12:10pm CDT Update - My phone is going nuts from about 4 different sources talking about a potential TB/NSH deal... some are saying TB is looking for Nashville's #11... some are saying it's targeted at Tampa's #2 pick...

Things is getting interesting...

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It’s Draft Day!!!

Please join me tonight at the Franklin O’Charley’s as I will be hosting one of three Predators draft parties. Section 303 will be joining us and they will be hosting a live version of their podcast from there as well. The festivities get going at around 5:30.

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So… your turn… play GM. What should the Predators do tonight and tomorrow?

Trade Up? Make your case, who would you offer? Where would you trade up to? Who would you take?

Trade Down? Why? Who’s your target?

Stay where they are? OK… then who would you take and why?

C’mon Pred Nation… make your proposals… we’ll see if any of them come true.

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Off-Topic

Yesterday… while I was trying to process the fact that Farrah Fawcett had died, I got a tweet from Eklund reporting TMZ’s news of the death of Michael Jackson.

Put aside the weirdness of the past fifteen years. Let’s face it… the man could entertain. The memories have come flooding back as I have heard each hit being played over the past 12 hours or so. From the Jackson 5 hits of ABC, The Love You Save, to I’ll Be There... to the Off the Wall album… to becoming a superstar with Thriller, Bad and Dangerous…

In a lot of respects, his music was the soundtrack of my early teens to my thirties. The Jackson 5 cartoon show (I always was a Jackson 5 fan over the Osmonds. ) I clearly remember my first slow dance at a seventh grade dance. The song? Ben... High school dances, Blame it on the Boogie and Dancin’ Machine. As a club disc jockey in the 80’s I wore out multiple copies of Off the Wall and Thriller. A sure way to pack a dance floor would be to play Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, or any of the other six top 10 hits from Thriller. I would wager to think that still might be true today.

I was only lucky enough to see him live once… on the Jackson’s Victory tour at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL where I was working as a club DJ. It was a jaw-dropping performance from a simply innovative performer. That show, along with his performance on Motown25 is burned into my memory.

As I drove into work this morning, Sirius/XM channels were full of his music… hearing Man in the Mirror and I’ll Be There was particularly heartbreaking.

For me… his death was as shocking as John Lennon’s murder in 1980, completely surprising and out of left field. Iconic performers cut down as they were attempting comebacks. We’ll never know if Michael had one more innovation left in him.

Godspeed Michael… thanks for sharing your talent with us.

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You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates… I’ll also be updating during Pred home games in season with information and explanations from the PA box.

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Join Brandon Felder and me for the fastest hour in radio… HockeyBuzz Radio... Wednesday night’s through July 1st. Start time is 6pm on SportsRadio 560 WNSR, you can listen online at www.wnsr.com or you can download the podcast of the show at www.hockeybuzzradio.com

Our season finale will feature Eklund, bringing us the hottest rumors from UFA day and a roundtable of HBR’s contributors looking back at the season that was and forward to 2009-2010… so tune in!

Don't forget to check out www.hockeybuzzradio.com for schedules, updates, links to more hockey and Predators information along with our new weekly feature called “On the Mark” featuring opinions on all things hockey from hockey writer Mark McGee.

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