Monday's news: Preds fans searching for answers
by Dirk Hoag on Nov 29, 2010 9:58 AM EST
in Nashville Predators News
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PrintWhen a team struggles like the Nashville Predators have lately, theories abound as to where the problem lies and what solutions are available. Is it coaching? Injuries? A team-wide lack of effort, or a letdown by the leadership? The Preds certainly aren't alone when it comes to scoring woes on the Nashville sports scene.
Follow after the jump as we get a selection of opinions on that front, along with an NHL franchise which may be up for sale, and two teams which spend right up to the salary cap, but are among the worst teams in the league.
Continue your holiday shopping at the OtF Store, where all prices now include free shipping. We've got the "Me So Hornqvist" and "Pass it to Shea..." t-shirts, and a whole lot more.
Before we get to the regular stuff...
Easton Stealth S19 Z-Shock Review | Hockey Gear HQ
The good folks at Easton Hockey sent me one of their new helmets to try out, and I share my review over at a new set of sites I'm starting up which focuses on hockey equipment.
Nashville Predators
The View from 111: At the Quarter Pole- A Predators Report Card
Most of the Preds would get grounded if they brought this home to their parents.
Hockey World - Edmonton Journal
Veteran hockey writer Jim Matheson tags Shea Weber as one of the biggest disappointments in the Western Conference. We love the new captain, but you have to agree, don't you?
Hockey Night in Nashville: Reasons For Change
Robby goes into greater detail as to why he thinks the Predators need a change behind the bench.
Despite his record, Pekka Rinne’s shootout numbers are improved - Nashville Predators Examiner
Jim Diamond looks at Pekka's 11-5 record in shootouts the previous two seasons, and sees this year's 3-2 mark so far as a disappointment which he blames on the shooters. I have a couple problems with this. First, a 3-2 record is within a rounding error of that previous performance (4-1 would be a step up), and the shooters are also within a rounding error of their work last year. With only one more shootout goal scored (they're at 5-for-17, 29.4%), they'd exceed last season's scoring rate of 34.6%. In short, the shootout is the least of this team's problems.
Visiting Rangers Give Credit To Predators Work Ethic, Rinne - Predlines
Amanda got commentary from the Rangers after Saturday night's game, which is notable because they were one of the teams to raise a stink about blogger access to visiting teams earlier this year.
Preds On The Glass: Is Jordin Tootoo An NHL Hero After Whipping Sean Avery?
Buddy wonders if Toots' reputation around the league might get a small boost coming out of Saturday night's whoopin'.
Preds On The Glass: Can The Predators Beat The Odds Again? POTG Radio, and Weekend Wrap-Up
All those trips to Vegas must have rubbed off on Buddy, who shares the latest odds on the Preds.
"It’s Not Pond Hockey Here" | Admirals Roundtable
Don't count on Linus Klasen to get called up to Nashville and solve the Preds' scoring woes.
Sunday's 3 stars: Bunz, Tigers tame Winterhawks - Buzzing The Net
Preds' prospect Charles-Olivier Roussel had a big night for his Montreal Juniors.
O'Reilly, Alzner to appear on NHL Live! - NHL Network
Cal O'Reilly joins the show at some point today between 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Central.
Inside the locker room - Predators Insider
Josh Cooper shares some of the frustration coming from the Preds after Saturday night's shootout loss.
Nashville Predators have problem finding net - The Tennessean
Josh Cooper points out while they're getting outscored, at least the Preds are firing pucks on net, which is good.
The Preds host the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday, and the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, so use the OtF discount to save money on Nashville Predators tickets for these, or any other home game. Remember, Preds tickets can make a great holiday gift, so look through the schedule, and pick out a game!
Around the NHL
Motion control & the future of hockey video games - From The Rink
Mike Chen looks at how the latest video gaming technology will affect NHL games in years to come. By the way, Amazon has NHL Slapshot for the Wii
Dumb and Damien : Tom Benjamin's NHL Blog
Tom takes Toronto columnist Damien Cox to the woodshed over his absurd comments in the recent "newspapers vs. blogs" piece at The Score.
Offside: A Sports Law Blog: NHL’s Failure to Disclose Injuries Bad For Business/Petition For Change
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! The NHL's injury-disclosure policy is flat-out stupid. Head over here for a thorough breakdown of the issue, found via Kukla's Korner.
Bruins Face a Significant Cap Decision - Stanley Cup of Chowder
Could the Predators perhaps find some offensive help in Boston, where the Bruins need to make a move soon for salary cap purposes? Blake Wheeler would add some nice size up front...
Red Wings' Mike Modano out long term after undergoing surgery on wrist | MLive.com
A skate blade cut Modano's wrist, and he's going to be rehabbing for quite a while.
Game No. 22 (Puck-Rakers Blog)
Columbus had two games against Detroit over the weekend that could have lifted them atop the Western Conference, but the Red Wings smacked them down.
The Avalanche’s options in the wake of Chris Stewart’s injury | All Things Avs
Colorado is going to miss their young forward, who broke his hand in a fight.
Maple Leafs and Brian Burke have little to show so far - The Globe and Mail
It's amazing how a team with every conceivable advantage can continue to struggle so mightily.
When There's Smoke, There's Fire: Is Tom Golisano Ready To Sell The Sabres - Die By The Blade
Could the Buffalo franchise be sold soon? Maybe Jim Balsillie would be satisfied to have a team close to Hamilton. Nah, I doubt it.
John MacLean Ready Invest in a TARDIS for Ilya Kovalchuk - PuckUpdate
Could things have possibly worked out worse in New Jersey?
Coming Down the Pipe!: More CHL/NCAA Cross-Border Confusion
Guy clears up a few common misunderstandings about Canadian junior hockey.
Finnish SM-Liiga Goal Locations, 2009-10 - Behind The Net
Some visual evidence of where goals are scored, from the league which many observers say closely mimics the NHL stylistically.
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One thing's for sure ...
Until the Pred’s start to play more consistently, and win more games, I’m choosing to keep my money in my wallet, and I’ll watch the games on TV – it’s cheaper to watch them lose on TV.
Klasen
After getting benched Friday night, Klasen went scoreless with no shots on goal and a minus-1 rating on Saturday night. Last night though he assisted on the opening goal and scored the game-winner to finsh with two PP points, 2 SOG, and a minus-1 rating. He was named third star with Jeremy Smith (who made 32 saves for his 2nd win in 3 games) getting the second star, and Chris Mueller (who is on a tear in Milwaukee, but is only signed to an AHL contract) getting first star honors in the 5-3 victory.
I’m really hoping this is just a glitch in the road for Klasen. He’s been benched before during his career in the SEL, but apparently never as a healthy scratch. Thankfully, history shows that Klasen generally has responded by scoring a bunch of points to show the coach he’s better than that…
Predators Hockey: Live it, Love it...
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by Seth Lake on Nov 29, 2010 10:42 AM EST via mobile reply actions
That's Great to here but...
How is that gonna help the Preds if we don’t call him up or put him on a line where he would even have a chance to score? Riddle me this, Trotz?
by HardCorePredFan316 on Nov 29, 2010 12:51 PM EST up reply actions
Our problem has been at center for most of the season. Klasen is not the answer right now and as has been discussed previously he was the wrong callup for the Detroit game, but had to be the one recalled being the leading goal scorer in the AHL and reigning Player of the Week.
Predators Hockey: Live it, Love it...
Follow me on Twitter: @SLakePreds
by Seth Lake on Nov 29, 2010 1:03 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
So I know you have said this till you are blue in the face but...
if the problem is at center is there anyone in Milwaukee that can help or do we need to look to bring someone in?
what about
Lundmark, or Begin ?? They both already have NHL experience. Or call up R winger Chris Mueller – at least he seems to shoot the puck …
Chris Mueller
Mueller has really been on fire and carrying the Ads offense on their finally completed long road trip, but…
Chris Mueller is not a member of the Predators organization. He is signed to an AHL contract by Milwaukee and is technically still a free agent for NHL purposes.
Predators Hockey: Live it, Love it...
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by Seth Lake on Nov 29, 2010 6:22 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
An entry-level
two-way contract in order? I know that they won’t fire Trotz any time soon. So might as well try something and when THAT fails…
Couple things...
First, I believe anyone signed to an NHL contract in this point of the season has to clear waivers before being able to be re-assigned. I might be wrong about that, but regardless the second issue is more important…
The Predators are currently at 51 contracts in the organization. The limit is 50, but due to the “slide rule” the Predators have the ability to go to as many as 54 contracts this season. This number is important moving forward because we will have to monitor it this summer as the Predators sign prospects to new contracts and allow others to go to free agency.
I simply don’t think Chris Mueller is currently in their long-term plans, although I could see him being re-signed in the summer to a two-way deal if the Predators choose not to re-sign some of their prospects that have stalled and have their contracts expiring (ie: Mark Santorelli, Kelsey Wilson, Dan Gendur, etc).
Honestly, I think Mueller will be looking for a two-way contract next season and if he can keep up this pace, he’ll likely get it. You have to remember though he is an older prospect having gone to Michigan State for four years, then playing his way up from the ECHL to the AHL and only now really pushing for a two-way deal…
Predators Hockey: Live it, Love it...
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I can't tell if you were joking, but...
Yes, Jamie Lundmark is a hard working two-way offensive center that can also play left wing without a problem. He is the answer if Poile doesn’t see anything available outside of the organization (waivers or trade). Lundmark would not have to clear waivers to be recalled, but would to have to be sent back.
I don’t think we can wait another week. The stats are clear in this matter…
When the Preds have had all four Opening Night centers available they’ve scored 7 goals in 2 games (3.5 GPG)…
When the Preds have had just three of the Opening Night centers available they’ve scored 31 goals in 10 games (3.1 GPG – good for 6th in the league)…
And when the Preds have had just 2 of the 4 Opening Night centers available they’ve scored just 18 goals in 12 games or 1.5 GPG – which would be dead last in the league…
I’m the leader of the “Recall Lundmark” bandwagon, although since he has scored in back to back games and appears to be on the right track, I would not send down Wilson to do so. Legwand is on IR as is Lombardi, Lundmark could be recalled without another roster move.
Begin is playing an offensive role in Milwaukee, but is a fourth line center…Lundmark is the better option here.
Predators Hockey: Live it, Love it...
Follow me on Twitter: @SLakePreds
I wasn't joking
It was just an idea, since calling someone up from the AHL affiliate seems a quicker, and least costly , opposed to shopping around the other NHL teams. Unless we could trade Klein for someone …. THAT I’d be open for. He can take his Prilosec OTC (read whimpy passing skills) moments with him.
i have a silly question.
but when The Preds go looking for a player such as a free agent, or on waivers. who makes that decision? would that be Poile or Trotz or both? i’ve always wondered.
That's Poile's call
There’s lots of communication between the two, obviously, but Poile owns all those decisions.
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Preds (be sure to check out my discount offer on Nashville Predators tickets). Catch me on Twitter at @Forechecker, or join our legions on Facebook at Facebook.com/OnTheForecheck.
The Preds have lost a few games in OT, but would they have been better off going .500 with wins and losses? Six o’ one, half dozen of the other. I’m not sweating this, it’s not even December yet. What I do wonder about is how long we’ll be able to go without our top two centers. Lombardi won’t be back any time before the New Year if then. Although it’s not his fault he’s been a big fat zero as a Predator.
Transvestites like to eat, drink and be Mary
Potential Changes
I and many other die hard Pred fans can’t believe Poile and Trotz are just sitting on their hands doing nothing! 5 goals in the past 5 games is a complete joke. Denny Lambert would be considered an offensive threat with this group. It’s not going to get better any time soon. So either they have no money to spend, upgrade or they’re in denial. The entire division is much better than before. By the end of December if they’re 10 points or more out of a playoff spot (very possible) this season is toast. Painful to watch!
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