Nashville Predators News & Notes
New Contract in Hand, Forsberg Sets Sights on Winning Cup with Predators | Nashville Predators
It was all smiles and jokes between David Poile and Filip Forsberg during Monday’s press conference to formally announce the signing. If there was any tension between the two sides at all during this lengthy negotiation process, it didn’t show here.
If you missed any of yesterday’s chat with Poile and Forsberg, be sure to check out the quotes on Twitter from Shaun Smith and Bryan Bastin.
#Preds forward Filip Forsberg on getting his contract signed: pic.twitter.com/4RAZphIPCK
— Shaun C Smith (@SCSOTF) July 11, 2022
Predators, Oilers, Wild make early moves to close gap on Avs | Yahoo!
Bringing back Forsberg was absolutely critical for the Preds to be competitive. I’m not sure Ryan McDonagh is going to be the X-factor that single-handely gets Nashville back into Cup contender status, but he provides an upgrade on defense. What happens in the early days of free agency, especially when it comes to middle-six forwards, could determine how competitive Nashville will be next season.
Predators Extend Qualifying Offer to Trenin, Five Other RFAs, But Don’t Tender Farrance | On the Forecheck
The Farrance thing is surprising, unless the Preds think they can still re-sign him on a better deal. Even though his debut season in Milwaukee was rough, it still feels rather soon to throw in the towel.
Inside Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop’s ‘whirlwind’ year | Tennessean
HI LUKE pic.twitter.com/3EYRnjJ7Mo
— NashFil Predators (@PredsNHL) July 11, 2022
Prokop is one of the guys fans should watch particularly close this development camp. His breakout season last year catapulted him up the Preds’ prospect chart. A strong showing in camp combined with a solid debut season in Milwaukee may get him an NHL call-up by the end of the next season.
Other Hockey Happenings
NHL Power Rankings: Top storylines heading into NHL Free Agency | NBC Sports
This is certainly shaping up to be one of the more intriguing offseasons in recent memory.
Leafs Acquire Matt Murray from Ottawa Senators | Pension Plan Puppets
I’m sure this will work out swimmingly…
Report: Evgeni Malkin to test free agent market | PensBurgh
This certainly throws a wildcard into Wednesday’s market opening. I can’t see Malkin playing anywhere other than Pittsburgh, but who knows.
Avalanche re-sign Valeri Nichushkin | Mile High Hockey
Nichushkin gets an eight-year deal on a fairly solid AAV after a breakout season. I had him as a potential Preds target, but it seemed like he was atop the Avs’ priority list all along.
Lazerus: Blackhawks’ blatant tank-job is bold, possibly prudent — but utterly contemptible | The Athletic
After giving DeBrincat and Dach away for magic beans and letting Kubalik and Strome hit free agency, it’s pretty clear the Blackhawks are doing what they can to improve their shot at Connor Bedard. But as Mark points out here, the “tear-it-down rebuild” isn’t a magic pill. There’s a lot of frustration, trial and error, and apathy before you get to the promise land, if there even is a promise land.