Wednesday notes: Antti Pihlstrom takes a stand, while Metro squeezes Preds suite plan

This morning's news takes us around many different aspects of the Nashville Predators organization; on the business side, the Metro Sports Authority has to decide whether to approve the team's plan to create a new "super suite", one restricted free agent stands at an impasse in negotiations with the team, and we've got two interviews related to the developmental pipeline, one with scout Rick Knickle and the other with 4th-round draft pick Nick Oliver.

All this and more after the jump...

Metro wants more from Preds suite plan - The Tennessean

The Preds need Nashville's Metro Sports Authority to approve their plan to create a "Reserve at the Sommet Center", an upscale mega-suite that might bring in as much as $2 million in additional revenue. Before they do so, however, some authority members are trying to see how much of the financial gain they can extract for the city. One would think the city should get behind an initiative (funded by the team) that aims to increase business, and hence tax revenue, but that's bureaucracy for you.

Nashville Predators Update - The Pipeline Show

Preds scout Rick Knickle gives an interview on this radio show which focuses on NHL prospects and drafting. There's high praise for Nashville's top young players (like Colin Wilson, Chet Pickard and Jonathan Blum) while having drafted towards the middle or lower end of the first round most years.

Q&A with Nick Oliver - Hockey's Future
Holly Gunning of Hockey's Future (probably the single-best resource for prospect coverage) brings us an interview Nick Oliver, the 4th-round draft pick (110th overall) who attended Development Camp last week. Nick talks about coming back from a broken collarbone that derailed his season last year.

Nashville Predators 101: the anatomy of a schedule - Nashville Predators Examiner
Jim Diamond breaks down the format of an NHL schedule, in anticipation of the 2009-10 schedule that comes out this afternoon.

Pihlstrom looking for one-way deal - Tennessean.com 

John Glennon says the current hangup in re-signing Antti Pihlstrom is the fact that he's looking for a contract that pays him the same whether at the NHL level or down in Milwaukee. While I think there's potential for Antti to make an impact with the Preds, he didn't help his cause with just two goals last season.