More photos » Jay LaPrete - AP

The Nashville Predators will miss defenseman Shea Weber as they begin a four-game road trip in Anaheim on Thursday.

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Is it just me, or does this Saturday-to-Thursday stretch without Predators hockey seem like it's taking forever? Ah, well - in the meantime, make sure you get your November wallpaper which includes the team schedule, and perhaps get your Christmas shopping started at the OtF Online Store, powered by Amazon. After all, if you want your kid to memorize the "Miracle" speech, you're probably going to have get the DVD, right?

Anyways, we do have some surprising news this morning, as a Milwaukee Admiral leaves the team and prepares to announce his retirement. After the jump, we've also got a look at the Preds' next opponents, the Anaheim Ducks, and some excitement in Toronto as Phil Kessel may be ready to play tonight for the first time as a Maple Leaf...

Predators News

BREAKING NEWS Ben Eaves Retires - Admirals Short Shifts
An unexpected development in Milwaukee, as the playmaking forward who signed with Nashville as a free agent over the summer has abruptly left the Milwaukee Admirals and will announce his retirement.

The chaos that was October… | Section 303
Jeremy looks back at the previous month, and wonders just how close Barry Trotz came to losing his job.

Injuries force new line shifts - The Tennessean
Bryan Mullen writes about how the defense pairing might look, now that Shea Weber will miss the next few games with an injured foot.

Around the NHL

Let's take a look at the Anaheim Ducks - PensBurgh
While the Preds don't play in Anaheim until Thursday, you can check out this profile of the Ducks, written by our Pittsburgh blog since the Penguins roll in for a game tonight.

Is Today Phil Kessel Day? - Pension Plan Puppets
They're getting giddy in Toronto, on the hopes that their shiny new toy might make his season debut tonight.

Down Goes Brown: Ron Wilson's 15-point plan for fixing the Maple Leafs
DBG cracks the code to find out exactly how the Toronto Maple Leafs plan on turning around their awful start.

Hockey gloves - The lost art of the fashion statement. ( Now with juicy updates!) - Five For Howling
A fantastic FanPost from SB Nation's Phoenix Coyotes blog, which has a number of hockey gloves I'm sure you've never seen before!