Tuesday's notes: Whither Ekholm?

As the Nashville Predators hit the practice ice at Centennial again (today at 10:30), there are still a few lingering issues before we hear about the Opening Night roster. Will Kyle Wilson clear waivers? Will Mattias Ekholm stick with the big club, accept an assignment to Milwaukee, or head back to Sweden? How many healthy bodies will the Preds carry early on?

We'll keep an eye on those story lines in the hours ahead, but for now, dig into your morning hockey notes...

Nashville Predators News

Pred White and Blue: Get to Know Other Teams in the Division
I do enjoy a good dump on Columbus. Like the old directions from Ann Arbor said, "south 'til you smell it, east 'til you step in it".

Hockey Night in Nashville: The road to Nashville goes through.....Madison?
It must be the cheese & brats, right?

Smashville 24/7: Smith enjoys big sports weekend
Brewers, Packers, and Badgers? Pfft. Let Leggy talk about Tigers, Lions, and Wolverines!

Lessons in house-hunting and hockey - Predators Insider
Jonathon Blum goes house-hunting. Come on, Blummer, check out Nolensville! Now that you're blogging, you have to come to the tiny town that boasts three Preds blogs, soon to be four. On a per capita basis, Nolensville, Tennessee might be the hockey blogging capital of the world.

Nashville Predators' Mike Fisher to miss opener - The Tennessean
Yup, as unbelievable as it sounded weeks ago, Matthew Lombardi will play in the season opener, while Mike Fisher will not.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Moneypuck Again : Tom Benjamin's NHL Blog :: CanucksCorner.com
This guy sure takes a long to say "bah, humbug".

Moneyball, and hockey’s new underdogs - Backhand Shelf
Cam Charron kicks off his contributions at Backhand Shelf, setting expectations for statistical analysis a little more successfully than Mr. Benjamin.

Fantasy Top Ten - Under The Radar Breakout Picks - Fantasy Hockey Scouts
The Preds land two selections here...

Fantasy Hockey: Preseason scoring leaders tease NHL domination - Puck Daddy
Craig Smith as a late-round pick with keeper potential? I'm down with that.

The Eager Freshmem: Not So-Obvious Calder Candidates Part 3

A Nashville Predators makes this list, but not the one you think.

Dissecting a Washington Capitals Practice Plan - Backhand Shelf

Get your BONZ Flow working or else you'll be hopeless at the Tom Watt 41. Trust me, read the article. 

Gudbranson to make NHL regular season debut Saturday - Litter Box Cats
Panthers fans will be excited to see their 2010 1st-round pick hit the ice.

Hockey is in Manitoba's blood - The Globe and Mail
Well, no wonder there are so many Manitoba connections with the Preds...

Harvard wonk choreographs Flames’ ‘quantum shift’ - The Globe and Mail
An interesting profile of a new addition to Calgary's front office.

Igloo Dreams: Igloo Dreams Six Year Blog Anniversary
Congratulations to this Pittsburgh Penguins blog, which outlasted the Igloo itself.

Bauer Vapor X:60 hockey sticks just marked down over 15% | Hockey Gear HQ
Surely as part of the ramp-up to the release of Bauer's new Vapor APX, one online retailer has slashed prices on the X:60 by as much as $40 per stick...

Wait... the Shanahammer shows mercy, too? This is particularly impressive, because usually, when the NHL decides not to act on a particular incident, they just don't say anything about it.