Predlines - A Nashville Predators blog

Nov 23, 2011; St. Paul, MN, USA; Nashville Predators head coach Barry Trotz against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Barry Trotz is a smart guy. Soft spoken, tough, and a player’s coach- he’s found ways to win using parts, kids, and by smart staffing. This conversation might be a little different were it not for Mitch Korn, but nevertheless he’s there. He’s achieved a level of invincibility not seen often in professional sports. In the day and age where Russian forwards are hitting coaches with their stick (HI THERE ALEX), or getting their successful coach fired, Barry is teflon.

This team may be his finest work, and possibly his best from top to bottom. The psychology employed by their leader is stronger than ever, and may be the difference.

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Happier Times. (PHOTO-Getty Images)

This past summer, the Columbus front office went all-in with Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski, over paid a bit for both assuming they were a couple players away from contending for a playoff spot. After 48 games, The Blue Jackets find themselves at the bottom of the league. While saying they’ve been in the position before is true- this year is different. They’re near the cap, and have grown their team salary 18 million since the 2009-10 campaign. That year, Columbus finished with 79 points. 32 points in 48 games so far this year, and that season will be erased in the minds as their most disappointing season.

Where to start? The mind.

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"This year, I travel this way... to Amerikah... and get paid like rookie. Again." (Photo © khl.ru)

The unicorn was the creature that was impossible to catch. Hence, when God flooded the world it ceased to exist due to the fact that Noah couldn’t lasso one. Every heroic figure has that one goal/item it has strived to obtain in their quest for success that has eluded his/her/their grasp. For Nashville, it’s a solid top 6/two way/30+ goal scoring forward.

THIS IS NOT A POST REGARDING ALEXANDER RADULOV AND HIS IMPENDING RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES. PLEASE PROCEED READING AND CONTINUE DRINKING HEAVILY.

Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, arguably the best pairing the the NHL, have their fates intertwined. Weber wants to play with Suter, and Suter wants a top 6 forward to be brought in. Suter is slated to be an unrestricted free agent while Weber is still an RFA after this year, so safe to say Ryan’s demands may take a little more weight. The issue then becomes cost. And while the Preds have caproom, picks, prospects… the question becomes “how much is too much to pay”. And even better, a simple solution that may shut everyone up.
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Sold at the deadline last year. Tearing it up this year. James Neal, gents. (PHOTO- Getty Images)

I get nervous around the trade deadline. I see prospects I’ve come to follow and embrace linked by other fans for players to be rented for a season. I took joy after seeing Mike Fisher was acquired only for draft picks. He’s been well worth it, and the investment has paid off both on the ice and in the community.

It’s worse this year. The running trend with the previous few cup winners has been depth, and toughness. Guys like Matt Halischuk and Nick Spaling have been bringing the toughness since their days as Kitchener Rangers. Being coached by Trotz is only natural for their style. Trading them, or guys like Hornqvist is not on my agenda anytime soon. Not even for precious Bobby Ryan. There are other targets that will cost much less that would be ideal fits for Nashville.

No team is perfect. There’s not one team out there that is perfectly pieced together to win every game. Even the mighty Bruins have a couple bare spots in their armor. There is room for improvement for every team in the league. Some teams… well, they need more than others. Some teams, like the Predators, are built more on style and system than talent and adaptation. David Poile and Barry Trotz have been on the same page since 2002 in building this team (puck moving defensemen, two way forwards, tall Scandinavian netminders, etc), so the system is entrenched with the franchise. Doesn’t mean there’s not holes and ways to exploit them. Actually… it’s kinda obvious.

Last week, I mentioned that some teams appear on the surface to have lost ground in the latest configuration of conferences. As of now and the next few years, the Flames and Blue Jackets seem to have been dealt a tough hand for the next few years. Am I wrong? We’ll see. Also, I mentioned that expansion could be on the horizon given the side effects, and now the ease of adding teams to the league given the new structure. Am I wrong? We’ll see.

I managed to find a few friends here on FanSided sports to respond, and talked to a very good source inside a potential destination for NHL expansion. It’s a brave new NHL on the horizon.

Being shuffled to the bottom isn’t the worst thing in the world on paper- look at the last few champions: Pittsburgh was terrible for a few years, drafted well, and won the cup shortly after. Chicago had the same effect, beating a Flyers team that also followed that same formula. Vancouver has always drafted fairly well, and rode the Sedin’s and Ryan Kesler to the finals.

Drafting well is essential for any league, but aside from the NBA, the NHL is the league most dependent on having a successful draft. Stacking up the conferences, there are a couple murderer’s rows assembled. “Conference A”- The Neo-Pacific/Mountain conference, looks just deadly on paper. LA, Anaheim, Vancouver, San Jose, Edmonton, Colorado… just take a moment to remind yourself of the top 6 on those teams. The Sedins, Kesler, Kopitar, Perry, Thornton, Marleau, and the kids in Edmonton and Colorado, and that’s leaving our guys like Mike Richards, Ryan Getzlaf, Martin Havlat, you get the idea. Hockey isn’t just played by forwards, but seeing the talent assembled by these teams out west is quite amazing. (For the Preds sake, that’s an arms race I want no part of)

Where does Calgary fit in? The Flames are built from the back end forward, backstopped by Mikka Kipprusoff and defended by the likes of Jay Boumeester. Their goal scoring has not been up to par with the division, and Jerome Iginla’s time is drawing short. The Flames can be a player, as they showed during the 4th quarter of the year. But seeing the onslaught they’ll endure throughout the year from the barrage of forwards, I’d be a bit worried.

Cait Platt is a FanSided.com blogger for Flame for Thought, and in addition to being an awesome person, she knows her hockey. I asked her about the new situation the guys in the Saddledome will be facing as of next year.

DB- On my first reaction, I listed the Flames as a team that “lost” in this new conference format. Seeing that now they are grouped with Vancouver, LA, Anaheim, San Jose, Edmonton, Phoenix, Colorado… all teams that have their franchise players either early or in the middle of their prime, what is the reaction from Flames fans about this new setup?

Cait Platt- To start, it is important to understand, that while I am a Flames fan and blogger, I am very isolated from other fans.  Being located in NJ gives me a different viewpoint.  So to speak for all fans, I’m sure my views would be very different.  That being said, the Flames are at the bottom of this new conference, however it’s not much different than where they are now in this division/conference break down.  Division wise, Vancouver, Colorado, and Edmonton are already a hassle for the Flames. Adding in LA, Anaheim (who is on a down swing this season), San Jose, and Phoenix won’t change the Flames playoff chances; the Flames still compete against them in the current conference set up.  The biggest benefit would be the absence of the Minnesota Wild.  This realignment isn’t the best for the Flames, but it isn’t the biggest change, Flames will struggle regardless of the conference set-ups until changes are made internally.

As you pointed out, every other team has franchise players that still have some youth.  All of the Flames franchise players are on their down swing. With or without this realignment, the Flames would still have aging players.  Foolish fans will blame next years struggle as a side effect of the realignment, but lack of changes in the off season will be the bigger problem.

My actual problem with the realignment is why they had such a massive overhaul.  You can’t tell me that there was no way to accommodate the moving of Atlanta to Winnipeg in the current set up.  So why change what’s working?  Is it because Detroit whined so much it drove the Board Of Governors crazy? Was Anaheim tired of traveling so much? Did the time zone problems with Columbus create an unlevel playing field?  Why did they change what was working?  Put Winnipeg in the Western Conference and send Columbus to the Eastern.  It works. Simple.  No worrying about restructuring the playoffs, scheduling, or whatever dumb stuff will come up in the coming weeks will happen if you leave it alone!  Stop breaking things NHL! (sorry that may have been off topic, but that’s my true problem with the realignment, not the fact that the Flames might be in trouble and at the bottom of this new 4 conference set up)

DB- Is there now even more pressure on the front office for a dynamite draft in 2012, after seeing who the Flames will be grouped with?

CP- As I’ve stated before, one draft will not turn around this team.  Take a look at the Oilers, it isn’t Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle that have turned around the team.  It is a group effort.  It’s smart drafting that adds to the current roster.  The Flames have a heavy need to clean house and to draft a player, based on where the team is at now, would do the Flames no good.  The Oilers went into the draft knowing exactly what key players they needed, Flames won’t have that advantage.  The Penguins did the same thing a few seasons back.  For those of you who don’t remember, the Penguins were awful for a good chunk of time.  However, with good drafting and building with what they already have, the Penguins are now a strong Eastern Conference presence.  The Flames need a good draft pick but they also need a steady roster, a farm team that grooms their prospects properly, and an understanding that not every draftee will be like Jeff Skinner, Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, and those lucky few who manage to have an explosive career right out of the gate.  The Flames need to give their prospects to grow, which will require a level of patience that many don’t want.  So is the 2012 draft important? Yes but it’s not as critical as to what the Flames do after the draft.

DB- Finally, as a fan: are you hoping Phoenix stays put and in the current conference?

CP- Yes. (Do I have to elaborate?  I guess I should.)  I understand that the game of hockey is a Canadian one as well as one of business.  I can see and understand the desire to have the team return to Canada, obviously not to Winnipeg but else where, but is the money there?  Sure the cities are willing to put the money up to have a beautiful arena, to support the team, but what happens in 30 years?  Will they be willing to reinvest in the team if they are struggling?  The city of Glendale is doing the best it can to support the team now.  I’m sorry to say this but Glendale/Phoenix is a much larger economic pool than a smaller city in Canada.  If the Coyotes cannot stay in Glendale/Phoenix, I think they should stay in the area.  Put them in the Las Vegas!  I’m sorry but I don’t think the southwest should lose their hockey team.

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Very few cities in the world love their sports like the fans in Seattle do. Last Saturday, the Seahawks fans caused all kinds of havoc for their team against the 49ers, urging their team forward for their slim playoff hopes to be realized. Have you ever watched a Sounders game in the MLS? Seattle brings the passion, just needs the building. The Thunderbirds, a WHL junior team, have thrived for years in the Emerald City. Hockey does have a footprint in the 11th largest media market in North America, and with the new conference setup, it could be the destination for a new or relocated team.

Su Ring is a Jill-of-all-trades, and is very knowledgeable both in the rink and around the city. Co-host of CCPT Hockey, TV producer, and all around good person; you can follow her on twitter at @Motley_Su, and visit motleysu.blogspot.com. Su recently answered some questions about the arena issue that is the restraint on the NHL’s future in the American Northwest.

DB- I wrote that the NHL’s new realignment is ideal for expansion, what is the feeling in Seattle about their new arena project?

Su Ring- There’s one serious group of business people exploring several arena options, including a proposal to build one in Bellevue. There has also been talk about revamping the TacomaDome to accomodate hockey, while KeyArena is a white elephant in the mix. I’m excited about the Bellevue option, which apparently has drawn interest from the owner of the Chicago Wolves AHL team.

DB- With the Thunderbirds having recently played at KeyArena, what is the public feeling regarding the older building at Seattle Center and renovating it once more for the NHL?

SR- The Seattle Thunderbirds have not played at KeyArena for several years. The City of Kent built an arena for them (ShoWare Center) – it’s smaller than the Key, but built along the same lines as a number of other arenas in the WHL. The Everett Silvertips also have an arena (Comcast Arena) up in Everett, so KeyArena has had to rely on concerts, circuses and the occasional Seattle University basketball game when the Seattle Storm (WNBA) aren’t playing.

DB- Donald Levin has mentioned making a new building out in Bellevue, privately funded. Which do you feel is more likely to garner public support seeing how Seattle area will then have two older arenas in Pudget Sound area (Tacoma Dome)?

SR- I have heard a rumor (RUMOR!!!) that the business group planning the arena in Bellevue are working under the “Field of Dreams” premise (if you build it, the team will come). I don’t know where this rumor started, but the person I heard it from is pretty high up in the sports media scene here in Seattle. I take rumors with a grain of salt, but with several NHL teams practically flatlining financially, I would not be suprised to see a team move here by 2015 if the arena is built. That’s just my personal opinion, but I don’t seem be alone in thinking this way.

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This is the first part of this series. I am of the feeling that this new look NHL could be the catalyst for a new golden age of the league. Two things build rivalries that hold stronger than anything else- playoff series, and geography. This new setup does allow for both to galvanize bonds of hate between teams that can hold for a long time.

While not too recent, it's easily our favorite Kevin Klein moment. (SCREENSHOT- FSTennessee)

Scapegoat.
noun
1. a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place.
2. Chiefly Biblical . a goat let loose in the wilderness on Yom Kippur after the high priest symbolically laid the sins of the people on its head. Lev. 16:8,10,26.

Kevin Klein and Colin Wilson have been the target of much disdain over the past season or more. Both at times have shown their usefulness, other times the holes in their game have been exposed as gaping abysses in the NHL talent pool. They are still both growing into their roles (Wilson more so since he’s barely able to drink legally), and due to the changes in the roster over the past 18 months.

Klein especially, has been the target of much anger regarding defensive lapses. While some of it is warranted and much of it is not, having two of the top 5 defenders in the league doesn’t help him earn the appreciation for the things he does very well.

In their most complete game of the year, both Klein and Wilson showed their worth and potential against the Ducks (again).

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No comment. (PHOTO- AP)

During the preseason, I was calling into to the local radio show here in Nashville talking about how much I liked the idea of consistency through videos regarding the NHL’s new disciplinary system. “Videos will force them to be consistent” I so confidently said. (And no, this is not comparable to Lucic vs. Miller) But I was happy that NHL suspensions would now make sense.

The ruling has came down on our beloved tormentor and agitator, Jordin Tootoo. Brendan Shanahan and the NHL disciplinary crew released a video showing why they decided to suspend Tootoo for two games. After playing it a couple times, sounds like they really tried hard not to piss anyone off.

They failed in this regard.

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Golf definitely played a role in this. PHOTO- RawCharge.com

FOUR conferences? Not divisions, but conferences? HUH? The scary thing is that it actually does make sense. Some teams won, other teams lost. Some teams are convincing themselves that they won when in reality they lost horribly. Realignment has finally been announced, and we have no choice but to talk about it, and laugh.

Decisions made from desperation
No way to go
Internal instincts craving isolation
For me to grow

My fears come alive
In this place where I once died
Demons dreaming
Knowing I…I just needed to realign

-Godsmack, “Realign”

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NEVER FORGET (unless he comes here and scores 40 goals) PHOTO- SBnation.com

This is a blog. It is not a place where Bob McKenzie drops by and gives a 5 minute rumor column. It’s not a plethora of press releases. Usually, it’s me hammering out some 800 word opus in my sunroom. With that in mind, this is purely speculation and hypotheticals. And this particular entry is talking about Bobby Ryan and his availability.

It is no secret that the Predators have always needed goal scoring. The organization has always drafted offensive minded defensemen and safe, solid two-way forwards instead of playmakers (lone exception being Colin Wilson) high in the draft. The Anaheim Ducks finally cashed in on all those years they dwelled in the cellar to snag Getzlaf, Perry, and said Bobby Ryan. (the rest of their forward roster is a bunch of old guys and ruffians) With the right price these teams COULD do business. But, how far is too far?

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