How should the Nashville Predators shake things up?

by Dirk Hoag on Jan 30, 2010 11:47 AM EST

With 5 straight losses, it's time for a serious shake-up for the Nashville Predators. Just as medical personnel restart a heart that's spasming by shocking it with electricity, Barry Trotz needs to send a strong signal to his team that business as usual can't continue any further.

We all know something needs to change, but what exactly? I'll toss out a few options here, but I'd like to get your input in the comments below:

Break up the Kevin Klein/Dan Hamhuis pairing, and go with Hamhuis/Weber, then Suter/Klein. We might get more out of Ryan Suter by making him the lead dog on the 2nd pair, rather than play in Weber's shadow on the top unit.
Give Cody Franson all the PP time he can handle.
Call up Colin Wilson for some 3rd-line and PP work.
Move Martin Erat up alongside Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan, as it seems that he and David Legwand just don't mix well.
Reunite the Sullivan-Arnott-Dumont line, which hasn't been together in a long time.
Revise the old "shutout" rule - instead of rewarding a goalie who gets a shutout with the next start (a tradition that Trotz foolishly abandoned recently), reward him with the next 5 starts. See if that gets a rise out of somebody.
If David Poile is lining up potential trades for the deadline, go ahead and pull the trigger now.

Well? Anybody got any other bright ideas?

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We’ve got some NHL ready talent that can play big minutes with the Preds. O’Reilly, Spaling, and Thuresson are the kids that I’m talking about. Trotz needs to look at the players who are not performing and make them culpable for their lack of effort, energy, and heart. This team needs guys out there that will play each and every second of a 60 minute game. I’m all for putting 26-19-10 together, but I don’t think they need to get first line minutes. The more our young guys play the better they are going to get because they will calm down and rise to meet or exceed the NHL-level competition.

Franson is quickly becoming every inch the player that the organization dreamed about. There is no reason not to push him up and out of the third D-pairing. Plus, if he struggles a bit could he be as bad as the Hamhuis-Klein combination?

VP of the Coalition to Bench Arnott

by 3DLink on Jan 30, 2010 12:11 PM EST reply actions

split hamhuis and klein but not weber and suter. that was successful early and we played well afterwards. agree on leggy and erat. while good defensively most of the time they both slump offensively nearly every time they are together. go back to the november lines as soon as injuries allow. erat w/ arnott and sully. ward, leggy and smithers. goc, dumont and hornqvist. tootoo, jones and thureson/spaling. sit belak and send oreilly back down. he’s played ok, but he isnt a 4th line grinder/energy guy. wilson is a decision i dont know about. again, not a grinder and not sure hes ready for top 6 time yet. i really liked scatchard as a 4th liner but it may be a while on him.

by predswilrule on Jan 30, 2010 12:31 PM EST reply actions

I suggest a new regiment of pre-game rituals:

Arnott—Find a snake and bite it back.
Belak—Crank call Donald Brashear.
Bouillon—Construct a scale model of the Batman building out of bouillon cubes.
Dumont—Drive tourists around downtown in a handsome cab.
Erat—Catch a carp in the pond by the Parthenon, sing it a song in Czech, and release it.
Ellis—Feed lettuce to deer… oh wait, he already tried that.
Franson—Follow Weber around and do whatever he does.
Goc—Take the morning skate in one of those German WWI helmets with the spike on top.
Hamhuis—Stay away from Klein.
Hornqvist—Eat three corn-dogs.
Klein—Stay away from Hamhuis.
Legwand—Take his wife to the hospital and have her go through a mock birth, then race to the Sommet just in time to take the ice.
Rinne—Crank call the Finnish Olympic Committee.
Smithson—Destroy an effigy of Alex Burrows (or the real one)
Sully—Practice breakaways again, and again, and again.
Suter—Take the morning skate dressed as Captain America.
Tootoo—Eat raw seal meat.
Ward—Watch the tape of his goal against Dallas last year.
Weber—Dance… even more than usual.

"Get to the Choppa!"

by PredHead on Jan 30, 2010 1:38 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

all good ideas--might not hurt to try ALL of them

Klein and Hammer are an absolute disaster sometimes, but I don’t think you should break up Weber and Suter. They’re almost telepathic. Go with Hamhuis/Franson and Klein/Bouillon.

Put Suter and Franson on one power play (Suter passes, Franson just fires at will) and Weber/Hamhuis on the other. Tired of seeing Sully at the point, its a failed experiment.

As far as lines, I want to see this:
Even Strength:
Hornqvist – Arnott – Sullivan
Ward – Legwand – Smithson
Erat – Wilson – Dumont
Tootoo – Goc – Spaling

PP1:
Dumont – Arnott – Hornqvist
Weber/Hamhuis
PP2:
Erat – Wilson – Sullivan
Suter/Franson

Or some variation, I just mainly want to see Wilson on a PP and Franson being a lead PP dog.

As far as the broken PK, I have no idea. Goc seems to be good at it, and Bouillon.

Don’t really care about the goalie thing, just make up your mind who you want to resign and ride him.

And heck, yes, pull the trigger on a trade. Now. Yesterday.

On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.
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by Chris Burton on Jan 30, 2010 1:39 PM EST reply actions

Agree with 3DLink

Sadly the playoffs seem to be slipping into the “next year” realm so it makes sense to give the ice time to younger guys who play like they want to prove themselves qualified to be in the NHL. Make a lot less use of the players who think that—since they’ve already received their fat contracts and the no-trade contracts they demanded—they no longer have to work night in and night out. As for the poor performances in goal, bring up Chet Pickard. Maybe Ellis and Rinne would apply themselves a more diligently if somebody else were suited up, sitting on the bench and ready to prove himself in the big league.

by Hockey Hillbilly on Jan 30, 2010 2:37 PM EST reply actions

whoa there

Sadly the playoffs seem to be slipping into the "next year" realm

In what way? We’re still very, very much in the thick of it and a 3/6 or 4/5 matchup with LAK or CO/VAN is still very, very much a possibility as is a victory against those teams if we can get it together. Nothing bothers me more than people hitting the panic button too soon. Did you watch last night’s game? They did everything they could to win. (Save Klein/Hamhuis, of course)

As for the poor performances in goal, bring up Chet Pickard

Um, this will only make things work. Pickard is the backup to Mark Dekanich in the AHL and is really inconsistent, to boot. He opens floodgates at the minor league level, in no way is he ready ready for Rick Nash and Joe Thornton.

As much as I’ve criticized, Legwand, Arnott, Sullivan, and Dumont give us an infinitely better chance at postseason success than Wilson, Spaling, Thuresson, O’Reilly, and Santorelli.

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by Chris Burton on Jan 30, 2010 2:48 PM EST up reply actions

That’s not a panic button, just a sense of resignation setting in. The time to make a move for favorable playoff position (from my admittedly limited perspective) began with the Toronto game on home ice after a successful swing through Western Canada. It didn’t happen for whatever reason and (again, from my point of view) that has a lot to do with veterans Legwand, Arnott, Sullivan and Dumont who could have recognized the opportunity for what it was. The Pickard reference was a bit satiric—referring to the Rinne callup that spurred Ellis to overtake Mason in goal once and for all. Sorry about that one, only.

by Hockey Hillbilly on Jan 30, 2010 3:04 PM EST up reply actions

There are a lot of reasons for the five losses in a row. The Preds were winning before despite a horrible powerplay and ineffective penalty kill(which this one is mostly due to injuries). The main reasons we were winning before with a multitude of problems was that the goaltending was good and streaky shooter scoring. Now the scorers stop scoring and the goaltending has sprung a leak; the juggling by Trotz has caught up to him. The juggling of the goalies and the lines. This can be attributed to injuries, but some of our scorers have gone invisible such as Sully and Legwand and Arnott. Arnott hasn’t been the same without Dumont and Sully is showing his age and possibly can’t play a full season effectively. Legwand has always been streaky but since others are doing likewise only magifies his problems. The power play is the most puzzling problem. The approach is confusing. They should try alternate ideas instead of the point shot. The other teams have figured that one out. The combination of O’Reilly, Santorelli and other could be dealt some kind of a scorer. Because the combination hasn’t proved anything and they need to go to another team for consistent playing time and we need a jolt!

by roseyc on Jan 30, 2010 4:45 PM EST reply actions

Thanks for joining the site!

You’re right, if the Preds could figure out a way to get even an average PP performance, they’d be in a significantly better spot.

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on Jan 30, 2010 5:55 PM EST up reply actions

Grinders are needed back

Nashville’s grinders are what make the entire team run effectively. Ward and Goc wear down the other teams which make the more offensively talented players more effective. Maybe instead of looking at trading young unproven talent, why not trade Arnott? Why not receive young talent from another team that isn’t getting a lot of playing time?

by VApreds on Jan 30, 2010 5:48 PM EST reply actions

We’ll get more into the trade situation next week, but Arnott, Dumont, Legwand and Erat (at least, there may be one or two more) all have no trade clauses, so you can pretty much write off moving them anywhere.

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on Jan 30, 2010 5:53 PM EST up reply actions

And thanks for joining the site!

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on Jan 30, 2010 5:53 PM EST up reply actions

I'm pretty sure thats all

Plus, I actually like Legwand and Erat when they play with their heads on straight.

As for that young talent from another team that isn’t playing much you mention, you wouldn’t have to ship off Arnott for that. In fact, Dirk already posted about someone who fits your bill.

While some of that may be outdated, I think the premise certainly still fits—we need scoring, and fast.

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by Chris Burton on Jan 30, 2010 6:09 PM EST up reply actions

in clarification

I like Arnott and Dumont as well, they’re just slightly more inconsistent as far as effort goes and annoy me easier :).

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by Chris Burton on Jan 30, 2010 6:10 PM EST up reply actions

At least we haven't lost nine in a row like Calgary!

by hockeydekefreak on Jan 30, 2010 6:08 PM EST reply actions

Hey now,

don’t jinx it.

Graphic Designer/Researcher/Writer at Music City Miracles.
Official Graphic Goon of On The Forecheck.

by Aditya T (smashville) on Jan 30, 2010 6:21 PM EST up reply actions

I almost said that

My secret reason for letting Dirk do the game preview tonight, I’ve done every one since the Toronto game. ;)

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by Chris Burton on Jan 30, 2010 6:27 PM EST up reply actions

Not sure if anyone said it yet

Bench Klein altogether. To Hell with him. D pairs: 6-20, 2-32, 51-52.

Franny AND Weber on top PP line – put some REAL power up there, and let them fire at will. Put Suter on 2nd PP line, with Sullivan or Goc on the point.

Have Wilson center Erat and Legwand, who needs to go back on the wing.

Get a new special teams coach.

by stackiii on Jan 30, 2010 9:32 PM EST reply actions