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Scrimmage and Scouting the Central - Winnipeg

September 17, 2018, 8:53 AM ET [2 Comments]
Paul McCann
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Before I get to my last Scouting the Central post… the Nashville Predators held their annual Blue and Gold scrimmage yesterday at Ford Ice Center to a capacity crowd of hockey starved Smashvillians. The scrimmage was on the second on-ice day of training camp and it was a great chance to get a look at some of the prospects in game action before the first preseason games taking place today in Florida. The Panthers are hosting a double header in Sunrise.

The contest was a back and forth affair, with solid performances for Pavel Kotygin, who scored a couple of goals. The 19 year old Russian showed some slick moves and a nose for the puck. Kotygin was a 6th round pick on the 2017 entry draft and played for Drummondville in the QMJHL last season. The expectation is that he will return to the Voltigeurs but he did impress yesterday.

Another solid performance came from Eeli Tolvanen, scoring a gritty goal in the first period and assisting on another. Tolvanen was noticeable every time he was on the ice, skating well, floating to soft areas in the offensive zone and showed a bit of grit on defense.

The team is on their way to Florida for today’s double header. Game one is at 2:30pm, game two is at 6pm CDT.

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The last 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 second place team… the Winnipeg Jets.

Last Season – 52-20-11 - 114 points… finished 2rd in the Central Division, 2nd in the Western Conference. Fourth seed in the Western Conference, lost to Vegas in the Western Conference Finals.

Key stat from last season – 3 – The Winnipeg Jets never lost more than three games in a row last season.

Subtractions - F Paul Stastny, D Toby Enstrom, C Matt Hendricks, G Steve Mason, F Joel Armia

Additions - G Laurent Brossoit

The BIG Question - Are the kids ready to step up and handle the weight of expectations? Quite a few veterans exited the Jets in the offseason. Are prospects like Jack Roslovic and Tucker Poolman ready to replace Stastny and Enstrom?

2018/19 Outlook - This is a really good team in a win now mode. Why win now? Because they have a LOT of players coming up for big raises in the next season or two. Players like Tyler Myers, Joe Morrow, Jacob Trouba, Brandon Tavev, Kyle Connor and some guy named Patrik Laine. The second line for the Jets did not stabilize until the arrival of Paul Stastny, Bryan Little will need to have a much better season this year for that line to continue to contribute. The Jets signed Connor Hellebuyck for the long term, a six year deal for $6.16 million per year AAV, solidifying the goaltending situation.

The Jets will contend for the division title, the conference title and the President’s Trophy. They are deep, big and fast as they showed when taking down the Predators in the second round last spring. Getting their first series win in franchise history was also a big accomplishment… can this team take the next step?

Best Case/Worst Case - Best case for the Jets is that they pick up where they left off and continue to be the most consistent team in the NHL. Their key stat is astounding, never losing more than 3 games in a row. Hellebuyck continues to develop, the youth is able to replace the vets lost and they make the Stanley Cup Final. Worst case is that the youth doesn’t step up, Little’s second line fizzles, Hellebuyck doesn’t repeat his runner-up Vezina performance and the Jets just manage to squeak into the playoffs.

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Random Notes

- All Western Conference teams are talking about the Sharks acquisition of Erik Karlsson, giving San Jose a claim to having one of the best defenses in the West.

- Today’s doubleheader in Florida will be covered by the Predators flagship station, 102.5 the Game. You can listen live at 8am Saturday mornings or download the podcast from the normal sources.

- Welcome to the latest show to cover the Predators, every Saturday morning at 8am it’s the Predators Official Podcast

- Very limited tickets remain for Friday’s preseason home opener against the Lightning. Game time is 7pm.

- Still a few fascinating RFA names not in camp so far, Darnell Nurse in Edmonton, Sam Reinhart with the Sabres, Nick Ritchie with the Ducks, William Nylander with the Leafs, Miles Wood in New Jersey and Shea Theodore with Vegas. Still early in camp, but the longer it goes, the less effective these players may be.

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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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