UPDATE - From Preds PR...
NASHVILLE PREDATORS SIGN COLIN WILSON TO A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT
Nashville, Tenn. (July 24, 2012) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed forward Colin WIlson to a three-year, $6 million contract. The Greenwich, Conn., native will make $1.5 million in 2012-13, $2 million in 2013-14 and $2.5 million in 2014-15.
Wilson, 22 (10/20/89), set career highs in assists (20) and points (35) while scoring 16 goals in 2011-12. The 6-1, 212-pounder also tied for second on the Predators in game-winning goals (5), and fourth on the club in power-play goals (5) this past season. In 185 career NHL contests since the start of the 2009-10 season, Wilson has 84 points (39g-45a).
Nashville’s first choice, seventh overall (first round), in the 2008 Entry Draft spent two seasons at Boston University prior to joining the Predators (2007-09), helping the Terriers win the 2009 NCAA National Championship and being named USA Hockey College Player of the Year in the process. Wilson was Team USA’s Most Outstanding Player at the 2009 World Junior Championships and was the only current college player to represent the Red, White and Blue at the 2009 World Championships.
This is more good news for Pred Nation, Wilson re-signed at a reasonable figure... good stuff as we continue to wait...
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The radio silence coming from 501 Broadway is complete. Ain’t no one talking… Same goes for the gang at 3601 Broad Street. The tea leaf reading going on in the media continues to be pretty funny. The fact that Nashville hasn’t responded yet is a good thing for the Flyers, no wait… it’s a bad thing for the Flyers… no, wait… It’s a good thing for Nashville, no, not really… it’s a bad thing.
Sheesh… do you want to know what Nashville’s lack of response really means???
That they haven’t responded yet... and that they have until approx. 11pm tomorrow to respond. That’s what it means, no more, no less.
Former Nashville sports anchor John Boruk tries to make the case on CSNPhilly.com that history is on Philly’s side because of the "Predator Way" … problem is, ownership has changed since John was last covering Nashville sports, things may be a tad different.
Flyers beat writer Sam Carchidi wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer that the two GM’s have talked “just once” since the offer sheet was dropped. This has been interpreted as a sign that Nashville was matching the OS... or not matching the OS... or it is being interpreted as a sign of Armageddon.
Kevin Allen, in yesterday’s USA Today, avoids the crazed speculation and sticks to fact based analysis… rare in these times. Allen shows his real knowledge of the situation (and of the league) calling the Predators a “contending team.” He also makes the most reasoned economic argument I have seen in the mainstream media… that the contract, while tough for the first six years, turns VERY reasonable in the last eight. His most cogent analysis?
”Weber is 26 now, and it's impossible to know where his game will be at in 11 to 14 years. But Zdeno Chara is 35 and he is still a Norris-caliber defenseman. Nicklas Lidstrom was 42 when he retired and he was still probably among the league's top six defensemen.”
Thank heavens for Kevin, he is a voice of reason and knowledge in a world of uninformed speculation. You can read his entire piece
here.
Some of the most interesting (and best) reporting on the whole offer sheet situation came from one of my favorite whipping boys…
The Globe and Mail , only this time, they went to a GM, one with knowledge of the situation, Vancouver GM Mike Gillis. His take on this is fascinating… some selected quotes from yesterday’s report…
Gillis believed he would not be able to snag Weber with a long-term offer sheet, concluding that the Nashville Predators would match any proposed contract.
That is heartening news for Pred Nation if it turns out to be true, but here is the most telling quote…
“It was quite clear, at the end of the day, what the objectives were,” said Gillis. “To take advantage of the current system, and to maximize his economic return, which is absolutely fair, which he’s completely entitled to.”
That quote certainly puts the offer sheet, and Weber’s signing of it, in proper context. I know that Pred Nation is growing weary of the waiting, however David Poile’s patience is a double edged sword. While frustrating for the fan, his patience could play a significant role in the next 40 hours or so… and it could play into Nashville’s hands, especially after the Rick Nash trade.
If the speculation about a trade with Philadelphia is true, pressure may be increasing on Flyers GM Paul Holmgrem to make a deal as the Flyers hated rival just scored, and scored big. Holmgren may be tempted to offer to part with a few more assets to get the object of his desire, but that is only if Preds ownership swallow hard and not match. Something I still believe is unlikely.
The #WeberWatch continues, but only for another day or so.
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ROAD TRIP!!!!!
SlapShot Radio has circled the date... February 9th at the Verizon Center in DC for our next SlapShot Radio Road Trip... we are working out details and will forward as we get them. Keep an eye on the SlapShot Radio page on Facebook for details.
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Random Notes
- Nice article from Greg Sullivan in today’s
Tennessean about high school hockey in Tennessee. Good decision by the GNASH Board to not pursue TSSAA membership…
- A quick look at Sergei Kostitsyn’s deal reveals a fair compensation increase, two years, $6 million total is a nice little raise for the RFA.
- Gary Lawless, in the Winnipeg Free Press, is reporting that the Jets have offered RFA Evander Kane a six year, $29 million deal. The Jets’ leading goal scorer last season, Kane would be a Jet until his first year of UFA availability if he signs this deal.
- The defense of Columbus GM Scott Howson on social media yesterday was absurd. I kept seeing comments about how he did the best he could given the situation… have we forgotten that Howson
created the situation by going public with Rick Nash’s trade request in the first place? Silly…
- Labor talks resume today in Toronto.
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