Tuesday's notes: Are the Nashville Predators falling behind in the West?

This morning's news and notes includes a review of the latest players signed to two-way contracts by Nashville, a look ahead to the 2014 Winter Olympics, and a survey of hockey fans as to how the conference standings will look at the end of next season. Predators fans, you won't be happy with what they're projecting.

While you're reading, I highly recommend catching last night's Preds On the Glass podcast; due to a scheduling conflict I had to bail out on Buddy earlier in the day, but Mark from The View From 111 stepped into the breach for an entertaining discussion on recent developments such as the near-bankruptcy of CIT (which could have triggered financial chaos for many pro sports franchises), as well as a look back at the West Coast road trip that he took with the Predators last season, which came about just as The Tennessean stopped sending beat writer John Glennon as a cost-cutting measure. Mark's blog updates were a lifeline for Preds fans trying to get the latest injury news as the team played a series of key games during the playoff hunt.

From The Rink readers predict the 2009-10 standings - From The Rink
James Mirtle asked his readers to make predictions on next year's conference standings, and Nashville was picked to make the biggest fall in the West. Head on over and take a look...

What The Puck: So much to do, so much to say
Rachel catches up on all the Preds news over the last couple weeks; this may be July, but it's been a very busy time on the personnel front.

NHL participation in the Olympics - a possible solution : Nashville Predators Examiner
In Part 2 of his look at NHL participation in the Olympics, Jim Diamond suggests a way to ensure that the partnership continues, while not disrupting the NHL season with a two-week break in the middle.

The Olympic Question - Logistics? Or a Poke at the KHL... : Paul McCann
Paul McCann has a similar suggestion for salvaging the NHL/Olympic relationship after the 2010 Vancouver Games.

A Few Notes From The Blackhawks Convention - Second City Hockey
One fan checks in from the Chicago Blackhawks summer convention. Don't forget that the Predators will host a "Skate of the Union" event this Thursday, July 23rd, from 5-9 p.m. at the Sommet Center.

Schedule Analysis - The Cannon
It looks like the Blue Jackets have a fairly similar schedule to the Predators; some big road trips early, more home games late, and plenty of Saturday night home games which should boost attendance.

A Quick And Early Look At The Northwest Division Rivals - Nucks Misconduct
SB Nation's Vancouver Canucks blog reviews the rest of the Northwest Division.