler? How about a young, 24-year-old left-handed defenseman named T.J. Brennan. Don’t let young fool you, though; Brennan had two straight 41-point seasons with the St. John’s Fog Devils in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Per reports, the kid has a tremendous slam shot and, at 6″1, 213 lbs., the kid can knock a few folks around. Brennan is still a RFA, but if the Predators can get him signed, he could make a huge impact if not for Nashville right off the bat, but definitely in Milwaukee with the Admirals.

We’ll say this – Poile made a decent and relatively smart move today.

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Predators awarded 4th Pick in NHL Draft Lottery

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The lottery has spoken and, after wringing our hands in anticipation of what good news we can look forward to due to a playoff-less offseason, the Nashville Predators drew lucky number four in the 2013 NHL Draft lottery.

Rounding out the Top 5 are:
5. Carolina Hurricane
4. Nashville Predators
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Florida Panthers
1. Colorado Avalanche

The Predators had a 10.7% chance of nabbing the 1st overall pick, but odds were in Colorado’s favor, who are expected to claim the highly sought after defenseman, Seth Jones. However, this is Nashville’s highest draft pick since claiming David Legwand in 1998, so the Preds can expect to add a stellar player to their roster, who David Poile claims will “90 percent” likely be a forward.

The rest of the league follows as (up to 14 as the Stanley Cup finals will determine the rest of the league):
6. Calgary Flames
7. Edmonton Oilers
8. Buffalo Sabres
9. New Jersey Devils
10. Dallas Stars
11. Philadelphia Flyers
12. Phoenix Coyotes
13. Winnipeg Jets
14. Columbus Blue Jackets

Although they may not nab Seth Hones, whose father is from Dresden, Tenn., there are plenty of other top prospects Nashville has a chance at selecting from. Here are the top prospects for the 2013 Draft as chosen by TSN:

1. D – Seth Jones, Portland (Western Hockey League)
2. F – Jonathan Drouin, Halifax (Quebec Major Junior League)
3. F – Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax (QMJHL)
4. F – Aleksander Barkov, Tappara (Finnish Elite League)
5. F – Valeri Nichushkin, Chelijabinsk (Kontinental Hockey League)
6. D – Darnell Nurse, Saul Ste. Marie (Ontario Hockey League)
7. F – Sean Monahan, Ottawa, (OHL)
8. F – Elias Lindholm, Brynas (Swedish Elite League)
9. G – Zachary Fucale, Halifax (QMJHL)
10. F – Max Domi, London (OHL)

We have our eyes set on No. 4, Aleksander Barkov, but that’s just us.

The 2013 NHL Draft isn’t until June 30th, so David Poile and the rest of the staff have plenty of time to decide wether to take or trade (please don’t trade). For interest’s sake, here is a list of all the players Nashville has picked up in the first round:

Draft Position – Year – Player
2 – 1998 – DAVID LEGWAND, F
6 – 1999 – BRIAN FINLEY, G
6 – 2000 – SCOTT HARTNELL, F
12 – 2001 – DAN HAMHUIS, D
6 – 2002 – SCOTTIE UPSHALL, F
7 – 2003 – RYAN SUTER, D
15 – 2004 – ALEXANDER RADULOV, F
18 – 2005 – RYAN PARENT, D
23 – 2007 – JONATHON BLUM, D
7 – 2008 – COLIN WILSON, F
18 – 2008 – CHET PICKARD, G
11 – 2009 – RYAN ELLIS, D
18 – 2010 – AUSTIN WATSON, F

Filip Forsberg to make NHL Debut Tonight

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– Image courtesy of Cellblock 303 –

May all of our hopes be saved! Err… so it feels like. Predators fans will finally see the result of the Martin Erat/Mike Latta to the Washington Capitals trade, which is Top Prospect, Filip Forsberg.

To be honest, I did not expect to see Forsberg make his NHL debut until maybe next season, as Nashville’s playoff hopes have been all but dashed. But injuries have plagued the Predators in this shortened season, giving other players a chance at the NHL dream, such as Taylor Beck, Victor Bartley, and Daniel Bång.

Tonight, Filip Forsberg, who has spent his time playing in native Sweden, will step up for a fellow Swede, Patric Hörnqvist, who has fallen with his third upper body injury this season.

Now, about that whole “he’s here to save us” deal: The kid is good, no doubt; but don’t get all cranky if he doesn’t score a Hat Trick or something of the sort tonight. Predators fans haven’t gotten as excited about a player since the Return of Radulov, but this kid is better than Rads ever could have been – just remember this is his first NHL game.

If you don’t have tickets tonight, you need to find some. Forsberg will be sporting the No. 9, so keep an eye out wether you’re against the glass for warmups or against the glass on your television screen.

Austin Watson’s NHL Debut marred by Preds 4th loss to Chicago

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Source: Zimbio.com

The post-season train is about to board and Nashville is falling further and further to the back of the pack, with Chicago claiming their ticket and jumping aboard with tonight’s win over the Predators 5-3. As stated in a previous post, the lockout was more than helpful for the Chicago Blackhawks, as they started out the season undefeated through 24 games. Though they have since lost, their record against Nashville thus far remains 4-0.

Don’t laugh off the Predators just yet, though. They fell to the Blackhawks 3-0 in their first meeting, but Nashville has kept the games close against the leader of the NHL. But close doesn’t cut it when the playoffs are on the line and, though they fought a good fight, quality doesn’t always produce quantity when it comes down to it.

Here are the highlights from tonight’s game at the United Center:

BEFORE THE GAME:

  • Though he played in yesterday’s game, Mike Fisher was pulled from the lineup for safety reasons and an emergency recall from Milwaukee was made. Insert, Austin Watson: Nashville’s first round pick from the 2010 NHL Draft. As Milwaukee’s leading scorer, it was more of a “when is he coming” situation for the Predators.

FIRST PERIOD:

  • Andrew Shaw drew blood first with a slap shot past Pekka Rinne at 6:34 into the game, his 8th goal of the season.
  • Nashville would kill any chance of a shutout for Chicago at 17:16 with a wrister from Nick Spaling, his 7th goal of the season. Sergei Kostitsyn would pick up his 11th assist of the season.

SECOND PERIOD:

  • Similar to the first period, Chicago would start out with a goal first, this time from Bryan Bickell, his 8th of the season.
  • The Predators would respond at 5:54 with a clean slap shot from Shea Weber, his 8th goal of the season. Nick Spaling would pick up the assist on Weber’s goal, his 4th of the season.

THIRD PERIOD:

  • David Legwand would give Nashville its only lead of the night at 6:54 for his 11th goal of the season. Matt Halischuk (5th) and Shea Weber (15th) would nab the assists on Leggy’s goal. Legwand is now just one goal away from his 200th NHL career goal.
  • Chicago would both tie and take the lead within 55 seconds of each goal, the first one nailed by Brandon Saad and the second collected by Jonathan Toews.
  • With the clock winding down, Patrick Kane collects his 20th goal of the season with an empty netter, sealing the game 5-3 in favor of the Blackhawks.

     

    The Blackhawks only needed one point to punch their ticket into the playoffs, but with their win in regulation, Nashville may have unwillingly handed Chicago their possible ticket, too.

The Predators have made the playoffs every year since 2003, spoiling Predators fans who weren’t aware of the franchise before that year. Do fans know how to handle an early off season filled with golf while watching other teams claw for the Cup?

The Predators pack up and head home to welcome the St. Louis Blues to the Bridgestone on Tuesday night. The Predators are just five points behind Detroit for 8th position and just six from St. Louis who sits in 7th. Two things need to happen to help the Predators: everyone else to lose and Nashville to actually win.

Western Conference Standings Update

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I hope that photographer didn’t like that camera.

The standings are in from the last games of March, riding on the heels of the last month of regular season hockey. And, from the looks of it, Nashville is going to be fighting all the way through the month of April. Here is a snapshot from NHL.com of the current standings going into April:

Image Source: NHL.com

Image Source: NHL.com

The last post was written before all the games were over today, thus the standings are a tad bit different if you read it or have read it. With Columbus’s win over Anaheim, the Blue Jackets buzz past Nashville, Edmonton, and Dallas to take the elusive 8th spot, knocking St. Louis into 9th. Nashville is now in 12th of 15, just two points behind Columbus. But Dallas, Edmonton, and St. Louis stand in their way, all of who are fighting for that last playoff spot as well.

Check out the post below about what all Nashville faces going into the month of April. By the looks of tonight’s outcomes, it’s looking like it’s going to be an even rougher final month of hockey.