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Here Today, Gone Tomorrow. It's a New Hockey Landscape in Nashville

June 19, 2010, 6:55 PM ET [ Comments]

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Well, it seems this off-season for the Predators won't be so quiet after all. Not just one but two trades to discuss today. I guess the Predators GM David Poile woke up today and finally decided to take some action after yet another 1st Round exit.

Trade #1: This one I don't find all that significant. Dan Hamhuis' rights get traded to (wait for it….) Philadelphia. The deal does send Predator drafted Ryan Parent back to the organization along with a conditional pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Parent, now 23, was the Preds 1st round draft choice in the 2005 Entry Draft and later departed in the deal for Peter Forsberg.

The thing that gets me about this trade is I wonder if the value for Hammer was higher at the deadline. Either way, the Preds have another young D-man in the mix for those last roles. The starters we know of will be Suter, Weber, Bouillon, and Klein. The question of Denis Grebeshkov returning is still unanswered. Also, Cody Franson had some significant time up in Nashville. Hypothetically you could see Nashville not re-signing Grebeshkov (who is an RFA) and then you have an open battle for the final spot between Alexander Sulzer, Jon Blum, and Parent.

So, I think this trade was inevitable, and not surprising that it occurred with Philly. In the end, it seems to me that this is the right type of move just based on you have so many D-men that are either ready for the NHL or near it that at some point you have to give them a chance. The other part I REALLY like about this is that it sheds salary and paves the way to spend on the real need, a forward. That bring us to…

Trade #2: This was the surprise move for sure. If moving Hamhuis wasn't enough to get Pred fans awake earlier in the day, then surely trading away the captain, Jason Arnott, would get everyone up and talking.

Jason Arnott returns to the Garden State and will once again don the New Jersey Devils sweater. In return the Predators receive forward prospect Matt Halischuk and New Jersey's 2nd Round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Initial reaction from some may be that the Devils got a deal, but I actually would call this pretty even. To get a prospect and a 2nd Rounder for Arny is pretty solid considering his age and diminishing returns on the offensive side of the puck. When you cut right to it, Arny has lost a stride in his skates. Beyond that, you could easily accuse him of taking some nights off, and you'd be right. Honestly, he has whiffed on back door chances more than he had goals in the past two seasons. You had to guess a change of some sort was coming for the next season when the Preds head coach Barry Trotz had some interesting comments regarding his captaincy. That said, Arny was a leader that the guys followed. They followed his lead and when he showed fire, passion, and drive, they stepped up for him. The problem in my mind is that Jason wasn't quite comfortable being that guy, or even the marquee guy that a team's offense depends upon. Now, that's just speculation on my part, but it does make sense to me. I think I've grown to a point where i can read the guy fairly well just based on the many interviews I've done with him. In the end, I think he'll be happier in Jersey, and the amount of depth offense he provides to them is beneficial. It's a good move for the Devs because the pressure is on Parise, Brodeur, and Zajac. Now maybe Jason can flourish more in a 2nd line role (which fits him at this stage of his career in my opinion) with less expectations placed upon him.

Halischuk doesn't blow me away as far as prospects go (22 years old, 5' 11", 172 lbs, right winger) but I do tend to wait and see the young guys in action before I evaluate the trade fully. The one problem this does create is that once again the Preds have plenty of right wingers, and no natural left winger. But I digress….

So, we now have the contract of Jason Arnott off the books as well, and this opens up a ton of cap space. We all know of course that Poile is actively seeking a way to get Hornqvist locked in on a new contract. These moves give him some cash flow to make that happen. We also have to factor in the pending RFA status of the Beast known as Shea Weber. So, with all that in mind, I do wonder how much Poile is looking at spending in Free Agency because these type of moves scream that more changes are coming.

The real question is whether or not that comes by simple addition, or more movement via the trade wire. That unknown is quite interesting to say the least.

******

Couple of other things to address real quick before I go back to my cave:

* The question on everyone's mind now is who becomes captain. The odds on favorite is Weber (and I would probably do that if it were up to me), but you also have to think that Suter will get a strong consideration along with Steve Sullivan. Let me know who you nominate in the comments.

* I really liked the re-signing of Francis Bouillon. He won me over early on last season and to me was better than all the other D-men not named Weber and Suter. The price tag was solid as well so I give DP credit on that one. The Cube will make $1.2 million this season and $1.5 million in the 2011-2012 season.

* I'm glad that the Preds are awake at the wheel and making some changes, but they still haven't done anything about the man advantage. Still waiting on that coaching change as are the paying customers who deserve to have their voices heard more than I do.

* I recently got back on XBOX Live. Pretty much the only game I play on there is NHL 10, so if you want to hit me up sometime you can find me as PredViper. A hat tip to Codey Holland of Section303.com for getting me back into the online side of the game.

* I knew at the end of the season that John
Glennon would no longer be covering the Preds beat. Now that the news has become official I do want to wish him the best covering the NFL again and also mention that despite the fact that I was an outsider at first, J.G. never treated me any less than another mainstream media member. Sometimes there are traditional media members that don't really treat the new media too kind, but that was not the case at all with John. He always treated me like a pro and I will never forget that. Also, once the Tennessean got J.G. blogging everyone got to see the real Glennon so I think everyone will miss his Post-game Ponderings. Best wishes John away from the rink!

* Lastly, you may be wondering where the heck I've been. Well, I'm still here but I've been extremely busy since the last time I posted (which was quite some time ago I know). My job was been quite hectic (long story but needless to say I'm running my store now despite being the Asst. Mgr) and then there's the whole thing of getting married in a week (June 26th). Anyways, I've been mentioning and hinting in previous posts that news is coming about me and my future at the site (no, I'm not leaving) and I plan to fully post that after Free Agency hits and I get back from my Honeymooon.


With that, I thank you all once again for making me apart of your hockey life. It's always appreciated and I truly am honored that so many wish to read my opinions. Granted, you may not like my opinion, but that's what the comments section is for right?

Look forward to the comments, criticisms, and questions. I'll be ready to respond and we can all talk about the impact of this crazy day. As a parting shot, what do the Preds do about the center position now? I'll have my thoughts about this in the comments after some of you guys and gals weigh in.


Till the next time, take care friends.













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