It has finally dawned on me. The other day I finally realized just what it was that the Preds are truly missing on their team. I was reading the new Hockey News Yearbook which has just hit magazine shelves and within its pages I found my answer. I had already known somewhat and remember writing about a similar issue but this time the issue hit me square in the eyes.
I got to the Hockey News list of Top 50 players in the NHL and I thought to myself, “I bet I don’t find a Pred listed….” I was right. In fact, to further the point, the Hockey News even printed at the top of one page that the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, and St. Louis Blues are the only teams in hockey to not have a player on their roster in the top 50.
Ouch. Truth hurts.
Then, I looked at a different hockey magazine (which I did not purchase and won’t name because they had Drew MacIntyre as the backup over Pekka Rinne) and they were showing the top 30 at each position in terms of fantasy hockey value. Ellis was there around 23rd for goalies. The only forward was J.P. Dumont near 48. Defense had Suter over Weber. Those were the only Preds to be found on those lists though.
This got me thinking. I knew that I had written something about getting a proven goal scorer earlier last season:
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=11875
Well here we are again; another season and we still lack that finisher, the consistent goal scorer, the player who everybody in the NHL recognizes and will likely draw in the casual fan.
Look, don’t get me wrong. I like all of our players on this roster and I feel that many of them are undervalued. J.P. Dumont is overlooked all too often. I think that Dan Ellis has a chance to be a great goaltender, but he has to prove that last year was more to come and not a flash in the pan. We most certainly have D-men who can be mentioned among the top 20 in the league. We all believe that Shea Weber has the most potential and along with him there are many who still think Ryan Suter has even more potential than already shown.
My question is among those is there anyone who will become a household name? Personally I think Weber has the best chance, but a dark horse would be Dan Ellis. The thing is a superstar player has to have so many things to them and that is why they are so rare to find. They must be able to change games, have rare talent, be a consistent producer, excite the fans, and even be able to handle the media by giving quotes and handling their pressure. It’s a rare combination of things but there are players in the NHL that have all those things.
All in all I want to see this team have one of those players. They might have to acquire one via trade, but at a certain point you have to do whatever it takes to excite a fan base. As mentioned I do thing there are some players in the Preds system that have a chance to become this: Weber, Ellis, Colin Wilson, Patric Hornqvist, Jonathan Blum, Chet Pickard. My only thing is why wait? Some of those players are 2 to 3 years from making the roster and even when they do get here they’ll need time to develop into that type of player.
For me, I think the franchise needs that player who is a game changer. During the playoffs if I was to ask you who you think could be a game changer against Detroit the only name likely to be mentioned was Ellis. Want to get past the 1st round? Superstar players propel you to wins and that includes in the playoffs.
I realize it’s not an easy thing to just get one of these players, but at time I wonder if there is an effort being made. We don’t know what happens in the office of David Poile, so for all I know he has been trying to get that player, but in the press he sounds fine with the roster we have. The benefits of having this type of player are numerous, on and off ice, and I truly believe that this franchise could flourish once the superstar player is brought in.
All the talk this offseason has been about adding a top 6 forward (or two with Radulov gone) but to me this is the one piece missing in the Preds puzzle that no one mentions. We all focus on the upcoming season but sometimes it pays off to look at the bigger picture and want will better benefit this franchise. Other may not, but I’m willing to have a bad season in order to acquire a top 50 guy.
Remember, sports are a business and big time players bring in big time money. I think it’s time for the Preds to make a decision that benefits the business and on-ice product. A top 50 player keeps the Preds name in the NHL media and gets more highlights at Fox Sports or ESPN. A top 50 player can change everything and lets be honest, after 4 straight 1st round exits, change may be good.
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The Clarksville Fan Club is having a big get together on Tuesday night. The event runs from 5pm to 6pm and it is an opportunity to meet with other fans and get pumped up for the new season. The event will be held at The Front Page Deli. Slated to attend are Shea Weber, Rich Peverley, Gnash, and some of the Preds dancers. If it were not for class and work that night I would attend, but in my absence I’d love to hear from some of you Hockeybuzzards after you attend. For more information you can find the Clarksville Fan Club on Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/hockeytimeinclarksville
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Let me know you thoughts on what the Preds missing piece is. Maybe you don’t quite agree with my analysis. If so, that’s fine, just be sure to tell your opinion in the comments section. Never commented before? Well get off the bench and join in our Hockeybuzz community. If any first time users comment on this blog as a show of thanks I’ll mention welcome you and mention your user name in my next blog. Show just how passionate you are about your Preds and join into an already vocal and diverse Preds community here on Hockeybuzz.
Need an even stronger push? Well just look at what kind of discussions you are missing out on:
normryder: This guy might fit a Preds uniform very nicely next year - Ilya Kovalchuk!
nikoli1206: Ya...cause Poile loves paying players $8 million a year...not happening.
Myself: That's what I'm saying though. Why not pay him? We have a decent chunk of money coming off the books next season (check Cap Central to see what I mean) so why not use the cash and get Kovalchuk? We can fill all the players leaving with our AHL guys that are near NHL ready plus have our superstar. That's a win win for all but the fact that we already know it won't happen is very indicative of the mindset the franchise has shown. My whole thing is if we can't get past the 1st round then the philosophy is not working so tweak it.
nikoli1206: Couldn't agree with you more Brandon. If we are ever to establish ourselves as a true hockey town, we need to get a big FA in here. But again, all the big FAs are gone, so now we MIGHT pick a 2nd tier guy up. Plus, Arnott is not exactly young and we stil rely on him as a top 3 guy. It would be wise...that said I don't see it happening.
I'm not sure Kovalchuk is worth that price tag (which he will probably get), but I am tired of watching these guys go somewhere else. If he goes to Detroit, Montreal, Toronto...he is just some guy. Kovalchuk would be a GOD here...much like Kariya was for a while.
temat: (after quoting my post above) Exactly!!! This team needs to be doing everything it can to attract new fans. This year has been a bad year for available marquee name players so it makes specific examples difficult. Regardless, it does not change the fact that management needs to be looking for a high profile producer to bring attention to the team, if it is going to be in town for more than a few more years. This is not a market that can have too many down years before it loses any momentum gained from the 'save our team' movement.
It will take a much more exciting & visible product than what they have, assembled on paper at the beginning of training camp, to win the average sports fan over. We can only hope that the on ice product is more appealing than what it seems it will be as of today. I'm not bashing anyone on the current roster specifically, but a lot of players are going to have to play up to all of the potential that has been seen in them along the way if this roster is going to keep up with last year's results.
There is the potential in the organization to come up with the lost offense. Is there someone who can make the community at large want to see what's going on at the arena on hockey nights? Only time will tell. I'm sure that they are constantly watching the situation but the Preds need good exposure badly & a known entity could really infuse some excitement into an otherwise unremarkable line-up. Maybe something will come up during the year?
It might not be Kovalchuk but we need to be watching someone of his caliber every night not just when he visits. I'm tired of waiting for the exciting hockey players to visit town. Maybe the plan is make due this year, the crop is better next year?
All of this being said, it will be the beginning of training camp soon & the Preds do seem to have a way of making lemonade out of ...dumping & chasing!
So as you can see even though we are a few weeks away from on-ice action there is plenty to discuss. Don’t let your opinion go unheard and join in on our Hockeybuzz community…
Till next time, take care.
Questions, comments, and criticisms are welcome and can be directed to [email protected] if you wish to contact me personally 
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