Nashville Predators News & Notes
Do something, darn it. Something good.
Other News & Notes
Trade: Penguins send Olli Maatta to Blackhawks for Dominik Kahun and draft pick | ProHockeyTalk
I’ve always had a soft spot for Maatta, poor kid. I wish it weren’t Chicago. On the bright side, maybe now that he’s out of the cursed radius of Pittsburgh he’ll finally get healthy and I can stop feeling bad for him, so it won’t matter that he’s in Chicago?
Canucks to turn back clock during 50th season with Black Skate jerseys | NHL.com
The Canucks have some really good graphic design options. And then they have the black skate jersey, which is fun in a very retro way. Also, stop me if I’m wrong, but I think this means there are now three Pacific teams with black jerseys and three more with black alternates? As late at night as PacDiv games air, are people really going to be sure who they’re watching?
Flyers waive MacDonald, set to buy him out | ProHockeyTalk
It’s like the Flyers are…actually trying to be either less bad at hockey (MacDonald) or less violent at hockey (Radko Gudas)? What gives? I mean, I’m in favor, but what gives?
Kings buy out final two years of Dion Phaneuf’s contract | Sportsnet.ca
Did you know that if you google “NHL cap floor 2019-20” the first two results are both about whether the Senators are going to be able to hit it? Anyway, they’re going to get some cap relief from the Phaneuf buyout, because that’s what a team with under $47M committed and no big names needing re-signed needs. https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/senators (Here’s a more detailed look from Silver Seven https://www.silversevensens.com/2018/12/18/18144802/the-senators-will-easily-hit-the-2019-20-cap-floor )
Team Finland Legend Riikka Sallinen Retires | The Ice Garden
An absolutely incredible player, whom I regret not having learned more about while she was still active. (My thanks to The Ice Garden–and especially Nordic hockey contributor Meredith Foster–for working to fill in these gaps in our knowledge.)
31 Thoughts: Sharks still have shot at keeping Erik Karlsson | Sportsnet.ca
The actual news starts in Thought 6. Among other things, the Predators are reportedly extremely active in trade talks. Buckle up.
Buyout Frenzy: Five candidates to have contracts nixed from the books | ProHockeyTalk
Phaneuf is already gone, which does make the rest of these sound like smarter bets. There’s some overlap with Elliotte Friedman’s predictions as well, in the form of Corey Perry; it’ll be interesting to see if the Ducks go for it.
Oilers GM Ken Holland expects Connor McDavid to be healthy by training camp | Sportsnet.ca
Good that he’s going to be recovered and all, but seriously, what was the point of playing him in Game 82?
Hughes, USA Hockey poised to make history in 2019 NHL Draft | NHL.com
If you’re a fan of USA Hockey and are looking for the men’s team to accomplish some of the things the women’s team has, this is a nice optimistic article. The USNTDP is in a good spot.