Hello again friends as we get ever closer to September. I know I can’t wait to see the results of so many off-season moves around the entire league. As usual, it is those changes that grab all the attention, as they should. That said, I have had an idea brewing for some time about a change I feel the Nashville Predators could implement in order to add more accountability to their franchise.
For me, there is a flaw in the structure at the top. Now, don’t jump to conclusions and assume I’m saying the owners or the Preds GM David Poile is doing a bad job. That is not the case at all. Mr. Poile has done a fantastic job this summer in adding quality pieces. The job is not done of course with Patric Hornqvist contract still looming and that ever-nagging need for just one more proven scorer for depth. Even so, it seems he has a great chance to once again be nominated for the GM of the Year award before the first puck has been dropped.
The flaw I’m speaking of is that the ownership group takes the decisions and puts them squarely on one person. As I said, I have full confidence in that man’s ability to put a team together, however to not have checks and balances seems precarious to me.
What I propose is that the ownership creates a board of advisers. That group would simply weigh in on the larger issues each season and give their recommendation to the ownership group. They would in no way actually be given the power to dictate what occurs; however it does return the power to the people that write the checks. The ownership group would then be able to make hockey decisions based on what the board of advisers recommend along with the recommendation of David Poile.
The board of advisers would consist of just 3 people. One would be someone with a lengthy hockey background that would be a consultant of sorts who is brought on to approach things from an unbiased view. Another would be a representative of all the companies that sponsor the team, along with those companies that purchase suites for the entire season. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, would be someone chosen to represent the full season ticket holders. This way the fans that have been the lifeblood of the franchise staying in Nashville have a true voice as well.
There have been a few moments in the past where no matter what, I feel a board of advisors would help firmly make a decision on the course of the franchise. At times, loyalty is a great thing, but I sometimes wonder if loyalty has prevented the franchise from taking two steps forward instead of one step to the side. They 07’ playoff result is by far the one that stands out most in my mind. A more recent situation would be what to do about the results of this past 1st Round exit and the woeful power play all season. For me, adding another group of voices to assist the owners only strengthens the decision-making process.
I know this will likely be a column that receives much criticism, but that’s ok by me. I’d rather start the discussion of how to add some more accountability rather than watch the franchise continue to move in a vicious cycle. As I said above, I have no doubts that David Poile is the GM for this team so this is in no way meant to knock the job or decisions he has made. I just wanted to throw out this idea I’ve had for a couple of seasons and see what you the fans think about it.
One thing I know for sure is that there are quite a few season ticket holders that have reached out to me over the year who are tired of the same results. They’ve even mentioned that if this season finishes with another 1st Round exit, they will not renew their tickets. I truly believe this is a critical season for the Preds not only on the ice but in the seats as well. A fan base can only deal with limited success for so long before it becomes exhausted with the same processes. This season it feels as though this Nashville team is not only playing for pride, but to keep the people in the seats beyond 2011. The stakes are high and I feel adding a few voices to the decision-making process can give the ownership group the advice of how to best use their dollars, guide the team to playoff success, and continue to build a firm foundation of hockey in Nashville.
I look forward to your responses and of course the backlash as well.
On to some brief thoughts about other things surrounding the team:
- At what point will Patric Hornqvist be re-signed and for how much? Reports last week out of Europe pointed to a 1-year contract being signed this past week. Still no confirmed reports of that taking place. For me, I can’t see giving Hornqvist anything beyond a 2-year deal. He had a fantastic year last year and I think it is to both Patric’s and the Preds benefit to look more short term to see if he can repeat or build off of his impressive 30 goal, 51 point season.
As far as terms go, I look at last season and Hornqvist had a comparable season to Mikael Samuelsson. He makes 2.5 million per year, however, he also has a proven track record of having 40+ point seasons. Based on that, I’m placing Hornqvist in the 1.4 to 1.75 million range per year. On the other side of the coin, the New York Islanders just paid Matt Moulson 2.45 million for one more year of his services after coming off of a 30 goal, 48 point season. I have a feeling Hornqvist’s agent is looking at that deal as well to drive up the price a bit on Patric. That price tag of 2 million plus could be a point of contention.
If Hornqvist continues to put up 40 points or more each year, then after a short term deal he quickly becomes in line for a 2.5 million or more contract. That to me would the best option for both sides. A one or two year deal around the 1.5 million mark.
- The Mike Santorelli trade to the Florida Panthers for a conditional 5th Round draft pick in 2011 gives the Preds room to add a contract. That of course has continued to fuel speculation that Jose Theodore may be brought in to backup Pekka Rinne. If you follow Twitter, then I suggest you give @SLakePreds a follow because he correctly speculated that Mike would get moved for a draft pick before the team even announced it. That deserves some recognition in my book so well done by him.
- Speaking of people on Twitter that talk Preds, my media row seatmate Jim Diamond (@diamondhockey) has a fun article about the best quotes of last season: Top five Predators quotes from the 2009-2010 season. This kind of makes me want to dig back into my own archives and pull a few. Maybe sometime in the couple of weeks if you guys express enough interest in it on the comments section.
- Looking ahead to the on-ice product the two biggest question marks for me this year are Sergei Kostitsyn and Ryan Parent. For Parent, it’s not a talent question but rather a health issue. With Kostitsyn you hope he’s able to finally eclipse the 10 goals mark this upcoming season. He can bury the puck as shown in his stellar 06-07 season with the London Knights of the OHL in which he tallied 40 goals, 91 assists, for a total of 131 points. Since then his offensive game has fallen off dramatically and he has not registered 10 goals or more in any league’s season. If he can chip in 15 or so goals on the 2nd or 3rd line then that may solve the offensive depth problem that has plagued the Preds for three seasons.
That’s it for now friends. Hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to the discussion within the comments section. I’m sure there will be some lively discussion concerning the board of advisers idea.
Till the next time, take care.
Questions, comments, and criticisms can be sent to [email protected] if you wish to contact me personally.
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