Nashville Predators News & Notes
Nashville Predators vs. Calgary Flames game postponed due to COVID-19 | Tennessean
Six Calgary Flames players and one staff member were put on the COVID protocol list within the past day. It’s important to note that doesn’t necessarily mean all seven people tested positive (they could have been close contacts, etc.). But this news combined with postponements in the NBA and a self-described “spike” in cases in the NFL is a stark reminder that COVID is still very much a thing, and we need to remain smart and vigilant in order to help things “get back to normal.”
From a hockey standpoint, the Preds now have two games they need to make up. It’s unclear when that will happen. It’s also tough for Nashville to have a disruption like this in the midst of a five-game winning streak. The Preds’ next game will come Thursday against Colorado, followed by a road game in Chicago Friday.
On The Preds: John Hynes’ system paying off as Preds win four straight | A to Z Sports
In this week’s On The Preds podcast, our own Shaun Smith and OTF alum Alex Daugherty debate whether the Preds’ recent run of hot play is a sign John Hynes’s system is finally starting to pay dividends in Nashville.
Other Hockey Happenings
COVID-19 looms large over sporting world as NHL goes dark after Flames outbreak | SportsNet
This line from the article sums it up best: “Every outbreak like the Flames and (Chicago) Bulls are experiencing makes it more and more unlikely we’ll be returning to a normalcy that includes NHLers at the Olympics this time around.”
Philadelphia Flyers requiring full vaccination to attend games starting Jan. 3 | Broad Street Hockey
In the midst of the recent postponements, this might become the new normal in a lot of NHL cities.
Rink Fries: 25 NHL trade candidates of interest to watch | SportsNet
Filip Forsberg is on the list, although I’m sure the Preds’ hot start might have shifted perspective about where the Preds are as a team at the moment. As we’ve mentioned plenty of times before, the Forsberg situation is going to be a complicated one with a lot of moving pieces and factors. This is something that may drag on well past the trade deadline.
Khudobin placed on waivers by Stars: report | NHL.com
The darling of the Stars’ 2020 Cup run just hasn’t found the same magic the past two years. Add in the fact that Braden Holtby and Jake Oettinger are having solid seasons for the Stars, and Dobby was bound to be just another spare piece.
Rutherford will take time to hire new Canucks general manager | NHL.com
Whoever they hire will simultaneously have some great pieces to build around and a bloated roster to trim.
Fragile Mindsets and the Current New Jersey Devils | All About The Jersey
A quote from New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff about how the Devils lost to the New York Islanders revealed a potentially bad sign for the Devils: a fragile mindset, looking to blame a bad break for a loss than the process. This goes into the quote and reacts a lot to it.
Should the Boston Bruins Move On from Patrice Bergeron? | The Hockey News
I get the sentiment, but considering the Bruins aren’t doing a bang-up job of developing forwards at the moment, losing Bergeron would knock Boston away from contender status in a heartbeat.