It’s a new definition of summer camp as the Nashville Predators hit the ice in a hermetically sealed Bridgestone Arena yesterday. Security was tight… very tight as the franchise attempts to thread the needle and get to their hub city with limited infections by July 26th.
The roster starts out with 35 players and by the time they leave for Edmonton that will need to be reduced to 31… and there are some rather note-worthy names on the roster as we get this going. Some expected and a couple of surprises.
Expected names include Daniel Carr, Eeli Tolvanen and Connor Ingram along with a few other names from the Milwaukee Admirals. The surprises to this observer…
- Jeremy Davies – This player has always stood out to me during rookie camps over the past few seasons, a smallish blueliner that had a solid season with the Ad’s, posting 24 assists and a stunning +26. Speed for days, a bit of a nasty streak and a very good ice sense, he is the prototypical Predators defenseman.
- Michael McCarron – A midseason acquisition from the Laval Rocket, AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, McCarron is a big boy. Like 6’6”, 231 lbs. big. You can never have too much size come playoff time.
- Philip Tomasino – The Preds first round pick from last year’s entry draft lit up the OHL between his two stops in Oshawa and Niagara. The mid-season trade to the Generals showed this player as a budding star with an excellent two-way game, speed to burn and a scorer’s touch. While I don’t expect this player to make the 31 man roster… it would not surprise me in the least if he does.
Observations from yesterday’s session had the JoFA line back together, the second line of Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund and Kyle Turris… those are the lines Pred Nation wants to see and if JoFA can recapture the magic of 2017, it will portend well for the Preds.
The other question involves between the pipes. We will examine that more later this week…
The key for the next 12 days is to get into the “bubble” as safely as possible. This is not easy but it does appear that the NHL and the team has thought through this well and are taking every known precaution to safely start back up.
This has the potential to be a playoff season for the ages… healthy teams that are well rested heading into the post season… let’s keep our fingers crossed.
-------------------------------------
Random Notes – Presented by
- Neither Colton Sissons or Roman Josi skated with the team in the afternoon session yesterday, they skated in the morning.
- I am just not a big fan of teams being able to play in their home rink.
- Get used to the terminology “not fit to play” or “unable to practice.” I guess that is replacing “lower body injury / upper body injury.”
- I do get it… we do have health privacy laws and businesses do have to adhere to them.
- Congrats to Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason who had the interim removed from his title. Pred fans remember him from his time in Milwaukee as the bench boss there. It’s a good choice for the Wild.
- Each of the qualifying rounds has a back-to-back scheduled. The Preds are scheduled for games 2 and 3 to be back-to-back on August 4 & 5.
--------------------------------------
SlapShot Radio is back for our summer season as Zack, Brent and I are on Monday night’s at 7pm. The best hour of hockey talk on the longest running hockey show in the southeast … Join us Mondays at 7pm on 102.5 the Game.
Our sponsor list continues to grow.
Drs. Jane Bacon and Aileen Kruger at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at (615) 872-7762.
Cool Springs Wines and Spirits! The largest spirit store in all of middle Tennessee! And La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries Nashville! Three locations, locally owned and operated, check out La-Z-Boy in Murfreesboro, Hendersonville and Cool Springs!
---------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
KINDLE USERS: Please subscribe to Predators Buzz, a one-stop feed for all things Predators-related on HockeyBuzz. Your subscription includes a free 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month thereafter. For more information,
click here.
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • 
Join the Discussion:
»