The Nashville Predators may have acquired a larger than life personality with P.K. Subban, but this team was not lacking character before. Cooking, tandem bike rides, Ryan Johansen kissing everything. The amount of spunk this team offers can be a bit overwhelming, but that’s okay, we’ve still got a few months to absorb it all. Until then everyone’s favorite villain James Neal is making a claim for best off-season flow.
Landmine Press. #TRAIN pic.twitter.com/QU5bVU7rb3
— Gary Roberts (@GaryRobertsHPT) July 26, 2016
Hockey News
Predators re-sign Petter Granberg to 2-year contract | The Tennessean
Granberg decided to forgo an arbitration hearing and signed a new 2-year, 2-way deal. I’m still not sure why this was even a thing, but welcome back Granberg!
N.H.L. Commissioner Gary Bettman Continues to Deny C.T.E. Link – The New York Times
Does Bettman have a soul? The way he acknowledges players that have been effected by head trauma and C.T.E. is concerning. Being an advocate for player safety is great. Being an advocate for a retired human being, who’s quality of life is hindered by the time they devoted to the league would be even better. I’ll spare you my soap box rant on how the NHL should use their powers for good to help end the stigma surrounding head trauma and mental illness in the league.
Jimmy Vesey Watch: Blackhawks in the mix to land coveted free agent – CBSSports.com
The longer this Jimmy Vesey parade continues the more I’m convinced his career is going to pan out like an interstate tire fire. When did prospects get the mentality that they get to decide which team is good enough for them?
Tavares on playing for Maple Leafs: ‘I would not count on that’ – Sportsnet.ca
John Tavares destroying the hopes and dreams of Leafs fans everywhere.
Tracking the Pittsburgh Penguins’ time with the Stanley Cup | espn.go.com
This is silly. Personally I would have filled the Stanley Cup with Sour Patch Kids but the Skittles are a nice touch.
NHL News and Rumours: Is Kane really a fit for Canucks? – Sportsnet.ca
Raise your hand if you forgot Evander Kane plays hockey. Is Vancouver really desperate enough to enable the NHL’s lack of discipline towards repeat offenders? Hopefully not, but probably.
Predicting Every NHL Team’s Top Scorer in the 2016-17 Season | Bleacher Report
I laughed out loud at some of these. The fact that Eric Staal is predicted to be the top scorer for the Minnesota Wild means they’re in worse shape than we thought. RyJo gets the prediction for Nashville, and while Filip Forsberg is a crowd favorite to score the most goals this season, I’m going with Nealer.
Step by Step | The Players’ Tribune
The story of Joel Ward and Malik Johnson is one of those feel good sports stories that’s just inspiring. The way the Predators took over in Malik’s life after Ward’s departure makes me respect the organization that much more.