Part two of our second round tournament holds what may be the toughest matchup yet, as well as our surprise entry that you voted in. Let’s get to it.
Seth Jones Game Winner (Montreal) vs. Predators Trounce Blackhawks 7-2
Both of these entries smoked their competition in the first round, and both have a shot of making it all the way to the championship.
I’ll just shut up and go straight to the highlights.
Barry Trotz’s Tenure Ends vs. Calle Jarnkrok Arrives
The voting for the Reader’s Choice became tightly contested, but a certain Swede blew away the comments section with his shootout prowess and, more importantly, his arrival.
Though Nashville had to say goodbye to Original Predator David Legwand, the return has so far been pretty hefty. Even ignoring the five games of Patrick Eaves, David Poile managed to wrangle away Calle Jarnkrok and a conditional pick that turned into Jack Dougherty.
Jarnkrok had immediate impact and chemistry with Filip Forsberg in Milwaukee, and contributed to the big club as well. He ended the season with nine points in twelve games, and seems to be a big part of the puzzle for next year.
And, just for good measure:
Yet, it’s still weird to imagine a new face behind the Predators’ bench this year. Even weirder to see Barry Trotz behind another one. As much as we all wanted him gone, that’s a big piece of Nashville history that isn’t here anymore.
Who wins?
| Jones Winner & Barry Trotz Leaves | 20 |
| Jones Winner & Jarnkrok Arrives | 47 |
| Preds Trounce Hawks & Barry Trotz Leaves | 33 |
| Preds Trounce Hawks & Jarnkrok Arrives | 59 |