With one minor move at the deadline, the Predators basically stood pat on deadline day. I can’t really blame them, the team is playing well, making a run in the division and look like the credible playoff contender everyone was expecting when the season began. What was available probably wasn’t worth the prices being asked and certainly not worth mortgaging the team’s future for.
Nashville made their big move back in January. A move that, curiously, was roundly disparaged on Sportsnet’s Trade Deadline coverage yesterday afternoon in a rather bizarre segment that really dogged a player that has done everything asked of him in Nashville, score, setup and (a little surprisingly) dominate in the faceoff circle. I’m sorry guys, but both teams made themselves better in key areas… Nashville was able to cover the loss of a prize defensive prospect through the performance of other players in the system (read Mattias Ekholm, to lesser degrees Anthony Bitetto and Petter Granberg) and got the 1C the team has needed since day one. Since the acquisition of Ryan Johansen, the Nashville Predators have gone 12-7-4, re-established themselves as a contender and now seem to have a defense that is playing much more responsibly with and without the puck… oh and the last three wins have been without Shea Weber. To say nothing of the scheming nightmare this team has become for opposing coaches with two lethal top lines. The last three games, teams have keyed on the Jarnkrok/Johansen/Neal line, and we see what has happened… Not sure I buy that analysis guys… make a case that the trade was even as Seth Jones will be a solid top line defenseman in this league, I can buy that… but to say it is a clear win for Columbus is simply silly.
In other deadline discussion… The much rumored move for Scott Hartnell did not happen and according to a couple of sources in Columbus, the Blue Jackets price kept escalating and eventually went too high for the veteran winger. The Predators dropped out early yesterday when the price appeared to be a roster player plus a high round pick.
So, the team is set for now… with the possible addition of Jimmy Vesey coming as soon as Harvard’s season has ended. GM David Poile talked about him on SportsNight yesterday on 102.5 the Game, going as far to say that Vesey “has a spot in Nashville’s lineup” and that Poile didn’t add a forward that would “complicate” the Vesey situation.
Vesey deserves a little discussion here as too many folks have drank the Kool Aid coming from a certain northern city and think that Vesey will not sign in Nashville. The player has been pretty clear about his intentions and I tend to believe what the player says. “But Paul…” I hear you say … “The Ryan Suter situation, how do you know this won’t happen here?” I have a simple answer… I don’t, no one does. But one data point doesn’t make a trend and I don’t want a GM to lose trust with players because of one player’s actions. I fully expect to see Vesey in Predator gold.
So let’s take a look at tonight’s game against Dallas, the third of five meetings between the two Central Division rivals. The Stars come into Nashville riding a three game losing streak after losing in OT to Detroit last night. The Predators have points in their last nine games and a four game winning streak that they will be looking to extend tonight and there are indications that the Captain may be back in the lineup tonight.
Shea Weber practiced yesterday and was quoted on the Preds website that he “feel(s) good” and that “it’ll be good to get back.” The Predators haven’t missed a beat as Weber has been out for the last three games, but they certainly want him back in the lineup.
You wonder how Lindy Ruff is going to scheme tonight… it might behoove him to focus on Filip Forsberg, last week’s first star of the week in the NHL on the strength of his two natural hat tricks in three games. Forsberg has certainly been “Fil”ing the net over the past month, breaking the franchise record for goals scored in a single month and showing a remarkable chemistry with Mike Ribiero. But if the Starts focus on that line, it may free up the top line of Calle Jarnkrok, James Neal and Ryan Johansen who have been stymied a bit lately as they have been drawing opponent’s top defenders.
The matchup in net features Pekka Rinne for Nashville who seems to have it dialed in over the past few weeks, moving with confidence, snapping the glove and confounding some of the best players in the league. Since Antti Niemi went last night against the Red Wings, expectations are that Kari Lehtonen will be the starter for Dallas. Goaltending has been a struggle for the Stars recently as neither netminder have posted great numbers so far, but with Dallas’ lethal offensive capabilities, they haven’t had to.
When the Stars visited two weeks ago, it was a playoff atmosphere and many observers around the rink (myself included) thought that a Dallas / Nashville matchup in the playoffs would be one helluva series. Well, round three of the regular season matchup is tonight at 7pm. Coverage on Fox Sports Tennessee, 102.5 the Game and the Predators Radio Network.
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Random Notes
- “Where They Stand” – Entering tonight’s play, the Nashville Predators are 4th in the Central Division with 73 points, trailing 3rd Place St. Louis by 8 points with two games in hand and 2nd place Dallas by 10 points with a game in hand. The Preds lead Colorado by five points with a game in hand and leads Minnesota by 7 points in the division. The Predators are in the first wild card slot, leading Colorado and Minnesota.
- Per SportsClubStats.com, the Predators playoff chances stand at 95.6% heading into tonight’s play.
- Deadline Day seemed like a dud… the big deals happened over the weekend.
- Calgary really did well taking advantage of a seller’s market yesterday, moving pending UFA’s Jiri Hudler and Kris Russell and picking up a nice d-man from Dallas in Jyrki Jokipakka. They now have seven picks in the first four rounds of the upcoming entry draft.
- Carolina rocked yesterday as well, ending up with a potential 12 picks in the 2016 draft, for three players with expiring contracts, including Eric Staal… who could possibly return in free agency.
- Vancouver… ummm… WTF? They were unable to get anything of significance done and got no help for the coming rebuild. Considering what Dallas paid for Kris Russel, you have to wonder why that deal wasn’t Dan Hamhuis.
- I am still back-and-forth on Chicago’s “throwing spaghetti against the wall” strategy of trades over the weekend.
- After not trading him, the Tampa Bay Lightning extended an olive branch to Jonathan Drouin saying that the “door is open” for a return. Drouin seems to have set that olive branch on fire by indicating “that ship has sailed.”
- Two first career hat tricks last night… Brayden Schenn posted one for the Flyers and former Nashville Predator Patric Hornqvist got the first one of his career as the Penguins hammered the Coyotes.
- Nine games in the NHL tonight, all times central – 6pm – CGY @ BOS, CAR @ NJD. 6:30pm – PIT @ WSH, EDM @ BUF, STL @ OTT. 7pm – DAL @ NSH, COL @ MIN, FLA @ WPG. 9pm – NYI @ VAN.
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