If you thought things on the Nashville Predators were getting crazy, think again, because it could be getting even more crazier.
Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager Chris MacFarland met with local media yesterday to discuss his offseason plans, answer questions on day one of free agency, and talk about prospect development. Throughout the press conference, he teased the idea that something big could be coming.
MacFarland has been reconstructing the team ever since he was hired. He hired league-wide recognized names Rob Blake (Executive V.P. of Hockey Ops.) and Jamie Langenbrunner (Special Assistant to the GM) in front office positions.
For his roster, he acquired Ross Colton, Jack Drury and Nils Hoglander, as well as signing Alex Kerfoot to bolster the bottom six. Yesterday MacFarland made a move for Mavrik Bourque and Ilya Lyubushkin to provide support to the top-six and defensive core respectively.
With all these additions, the Predators roster has gotten quite crowded, which sparks questions regarding if we'll see anybody on their way out. MacFarland demonstrated his lack of hesitation when it came to dealing away Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux in the past; could we see more trades like this?
"Maybe,” MacFarland said in context of setting up for big moves. “Yeah, maybe. In all seriousness, if we can improve the team, we're going to try to do it."
Even with his newest name on defense, Lyubushkin, MacFarland seemed particularly interested in continuing to add to the blueline.
"I think the backend is something that we want to find a little bit more puck skill, a little more transition as part of our game," he said. "It's not easy to do, right? As you can see, like free agency, there weren't a lot of those defensemen available. There's a reason for that. Those are the hard-to-get assets, really hard. Centers, top-two-line players, and I think we're in that age now where the [salary] cap is going up and teams aren't going to be as squeezed to get their own guys done."
On defense, the Predators pretty much have a loaded lineup. Roman Josi and Brady Skjei are top-line locks, while guys like Nicolas Hague, Nick Perbix and Lyubushkin all serve second and third pairing roles. Players like Ryan Ufko and Adam Wilsby may struggle to find consistent minutes with the wave of acquisitions, but as MacFarland explained, moves can be made.
How prospect development looks under the new system
MacFarland told reporters that the plan is to let the prospects simmer a bit longer in the AHL or their respective league before turning pro.
"We're going to be looking forward to watching these guys play, whether it's in Milwaukee or college or wherever it may be, and really doing that exercise of seeing are they ready to turn pro,” he said. “That's the first step, and then the next step in the likely path to Nashville is through Milwaukee, and then how they do there. And sometimes it's a little quicker than others, and sometimes it takes a few years, and that's OK. That's part of the journey and part of the process."
Just because the prospect has high potential, it does not guarantee that they'll get a roster spot, and as MacFarland explained, "things have to be earned here."
"The NHL is the winning business," he said. "The AHL is hopefully going to be part of the winning business, because we believe that culturally, but the AHL is where your players are going to get good ice time and develop and grow, and then their play will tell us, we believe, when they’re ready to have a roster spot in the NHL... We want them to kick the door down and take a National Hockey League job. It’s not given. You’ve got to earn it."
With the roster loaded up with experienced veterans, MacFarland is preparing to make a push back into relevance while also developing prospects at the same time, something the Predators struggled with in the past as seen with Philip Tomasino, Eeli Tolvanen and Dante Fabbro.
"We want to surround our young NHL players with character builders, guys that have seen winning, that know what it looks like, and can teach these young guys what goes into that on and off the ice," MacFarland said. "I think some of the players that we've added, they've seen what winning looks like, and they can certainly impart some things to our young guys, and that's what we want them to do."
There certainly is a lot of talent brewing in Nashville, and while it may take time to see them in the mustard yellow, the prospects certainly won't be left to dry.
Add us as a preferred source on Google