Tuesday's notes: Which young gun will take the lead for the Preds?
by Dirk Hoag on Jul 26, 2011 10:11 AM EDT
in Nashville Predators News
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PrintWe already know that youth will be relied upon more than ever in the upcoming season for the Nashville Predators, but what catches my interest this morning is the question of which young forward will score more in the year ahead? Sergei Kostitsyn, or Colin Wilson?
He came out of nowhere to lead the Preds in scoring last season, but as I'm sure you're sick of me saying, that Shooting Percentage figure has "fluke" written all over it. Can he learn to drive the puck to the net more aggressively, and keep producing when the level of competition rises?
Kostitsyn finished last season on a line with Mike Fisher and Patric Hornqvist, a combination which, if left intact, could lead to plenty of prime opportunities.
Willy appeared to take a step forward through the early part of the season, but after the All-Star Break things took a turn for the worse, and his ice time often dropped to less than 10 minutes a game from March onward. Things didn't get any better in the playoffs, as he appeared in only 3 games of the Vancouver series.
The departure of Steve Sullivan would appear to open the door to a full-time Top 6 role that's waiting for Wilson if he can earn the trust of the coaching staff. Can he step up in what is a critical contract year for him?
Feel free to debate the question of which of these two will outscore the other in the comments below after reading your morning hockey notes...
Nashville Predators News
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Congrats to the Section 303 gang, which will represent the Predators fan base again as finalists in the "Best Blog" category of the Tennessean's annual poll. Among recommendations we shared in our Hockey Fan's Guide to Toast of Music City voting, Bridgestone Arena is a finalist for Best Music Venue, Vanderbilt is in the running for Best Hospital, Carrie Underwood is up for Best Celebrity, Willy Daunic is a finalist for Best Sports Reporter, and Pekka Rinne is a candidate for Best Local Pro Athlete.
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Honestly, OTF should have been one of the top 3.
This is the only Preds blog that I check daily. Also who voted for Cortland Finnegan? He is like the Alex Burrows of football.
To be fair...
…he’s the only guy who at least attempts to fight like a hockey player.
Gonna miss you Joel Ward...
Go Predmirals!
Cortland does a lot of stuff for the community
He’s a real good guy off the field and was the main reason the Titans had any work outs at all during the lockout. Go read about his relationship with a cancer patient named Kelsey Towns.
I currently star in the new MTV3 series,
"Jersey Shore: Lake Erie Edition"
Cleveland Rocks!
Read it and weep
Rudy Kalis?
That guy couldn’t say s—t if he had a mouthful. He is the worst.
The truth is neither libelous nor slanderous.
Reason and logic instead of hope and faith.
Pro athletes--it's not what they say, it's what they do.
by shoot the puck on Jul 26, 2011 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I love that Top 25 (with 5 honorable mentions)...
… of NHL centers….
OH WHY IS DAVID LEGWAND NOT LISTED?!
Just so I can be sure.....
(this comment is meant to be an attempt at humor…..we’re allowed to do that about Legwand, right?)
by turd-ferguson on Jul 26, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
We have to have huge years from...
Tits, Bergfors, Cal O’Reilly and Colin Wilson or we’re doomed.
Mark my words...
Barring any serious injuries, and provided they are on the same line together, Bergfors will be our goal-scoring leader and O’Reilly will be our assist leader. Book it!
If we had re-signed Goc,
You could change this statment with Tits being the goal leader, and Goc being the points leader, IMHO.
by turd-ferguson on Jul 26, 2011 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Pfffft
I watched theat sumbit play every game for the Thrashers last year (when he wasn’t picking at the buffett table in the press box) and I can tell you that although he occasionally has moves of offensive genious I think you saw him play in Jersey), he’s often a shift-ghost and defensively very lazy. Summarize:The boy needs to man-up and move his feet. I hope you’re right my bro, I predicted 25+ goals out of him last pre-season, but if he plays for Trotz like he did for Rammer in 10-11, he’ll bypass Milwaukee and it’s off to obscurity in the Swede League or KHL.
Not a bad prediction. I hope you’re right, because that means Bergfors was another steal for GMDP and it means that O’Reilly is back where he was. Crossing my fingers on O’Reilly because I thought he had a great first half last year.
Kostitsyn will score more points, but Wilson will score more goals. Love SK74 but he’s another guy that would prefer a cross-crease pass instead of shooting into an open net. Not sure how he got to 20 last year — some really weird goals — but I don’t expect that kind of production again. His assists will go up, though.
Willy
As long as Trotz gives Willy all the playing time he deserves, he just may have a break out year. It may depend on the line he’s on, maybe he’ll be paired with 0’Reilly! However, they’re both centers, so maybe put Willy on as a winger and see how that works.
I think SK74 really needs to be more aggressive, and shoot more also. He did have some good goals, and some weird ones too. But as we all saw.. he sort of lost fuel towards the end of the season and during the playoffs.
I can’t wait for next season!
by MeSoHornqvsit on Jul 26, 2011 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Say Hey Willy
I have no real science behind my choice other than I think SK is a pompous, self important blowhard and as much as I want to see the Preds succeed I would be happy to see him fail miserably.
by Melissa Vanderpool Wallace on Jul 26, 2011 11:19 AM EDT reply actions
Is he a jerk? Or is he just from Belarus? You know, language barrier and all. I don’t know the guy except for what he seems (Eastern European, ’80s alt rock vibe, etc.). I like 20-goal scorers, though.
Gotta agree with you el pucko. I think the language barrier may make him appear to be aloof, but has anyone ever tried greeting Sergei in Sergei’s native language. Could break the ice a bit. I’ve heard Pekka say he loves seeing signs to him written in Finnish. Maybe a few banners in Belarus would help.
online 24/7 at www.chas-e.net
проста застрэліць!!!!
JUST SHOOT!!!!
online 24/7 at www.chas-e.net
by Chas-E on Jul 26, 2011 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Radulov knows what this means.
Wilson’s gonna have a great year…as long as Trotz doesn’t mess with his head too much.
The truth is always the right answer....
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Jul 26, 2011 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
SISU PEKKA
He’ll know what it means.
by Hockey Hillbilly on Jul 26, 2011 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Language barriers can be tough. We possibly saw a better Tits because he became more comfy. I’m expecting more shots from him and more points too, because remember, he didn’t get all that many minutes early on the year. This year, he will.
Wasn’t SK74 injured in training camp? Broken foot or something?
I’m hoping that both of these guys step it up this season. They both have a huge incentive to have a great year since they’ll both be negotiating contracts next summer.
"I'm a firm believer that in life, if you're happy then happy things will happen for you."--Bernie Parent
Part Predator, part Lightning.
forgive me if i'm mistaken...
But doesn’t SK74 become an UFA next summer?
by Preds of State on Jul 26, 2011 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes he was. A year in our system and more ice time early equals more points. It better…LOL
by Predator Don on Jul 26, 2011 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Don’t understand why only a one year deal for Kostitsyn. Anybody know why?
The truth is neither libelous nor slanderous.
Reason and logic instead of hope and faith.
Pro athletes--it's not what they say, it's what they do.
Then why sign him at all?
The truth is neither libelous nor slanderous.
Reason and logic instead of hope and faith.
Pro athletes--it's not what they say, it's what they do.
by shoot the puck on Jul 26, 2011 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Cause
he can score goals. Kinda need that.
I doubt we'll ever really know
Given how unlikely it is that any actual information on this will ever be made public by the team’s side, all we can do is speculate. There was an interview that SK gave in Russian in which he said he had wanted a two-year deal. IF that is correct, then the one year deal could reflect either a calculation on the team’s side (does he need to prove something to them, for instance? Are there other plans or concerns we don’t know about?) or an inability to come to an agreement on terms so they agree to one year as a way of putting it off for a while. But this is all speculation. There are probably other possibilities I haven’t considered.
"I'm a firm believer that in life, if you're happy then happy things will happen for you."--Bernie Parent
Part Predator, part Lightning.
Your right....
and I would think that’s why the Preds overpaid (IMO) him to keep him another year and in order avoid the grievance hearing. But I also think they wanted to make sure he’s not a one year wonder and see how much cap space they have with all of our other signees coming up.
Preds want him to prove himself for one more year I guess. I was hoping for atleast a 3 year 9mil deal. Guess I’ll have to wait for 1 more year.
Not discounting your theory, but I have to wonder why Hornqvist got a three year deal but Kostitsyn only one. There apparently is something more to the situation.
The truth is neither libelous nor slanderous.
Reason and logic instead of hope and faith.
Pro athletes--it's not what they say, it's what they do.
by shoot the puck on Jul 26, 2011 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s because Hornqvist’s offensive production is much more reliable than Kostitsyn’s. Hornqvist has put up big shot totals everywhere along the line, from Sweden to Milwaukee to Nashville. Kostitsyn’s goal-scoring last year had a healthy bit of good fortune mixed in, with his league-leading shooting percentage.
Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators, and HockeyGearHQ, a site devoted to news, reviews, and deals on hockey equipment and accessories. Catch me on Twitter, or join OTF on Facebook!
Not buying it
Shot totals don’t mean squat if they don’t go in. Hornqvist’s shot totals netted him 9 fewer goals than the year before and 2 fewer than Kostitsyn this past season.
The truth is neither libelous nor slanderous.
Reason and logic instead of hope and faith.
Pro athletes--it's not what they say, it's what they do.
by shoot the puck on Jul 29, 2011 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Plus
the Kostitsyn thing got a bit rushed with the whole RFA goof-up. Better to get him to a one year deal then try again next year for longer term.
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Dirk Hoag is the Forechecker, churner of NHL stats & analysis, and managing editor of On the Forecheck.
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