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For the second time in three seasons, a Central Division team, and the team that eliminated the Predators from the playoffs, has won the Stanley Cup. Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks on a well-earned victory.
For Philadelphia, ultimately, it was the goaltending that was their downfall as Michael Leighton gave up two goals that should’ve been stopped, a sad irony for Flyer fans as goaltending was the area of most concern for the Blackhawks coming in to this playoff tournament.
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Tweet of the Day for yesterday had to be from my friend Dirk “Forechecker” Hoag as he tweeted… "Toronto Maple Leafs you're now on the clock!"
43 years and counting...
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In looking ahead, we discussed forwards in my last post, I remain convinced that the Predators should be fairly quiet come UFA season, maybe a bargain pickup in mid-July or early August, perhaps an inexpensive vet or two. Today… the blueline and goaltenders… Let’s break them down…
Defensemen
The core blueline group is signed through the upcoming season, Shea Weber is an RFA after the upcoming season, Alexander Sulzer is a UFA after 2010-2011. Ryan Suter is signed through 2011-2012. Kevin Kline is signed through 2012-2013. As of this writing, Cody Franson is an RFA along with Denis Grebeshkov, Dan Hamhuis is a UFA as is Francis Bouillon.
Re-Signs and Prospects - I would like to see an extension negotiated with Shea Weber, getting a few more years from him before he hits an open market would be a very good thing for this team along with preventing distraction at trade deadline time. I’d also like to see Francis Bouillon brought back as he proved to be a great addition last season. Dan Hamhuis would be nice to keep at a reasonable salary, I just think that someone will offer him stupid money on the open market. The Predators have drafted well at defense and there is a wealth of prospects in the system. Leading the list is Jonathon Blum who just completed his first full season in Milwaukee, closely followed by Ryan Ellis, who just completed his last junior season by winning a second consecutive Memorial Cup with his Windsor Spitfires. A few other Admirals could factor into the Preds next season including Roman Josi and Teemu Laakso.
UFA Outlook - There may be a few possibilities here, depending on the Dan Hamhuis situation when free agency opens on July 1. If Hamhuis is re-signed, then I don’t expect much from this area, but there are some interesting names on the UFA list, names like Jay McKee, Andreas Lilja, Lukas Krajicek and Carlo Colaiacovo… all solid d-men that could be had for fairly reasonable salaries.
Goaltenders
Pekka Rinne is signed through the 20011-2012 season, Dan Ellis is a UFA and appears to be heading for the open market.
Re-Signs and Prospects - Rinne was extended during the Olympic break, Dan Ellis knew at that point his time with the Preds may be drawing to a close. Ellis wants to be a number one, that’s not in the cards with the Predators right now. The Predators list six goaltenders in the system right now, Chet Pickard and Jeremy Smith are signed through next season, Mark Dekanich is an RFA. Pickard may not be ready for prime time yet, Dekanich showed flashes, but may need more time as well. The backup job in Nashville is up for grabs.
UFA Outlook - There may be a potential signing here to keep the pressure off bringing up a Pickard or Smith too early. There may be a few reasonable options, Andrew Raycroft, Antero Niittymaki or Curtis Sanford would be serviceable backups with the needed experience. Heck even Michael Leighton is on this UFA list… but his price may have gone up after the Flyers SCF run.
Draft Prospects - The upcoming draft is not being presented as a particularly deep draft, the Predators are currently slated to pick 18th. Reviewing the mock drafts, the Predators are not being predicted to select a defenseman in any of them… given the philosophy of best available, keep your eye on a few names that may be available by the time selection 18 comes around.
Mark Pysk (Edmonton – WHL) – A late season injury has question marks around this prospect. At 6’1, 174 he is not particularly large but has an outstanding first pass capability and excellent hockey sense. Ranked #15 on hockeyprospect.com.
Derek Forbort (NDTP – United States) – Size, size, size… at 6’5” and 198lbs. there is plenty of room to fill out to become a large blueline presence. Excellent skater and strong on both sides of the puck, but his offensive skills seem to be what everyone is talking about. He will be attending the University of North Dakota next season. Ranked #16 on hockeyprospect.com
Dylan McIlrath (Moose Jaw – WHL) – Another big one… At 6’4, 212 lbs, his nickname is “Big Mack Truck” you can never go wrong picking a player with that nickname. Very physical d-man, hard on the puck and not afraid to drop the glove, but also has skills. Speedy skater and solid offensive skills will make this prospect hard to pass up. Ranked #21 on Hockeyprospect.com
Jack Campbell (NDTP – United States) – The backstop for the World Junior Champion Team USA, he has been steadily moving up the draft board since. An athletic but very controlled goaltender, excellent at positioning and has a deceiving quickness. Ranked #13 on hockeyprospect.com… ranked #2 North American goalie by CSS.
Calvin Pickard (Seattle – WHL) – The second Pickard goaltender… Calvin is Preds goaltending prospect Chet Pickard's little brother. At 6’1” 195 he’s not huge, but he covers a bit of net and plays bigger than his size. Solid positionally and plays a very mature game. Ranked # 42 on hockeyprospect.com… ranked #1 North America goalie by CSS.
Last night - The podcast is posted, big thanks to our guests… Bill Clement, Jesse Rogers and Terry Crisp.
Wednesday 6/16 - We will take a look back at the 2009-2010 season, review the Stanley Cup finals and take a quick look ahead at the draft.
Wednesday 6/23 - I’ll be in the studio, and Pete will be reporting live from Las Vegas. He’ll be hanging with Snoop Dog and Mark Wahlberg at the NHL Awards Show site… I’ll be hanging in the studio with Charlie Saunier, giving up-to-the-minute draft news, talking about the wheeling and dealing going on in the back room and talking about the just released ’10-’11 schedule…
Thursday July 1st - The Season Finale of SlapShot Radio as we break down the signings on UFA day… it’s an unpredictable show as we discuss the Predators moves of the day, the big signings across the league and their impact. We also take a look forward to Predators Conditioning Camp and the 2010-2011 season.
The show starts at 6pm on SportsRadio 560 WNSR… listen online or podcast at www.slapshotradio.com
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You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates… I’ll also be updating with starting lineups and scratches during Pred home games, also I’ll be supplying information and explanations from the PA box.
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