Nashville Predators cut 6 from training camp

by Dirk Hoag on Sep 28, 2010 1:08 PM EDT

The Nashville Predators announced more cuts today as they trim their training camp roster down to 31, with names including defenseman Teemu Laakso and forward Andreas Thuresson (both cleared waivers earlier today), and 2008 1st-round draft pick Chet Pickard. This comes via Josh Cooper at The Tennessean. Defensemen Brett Palin, Grant Lewis, and forward Kelsey Wilson are also headed to Milwaukee.

Follow after the jump for a look at the remaining competition for open jobs...

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There aren't any surprises here, and I would expect that tomorrow in Atlanta, we'll see another lineup which looks close to what we'll see on Opening Night, with the exception of perhaps 2-4 competitors for various spots.

While the regular season roster limit is set at 23, the Preds have typically carried 21 or 22 players in recent years. That means 9 or 10 more players will be eliminated over the coming days.

Battles remain for Nashville jobs

One of the most interesting battles remaining is on defense, where Ryan Parent, Aaron Johnson, and Alexander Sulzer are battling for two positions as the 6th & 7th defensemen (although David Poile's latest comments would indicate that Parent has won his place already). All would require waivers to go to Milwaukee.

In goal, the "battle for the backup" is down to the two early favorites, Mark Dekanich and Anders Lindback. All indications so far are that the Preds are content with one of these two behind Pekka Rinne for the time being, but if they decide otherwise, they may have to move quickly as teams like Minnesota and Philadelphia have suffered goaltending injuries in recent days, and may scoop up Jose Theodore off the open market. After he's gone, the pickings look mighty slim out there.

Up front, it would appear that Sergei Kostitsyn is working his way into an NHL job, while Jonas Andersson could get left as the odd man out. At center, Cal O'Reilly and Jamie Lundmark are also on the bubble, either as a 4th-line center or spare forward. Lundmark would appear to have the edge in terms of versatility and experience, while O'Reilly has the greater offensive upside.

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Wingers

If I’m not mistaken, Kostitsyn has played 3 pre season games, and Andersson hasn’t played since the 2 games against the ‘Canes. Wondering who impresses Trotz the most here – it seems to me they are looking at Kostitsyn more than Andersson. Being that Andersson hasn’t played North American rinks in the past few years – leads me to think that he’ll be sent to Milwaukee – perhaps not for the entire season, but at least for a while.

by XVIII on Sep 28, 2010 1:54 PM EDT reply actions

Questions

Is it possible that Belak is placed on waivers?
Could Poile keep 23 this year with the true depth at forward we seem to have?
Dirk, don’t you think Halischuk or Spaling bring more to the table as a 4th line guy than Lundmark and O’Reilly?

I know I am in the minority here but would be more inclined to see Andersson kept over Smithson. Jonas seems to have as much defensive ability as Smithson and more offensive ability.

by wrandsw on Sep 28, 2010 2:01 PM EDT reply actions

You may be right...

But Smithson does take a ton of our most important draws. Also, I have a softspot for players who work as hard as Smithson, and since he’s been on the team for so long, I’d hate to see him gone.

This team is definitely about to go through a transition though. The last few years, the Preds never would have considered getting rid of Smithson since we knew he was important to our THIRD line. Now, we know he’s not offensive enough to really be a third line player because we have at least 3 players who could play equivalent defense with more offensive upside. I love this problem, and I hope that the Preds so-called “difficulties” continue to grow as Beck, Geoff, and other prospects push for NHL time!

by dnorm4 on Sep 29, 2010 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions

If you look at Halischuk & Spaling vs. Lundmark & O’Reilly, the options are really as follows:

1) Keep Halischuk & Spaling, and expose Lundmark & O’Reilly to waivers, probably losing at least one of them.

2) Keep Lundmark & O’Reilly, and let Halischuk & Spaling continue developing at Milwaukee.

Clearly option 2 is the wiser choice as long as you’re not convinced that Halischuk or Spaling are well ahead of the incumbents, and I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that. Patience can be frustrating, but it’s usually the right choice with young players.

Frankly, out of these guys I think Lundmark might be best suited to fill a 4th-line/occasional scratch role. Typically, younger players founder in such circumstances, whereas a seasoned pro knows how to prepare and deliver a solid performance when called upon.

As to Smithson, I’d be stunned if Trotz & Poile let him go. He’s their best faceoff man, and a dependable plugger/PKer. Coaches covet those guys like a security blanket.

On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators. Catch me on Twitter at @Forechecker.

by Dirk Hoag on Sep 29, 2010 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions