Nashville Predators News & Notes
Duchene Loves Nashville, But Knows He’s Here to Help Preds Win | NHL.com
Wait, really? I thought he was here to invest in a pedal tavern business and kick off a country music career! You mean he was signed to play hockey?
Photos: Best of Roman Josi in 2018-19 | NHL.com
We’ve been slacking on the handsome/60 coverage at On the Forecheck recently. As managing editor, I take full responsibility for this shortcoming.
Other News & Notes
Nana and Nachi Fujimoto bring Japan to Färjestad BK | The Ice Garden
Nana Fujimoto is a tiny brick wall and she really deserved better than that first-year Riveters defense. Now she’s going to be playing in Sweden, on the same team as her sister, who is a defender.
Flyers executive Paul Holmgren becomes adviser for franchise | ProHockeyTalk
Some of you may remember Holmgren from the summer of 2012.
Why the Maple Leafs are investing in Justin Brazeau | Sportsnet.ca
Some really neat stuff on what the work that skating coach Barb Underhill does with players is, as well as on some of the disadvantages of not specializing in one sport. (The advantages, of course, are that generalizing tends to be better for players’ long-term health–if specialized skill coaching can be proven to help kids make it to the pros even if they don’t specialize, that’d be great for them and for their leagues.)
Quiet offseason still has Kings stuck in neutral | ProHockeyTalk
Is this the GM mode version of “controller unplugged”? I don’t want to write anyone off completely–the Colorado Avalanche had a very quiet offseason after their 48-point season and look at them now, but the Avalanche also suffered from a lot of bad luck and had a much deeper prospect pool, while being considerably younger than the Kings. That’s a smart time to sit back and not move. This looks a lot more questionable.
Rangers, Islanders take different approaches for engaging female youth hockey players | The Ice Garden
The Rangers’ approach–working to make hockey fun and accessible to girls in an age range that doesn’t get a lot of focus, and allowing for casual instead of ultra-competitive play–is fascinating and I love it.
Dzingel adds speed, scoring to Hurricanes lineup | ProHockeyTalk
[humming] Aaaand another one gone, and another one gone…
I know a few of you were really hoping for the Preds to sign Ryan Dzingel. Now that he’s gone, anyone left you still have your eye on?
How long interview period changed course of NHL free agency | ProHockeyTalk
I still can’t believe how many deals had already leaked by the night of June 30. At the same time, like the article says, most teams had time to think instead of panicking, which is good for them–the players might prefer a little more panic, though.