The fourth in a series of Central Division teams and what they have done (or not done) to improve themselves in the offseason. I started at the bottom of the division and am working my way up. Next up, last season’s fourth place team… the Colorado Avalanche.
Last Season – 43-30-9 – 95 points… finished 4th in the Central Division, 8th in the Western Conference. Eighth seed in the Western Conference, lost to Nashville in the first round.
Key stat from last season – 97 – Nathan MacKinnon’s point total. MacKinnon was dominant tat times and his 39 goals led the way for the Av’s.
Subtractions - F Blake Comeau, F Nail Yakupov
Additions - D Ian Cole, F Matt Calvert, G Philipp Grubauer
The BIG Question - How do the Av’s handle the expectations on this team? Making the playoffs has upped the expectations for a team one year removed from the worst season in franchise history. How does the youth on this team adjust to going from the hunter to the hunted. That will be the determining factor for this team.
2018/19 Outlook - Controversy in goal? Can the team handle expectations? Will the blueline hold up? This team has solid talent everywhere, except at the 2C position. Is Kerfoot a 2C? Maybe… but the top line will have to repeat their awesome performance of last season to stay in the hunt in an improved Central Division. An under the radar move for this team is the add of Ian Cole. A veteran blueliner that will help develop some of the youth on this team.
Colorado should be competitive, but I don’t know if they have improved enough to maintain their playoff positioning, let alone improve their results.
Best Case/Worst Case - Best case for the Avalanche is that the youth continues to develop, especially on the blueline, the top line repeats it’s phenomenal performance of last season and gets solid goaltending from their 1A/1B system. If that happens, they make the playoffs again. Worst case is that the team takes a step back, the youth growth stunts and Dallas and St. Louis pass them in the Central Division playoff race.
Next up, the Minnesota Wild.
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Random Notes
- The rookies/prospects finish up in Florida today with a game against the Baby Bolts. The Baby Preds are 2-0 so far in the tournament.
- Game time is 9:30am CDT for today’s game… the game is streaming live on NashvillePredators.com
- David Poile called out two prospects in a piece on NashvillePredators.com, Alexandre Carrier and Eeli Tolvanen. Nice to see another defensive prospect show well and the comments indicate that Carrier is going to get a serious look in camp.
- The Peterson for Parkinson’s Petey’s Preds Party was another rousing success Sunday night and the golf was very spirited yesterday according to all reports I have sen.
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We are very excited to announce an event to benefit Best Buddies of Tennessee… It’s a Murder Mystery specifically written for this event called Five for Murder! This is presented by
The Murder Mystery Company , the nationwide leader in mystery-themed entertainment. Our presenting sponsors are SlapShot Radio and by
Jackalope Brewing Company.
So, what’s the story? The hockey community is rocked when a high-profile hockey personality is found dead! Now it is up to you and your teammates to find the ice-cold killer… and put him in the penalty box – for life!
If you ever wanted to take part in a live game of Clue, this is your chance!
Join us for a hockey-themed murder mystery show where guests will enjoy an evening full of fun, food, drinks, and a chance to meet some Predators personalities. Throughout the night, the plot will unfold and we need your help to solve the mystery! Guests will get to interrogate suspects, gather clues and work with their team to crack the case before the suspect gets away.
All proceeds benefit Best Buddies programs devoted to changing the world for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through meaningful one-to-one friendships and supported employment.
This will be a show you won’t want to miss, so grab your tickets today… click
here to get your tickets.
The details…
When? Friday, October 12, 2018
6–7 pm: VIP Reception (early access and seat choice, meet and great with the cast and Predators personalities)
7 pm: Doors open for General Admission
8–10 pm: Show
Where? The Barn at Chavis 4054 Wilson Pike Franklin, TN 37067
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SlapShot Radio’s is now prepping for it’s 11th season. As the longest running hockey show in the region, SSR feeds hockey fans what they crave… intelligent, fun, entertaining talk about their favorite sport and we do it from the opening of training camp all the way through UFA day. We are on every Wednesday night on the Predators flagship station, 102.5 the Game. We debut our 11th season on September 26th.
We have been delivering great hockey talk to the most energetic and engaged fans in radio and advertising with us drives results at a reasonable price. Just ask our sponsors… including day one sponsor
Dr. Jane Bacon at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at (615) 872-7762 and Patrick J. Brown’s Farmer Insurance Agency in Mt. Juliet… I switched to them a few years back and their service has been incredible! Give Pat and his team a call at 615-288-2086.
Advertisers… reach out to me in order to access our activated listener base though great preseason advertising deals available for our eleventh season. You can send me a message on the SlapShot Radio Facebook page or by messaging me right here on HockeyBuzz.
You can also keep up with all the goings on with SlapShot Radio by following the show on Twitter @SlapShotRadio1 … Also... make sure to "like" SlapShot Radio on Facebook... here's the
link.
If you are outside of the listening area, listen live online at
The Game website or check out the podcast about two hours after the show at
on SoundCloud.
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