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Wednesday’s Dump & Chase: Saving For The Future

Posted on by Bryan Bastin

Nashville Predators News

Hold on tight folks, today’s Dump and Chase is a big one.

Test Your Knowledge With Some Nashville Predators Draft Trivia – On the Forecheck
Nick dug up some really great information to test your knowledge of the Nashville Predators draft history.  Some of these can be answered easily if you listened to the Podcast!

Nashville Predators Draft Board: Round 1 – On the Forecheck
Eric’s draft previews march on – and even though we now know what the pick was, it’s still a great resource to look at a few of the guys (including Askarov) and some information about each.  Side note: Jack Quinn was the only player that was taken on Eric’s board.

The Case for the Nashville Predators to Draft Iaroslav Askarov – On the Forecheck
I have to hand it to Rachel: she had this article planned and ready to go yesterday, saw a similar one pop up, and had the entire writing staff against her with the pick.  Look who was right.  Read this excellent piece and learn more about Iaroslav Askarov from the one person who saw it coming.

Nashville Predators Select Iaroslav Askarov 11th Overall – On the Forecheck
Here’s the instant reaction to Nashville selecting goaltender Iaroslav Askarov with the 11th overall pick in the NHL Draft.  Make sure you stay tuned, because Eric will have a very in-depth breakdown of this pick (and the rest) in short order.

2020 NHL Entry Draft: Round One Instant Reactions – On the Forecheck
Eric found time to grade every pick of the first round.  Teams getting an A?  Nashville, Detroit, New Jersey (drafting two players I wanted for Nashville at 11), and Florida among others.  His worst drafting teams? Edmonton, the Rangers at 19, Philadelphia at 23, and the worst belongs to a Central Division rival.

  • On The Forecheck Podcast: Episode 4 – Draft Preview Part 2! – On the Forecheck
    On Monday night, Eric and I finished the OTF Podcast Draft Preview by:
    Running down the rest of the first round
  • Looking in-depth at options available at the rest of Nashville’s picks, including two second rounders and two third rounders
  • Reviewed recent picks made by the Predators – these are guys who look to play a role in the very near future – possibly this season. /

This is the perfect way to prepare for the long day ahead.  Make sure you are subscribed to the show!  You can even subscribe from the player below:

NHL season start targeted for Jan. 1, 2021 – NHL.com
The 2020-21 NHL season is being targeted to start Jan. 1, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced Tuesday.  Seems fitting that this terrible, terrible year started on January 1st this season with the Winter Classic, and will end right before the teams hit the ice (hopefully)

Hockey Is For Everyone

Byfield goes to Kings as highest-selected Black player ever in NHL Draft | NHL.com
This is a fantastic thing to see and in any other year, Byfield could’ve gone first overall.  He’s a great player, an ambassador for the game, and surpasses Evander Kane and former Predators draft pick Seth Jones as the highest black draft pick in history.

Wilson signs Wiesblatt’s name to Sharks pick’s deaf mother – NHL.com
The San Jose Sharks had to wait all the way to pick 31 before making their first selection in the draft – they lost the top five selection in the Erik Karlson trade and acquired this one in the trade with the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning that sent Barclay Goodrow to the Bolts.  San Jose’s director of scouting Doug Wilson Jr announced the pick in American Sign Language (ASL) in honor of pick Ozzy Wiesblatt’s deaf mother.

Accessibility in hockey is a cause I care a lot about – this is why I’m working on having any media we produce at OTF accessible to all – including transcripts on videos (and hopefully the podcast as well).

NWHL enters 3-year partnership with K1 Sportswear – The Ice Garden
The NWHL and NWHLPA announced another brand partnership yesterday, this one with K1 Sportswear.  The brand will provide all jerseys for the teams for several years and will prioritize an “all-female team” to manage the partnership with six-year old league.  This is extremely exciting because it provides more support for the women’s league.

Dam Good: Kennedy Marchment makes statement against Linköping – The Ice Garden
A recap of last week’s SDHL action by Mike Murphy, including one incredible three game stretch by Kennedy Marchment.  The SDHL’s leading scorer had four goals and two assists in three games.

News from Around The NHL (Non-Draft News)

Lundqvist could be pursued by Capitals when free agent market opens – NHL.com
I’m sorry, but the thought of seeing Henrik Lundqvist in any other sweater but the Rangers is just plain weird to me, but former Predators head coach Peter Laviolette could have another Hall of Fame netminder when next season starts.

Domi traded to Blue Jackets by Canadiens for Anderson – NHL.com
Max Domi and a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft were traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets by the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday for Josh Anderson.  Personally, I think Columbus got a steal in Domi – the Habs should’ve gotten more in return for him.

Athanasiou, Benning won’t return to Oilers, will become free agents – NHL.com
Andreas Athanasiou and Matt Benning, two of Edmonton’s restricted free agents, won’t be getting qualifying offers from the Oilers, leaving them free to sign with any team when free agency opens up on Friday.  Athanasiou could be an interesting player for Nashville to look at in a bottom six role.

Alzner placed on waivers by Canadiens for purpose of buyout – NHL.com
Karl Alzner was bought out by the Montreal Candiens yesterday, so he gets to peruse free agency while the money rolls in for the next few years.  While he hasn’t been terribly effective, he should get some looks from teams looking for a veteran presence at likely a league-minimum deal.

Ekman-Larsson sets deadline for trade from Coyotes through agent – NHL.com
OEL wants to stay in Arizona, but told the Arizona Coyotes that if they plan on trading him, they need to do it by Friday when free agency opens up.  He has a full no-movement clause, and the report is that the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins are two teams he is willing to waive the NMC for.

Senators bring back Roman logo for new uniforms – NHL.com
It’s kind of sweet to see something the Ottawa Senators did in the offseason be a very good move. These things are really nice.

Abdelkader placed on waivers by Red Wings for purpose of buyout – NHL.com
Another buyout, this time from the Detroit Red Wings with former second round pick Justin Abdelkader hitting the market.  I’ll pass.

Wild in market for No. 1 goalie following Dubnyk trade – NHL.com
If you didn’t like the Askarov pick by the Nashville Predators, the Minnesota Wild are the team you should blame.  I was fairly certain that San Jose acquiring Devin Dubnyk would open the Central Division rival up to drafting Askarov at pick number nine, but instead took one of the best players in the top ten in Marco Rossi.  We were so, so close.

Tweet of the Day

Before I get into the news from the draft, I’m going to get a couple of things out of the way.  Follow the OTF Podcast Twitter account at @ForecheckPod.  There’s some incentive for it!

Song of the Day

With Eeli Tolvanen, Semyon Chistyakov, and Vladislav Yeromenko currently in the KHL, last year’s second round pick Egor Afanasyev being from Russia, and new first round pick Iaroslav Askarov (alongside prospect and teammate Yakov Trenin), the Nashville Predators pipeline has a distinctly Russian feel to it.  So here’s an all-time jam to accompany it.

Around the NHL – Draft Pick Coverage

Here’s the coverage from all the NHL teams that made a pick today in the first round – all sourced from our fine partner sites here at SBNation.

Alexis Lafreniere: Rangers Select LW No. 1 Overall At 2020 NHL Draft – Blueshirt Banter
The Rangers did the thing everyone knew they were going to do and now have two first overall picks in a row in Lafreniere and Kappo Kakko.  Let’s hope Lafreniere has a better debut than his teammate did.

2020 NHL Draft: Los Angeles Kings select Quinton Byfield with No. 2 pick – Jewels From The Crown
There was speculation that Byfield wasn’t going to be the pick here, but I think it was a no-brainer.  Plus it made history.  Great selection by the Kings at second overall.

Senators Draft Tim Stützle Third Overall – Silver Seven
With Quentin Byfield off the board, this pick was a no-brainer for the Senators and will likely see action next season in Ottawa.

Red Wings select forward Lucas Raymond with no. 4 pick in 2020 NHL Draft – Winging It In Motown
I felt bad that Detroit had the awful season it did and ended up picking fourth, but the got one very, very good player in Lucas Raymond.  I like him a LOT.

Senators draft Jake Sanderson 5th overall – Silver Seven
Ottawa had two more picks to make last night, and it would’ve been very difficult for them to mess this one up.  Sure, Sanderson was probably not the fifth best player in the draft, but he’s a very solid pickup for them.

2020 NHL Draft: Anaheim Ducks select Jamie Drysdale with No. 6 pick – Anaheim Calling
Anaheim apparently had at least one solid offer on the table for this pick, but declined and took the best defenseman in the draft.  I would’ve loved to have him in Nashville.

2020 NHL Draft: NJ Devils Picked Alexander Holtz at 7th Overall in the First Round – All About The Jersey
The Devils became the first team to make me angry last night by taking a sniper in Alexander Holtz, a player I foolishly believed might actually make it Nashville.  Not only that, but they had two more picks to go.  Ugh.

Buffalo Sabres select Jack Quinn with 8th overall pick – Die By The Blade
Jack Quinn was taken eighth overall by the Sabres and this marked the point in which I started getting very excited for the forward prospects that were falling Nashville’s way.  Sigh.

NHL Draft 2020: Wild select Marco Rossi at No. 9 overall in the first round – Hockey Wilderness
I can’t believe Rossi fell this far.  Complete disbelief.  Not only that, but I thought Minnesota was going to be the team to take Askarov and force Nashville into selecting one of a possible FOUR great picks in Rossi, Lundell, Mercer and Jarvis.  But they didn’t.  And now I join Kate in having a completely rational hatred of the Wild.

The Winnipeg Jets Draft Cole Perfetti – Arctic Ice Hockey
Of course Cole Perfetti tumbled down the board.  Of course it looked like Nashville could’ve gotten a guy with top 5 talent.  And of course he goes to one of the Predators’ biggest rivals in Winnipeg.  At least they didn’t take Lundell, who I think is a better player and was now available for Nashville to make the easy pick, right?  RIGHT?

Nashville Predators Select Iaroslav Askarov 11th Overall – On the Forecheck
What can I say?  I know I already linked this, but I can’t do all 31 picks and not include ours.

Florida Panthers select center Anton Lundell with 12th pick in the 2020 Draft – Litter Box Cats
Everything was set up perfectly for Nashville.  I never thought Anton Lundell would be available at the eleventh overall pick.  But he was.  Unfortunately, he was also available at the twelfth pick, and the Panthers got a steal.  What could have been.

Carolina Hurricanes select Portland C Seth Jarvis with 13th overall pick – Canes Country
I thought Askarov was a sure thing to Carolina if he made it that far.  But he didn’t, and the Canes snatched up another one of the players projected to Nashville in Seth Jarvis.   This is a very solid pick and I’m happy for him and Carolina.

2020 NHL Draft: Oilers Select Dylan Holloway With 14th Overall Pick – The Copper & Blue
First we find out Connor McDavid is recovering from COVID-19.  Then Edmonton makes – in Eric’s opinion – one of the worst picks in the first round by reaching for Holloway at 14.  With the talent that fell to this pick, I’m pretty baffled by the selection.

NHL 2020 Draft: Toronto Maple Leafs draft Rodion Amirov at 15th overall – Pension Plan Puppets
First off, the headline picture is hilariously awesome.  Second, I’m pretty underwhelmed by the selection, but the KHL player could turn out pretty well for the Leafs.

2020 NHL Draft: Canadiens select Kaiden Guhle with 16th overall pick – Eyes On The Prize
I like this pick by Montreal to be honest.  He’ll be a solid player in a few years.

2020 NHL Draft: Chicago Blackhawks select German winger Lukas Reichel with No. 17 pick – Second City Hockey
Apparently, the team from Chicago really wanted to trade with Nashville to get pick eleven, but GM David Poile (and other teams in that range) were asking too steep a price.  So another German player comes off the board at seventeen.

2020 NHL Draft: Devils Picked Dawson Mercer at 18th Overall in the First Round – All About The Jersey
Okay.  Alright.  Not only did New Jersey get the player I wanted in Lucas Raymond earlier, but they ended up getting the guy both Eric and I selected for the Predators in mock drafts – Dawson Mercer.  AND they got him at pick eighteen.  Yeah, not really happy with them right now.

2020 NHL Draft: New York Rangers Select Braden Schneider 19th Overall – Blueshirt Banter
The Rangers traded up three spots with Calgary and gave up a third round pick to get… this guy?  He would’ve been there at 22.  He probably would’ve been there later than 22 if we’re being honest.

2020 NHL Draft: Devils Picked Shakir Mukhamadullin at 20th Overall in the First Round – All About The Jersey
With their last pick in the first round, at least New Jersey went off-board a little bit with this selection.  Still, this does not take them off my list.

2020 NHL Entry Draft: Columbus Blue Jackets select Yegor Chinakhov with 21st pick – The Cannon
I honestly have zero clue what Columbus was doing here.  I guess when you like a guy a lot, you take him.  But man.  I don’t think anyone outside of Ohio saw this one coming.

2020 NHL Draft: Washington Capitals Select Hendrix Lapierre – Japers’ Rink
Even though Lapierre was thought to be a lottery pick last year by a lot of scouts, he tumbled down the board after an injury-plagued season.  I do think this was a pretty solid choice, if not a risky one.

2020 NHL Draft: Flyers select Tyson Foerster with 23rd pick – Broad Street Hockey
The Flyers had a great year, even if they came up short, but this was a very odd pick.  Eric was not at all impressed in his quick reaction review of the first round.  Yikes.  Sorry Eamon.

Calgary Flames Trade Back Twice, Select Connor Zary With 24th Pick – Matchsticks and Gasoline
I think Calgary had the Zary pick in their heads already, so they traded down twice from pick 19 and 22 to get the young forward alongside two extra third round picks.  I like it when teams trade down and stockpile draft picks a lot.  It feels very NFL of them.

Colorado Avalanche select Justin Barron with the 25th overall pick – Mile High Hockey
Colorado is a team loaded with young talent, and I thought they might have gone another direction, they got one of the best defensive blue-liners in the first round.  The rich get richer.

Blues select Jake Neighbours with the 26th overall pick – St. Louis Game Time
Not only could St. Louis lose Pietrangelo this offseason, but they made a pretty bad pick in Neighbors, a guy that should’ve been taken in the second round.  So at least one Central Division rival is having a rough time this offseason.

2020 NHL Draft: Anaheim Ducks select Jacob Perreault with No. 27 pick – Anaheim Calling
Anaheim got a steal with this pick with the goal-scoring Perreault.  In a recent piece from Anaheim Calling where they looked to see if they could get another first round pick, I offered pick 11 to Anaheim in exchange for this pick at 27, them taking Kyle Turris’ contract with no retained salary, and either their first next season or amazing prospect Trevor Zegras.  I knew this wasn’t going to ever happened, but they asked, so I happily obliged.

Senators draft Ridly Greig 28th overall – Silver Seven
Ottawa concluded it’s amazing first round haul by adding Ridly Greig, one of the youngest players in the entire draft.

2020 NHL Draft: Vegas Golden Knights select forward Brendan Brisson with 29th pick – Knights On Ice
I really don’t know much about Brisson, but I’m glad this wasn’t some steal of a high-talent player to add to an already loaded roster.  Eric had him graded at 34th, so I wouldn’t put it in “reach” territory.

2020 NHL Entry Draft: Dallas Stars Select Mavrik Bourque 30th Overall – Defending Big D
Oh man, I foolishly had started getting my hopes up again and thought maybe Bourque would’ve been available to Nashville, even though he was projected to be a much higher pick in the first round.  It just had to be the Stars, didn’t it?

2020 NHL Draft: San Jose Sharks select Ozzy Wiesblatt with No. 31 pick – Fear The Fin
I loved this pick for one amazing, tear-jerking reason:

Talking Points