The Preds announced that Josh Gratton cleared waivers and was assigned to Milwaukee. Still no indications as to the status of Antii Pihlstrom and why he missed practice.
From earlier:
John Glennon for the Tennessean reports that Antii Pihlstrom and Josh Gratton are not at practice this morning, thus possibly indicating they have be reassigned to Milwaukee.
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081007/SPORTS02/81007010/1002/SPORTS
This would trim the forwards down enough to get a total roster of 23.
Once this becomes official I'll be sure to update you.
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I had planned on writing about my concerns for the upcoming year after finishing pre-season but the news from Glennon today took precedence.
So here are my thoughts after having digested the pre-season play (which isn't easy at times...):
As good as our D is touted to be, they still tend to make some young mistakes. All too often in pre-season they appeared to take a period off. Sometimes it was the 1st period, others the 2nd, but the Preds lone game of solid defense was at home against Columbus. A total of 19 goals against in 6 pre-season games gives me some concern. To watch the opposing forwards gain the offensive zone with ease at times, well that concerns me. All too often Pekka Rinne was left hanging out to dry, and at times the same could be said about Ellis.
Do I think our D will improve from pre-season? Yes, of course I do. My primary concern though is the bad habits that I've seen thus far carrying over. Way too many sloppy passes, failed breakouts, turnovers.... etc.
Then there is the consistent scoring issue. We all knew going in that this team would struggle to produce 2 to 3 goals on a nightly basis (as they struggled with last season as well). GM David Poile decided to keep things in house to look for scoring. I really believe in Hornqvist and Jones much like Poile does. I think Hornqvist will find his touch and game after he gets adjusted to North America. As I wrote previously this year, at some point he'll hit a wall but that happens with rookies. The important thing is that Hornqvist gets the necessary ice time to bring his full game to fruition. I have no doubts that Patric will have a solid rookie year.
Ryan Jones is the type of player this team needs. He will go to the net, take the body, essentially be that Scott Hartnell type of player the Preds lacked since Hartnell's departure to Philly. Some people have stated they weren't impressed with Jones in pre-season but I for one liked what I saw and felt that he deserves some NHL ice time.
In terms of special teams, the PK is still awesome, while the PP still looks like it'll be in the bottom third of the league again. Until they prove me wrong, I'll call the PP the man advantage until I see power and productive play from that unit. Hopefully they shut me up quickly...
There have been articles written lately about our goaltending, but they will be fine in my opinion. This pre-season hasn't made me question their abilities but rather reaffirmed my belief in them, as long as the D plays well in front of them...
Overall, I think this season has a range of ways it could go. The right chemistry and attitudes could lead to another playoff visit. If things take time to sort themselves out and the team struggles on the road these first few months, well then I think we are looking at a 9th to 11th place finish. After the first week of regular season games I think I will have a much better feel for what this team will be, so I will probably update my thoughts on the subject at that time, or on the radio show Monday the 20th.
I'd love to hear your concerns on the season as well. Just add them into the comments of this column.
Till next time, take care.
Questions, comments, and criticisms are welcomed and can be sent to [email protected] if you wish to contact me personally. 
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