UPDATE - Lane Lambert will be officially introduced at a press con call at 2pm today.
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The Nashville Predators kept things in the family, living up to their creed that “the road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee” with the naming of Lane Lambert as assistant coach. Lambert has done an excellent job in developing the talent pipeline for the Predators as head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals. More turnover to the coaching staff may still come as Peter Horachek has interviewed for the vacant Dallas Stars head coach role.
With this coaching turnover, it got me thinking… What does this team need? This question has been bandied about in Pred Nation over the past few weeks since the Predators dropped their series with Vancouver. Getting Shea Weber signed to a long term deal is an obvious one, getting Suter and Rinne to do the same is just as obvious, but what does this team need to go after on the free agent market and what does this team need to draft for…
A day one strength of this franchise has been the drafting and development of defensive oriented players, resulting in one of the strongest crops of blueline prospects in the NHL. A day one opportunity for this franchise has been developing offensive minded players. A lot of that has to do with the initial success this team experienced, their highest draft pick ever was in ’98, drafting second and selecting David Legwand. The team did too well in its’ first few expansion years, never getting getting higher than the number 6 pick overall ('99, '00, '02) that being said… There are some potentials in the system, all from the 2009 class…
- Taylor Beck – Solid year in Guelph, showed well in his short time in Milwaukee. The kid is big, has nice hands, can score and is a solid playmaker. He could be the most promising offensive prospect in the Predators system.
- Michael Latta – Top Ten in OHL scoring, Latta showed skill and an attitude. Another center, observers call out his work ethic as being exceptional. He will begin the year in Milwaukee but shows promise. The biggest question with this player is can he maintain the level of dedication and drive he has shown so far at the next level?
- Zach Budish – I’m a big fan of this kid. He is developing well in college and I still expect him to make an impact at the NHL level however, health has been an issue for the youngster, he has not played a full season of hockey since high school. Budish has the potential to be the classic power forward Nashville needs, if he can stay away from IR.
Even with these prospects, there still is a crying need for front line talent.
The loss of Alexander Radulov certainly hurt the team as he truly was the best offensive player this team had seen. A return of Radulov would be a god-send, but I will believe it when I see it.
The cupboard in Milwaukee has a few familiar names… Andreas Thuresson spent some time in Nashville, Mark Santorelli’s progress has not been great and Gabriel Bourque showed some real development as the Ad’s season progressed. None of these players are ready to make an impact at the NHL level as things stand right now.
In the upcoming NHL Draft, Nashville has its first pick in the second round, 38th overall. In a position like that you either make a statement pick (a Blake Geoffrion-type player) or the “best available” pick. Past second round picks have panned out well for Nashville, names like Weber, Kline, Spaling and the above mentioned Geoffrion. While the 2011 draft is deep in talent, there really is not a “special” player, a game changer. David Poile would like to get back into the first round but I don’t think he moves heaven and earth to get there.
As far as free agency goes… there may not be a lot there to go after. The team is stocked on defense, so I don’t see Nashville going after anyone at the blueline with one possible exception... The proverbial fly-in-the-ointment is Francis Bouillon’s injury. Depending on his progress, you may see Nashville re-sign Shane O’Brien… or wait until September to see how players like Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi pan out. If they don't prove to be ready, then sign a depth veteran.
At forward, things get a little more intriguing, let’s break it down by position…
- Center – The team is overflowing at the center position, mostly because of injury. With David Legwand, Mike Fisher, Matthew Lombardi, Colin Wilson and Jerred Smithson signed, along with RFA’s Nick Spaling and Cal O’Reilly, that constitutes a logjam at the position, without even mentioning UFA Marcel Goc. Wilson, Smithson, and Spaling all spent time at wing as well. I’d be shocked if anything happens at center, unless that player is known to be solid at wing.
- Wing – Now things get interesting. Signed for next year are Martin Erat, Patric Hornqvist and Jordin Tootoo along with last season’s perma-scratch JP Dumont. Here’s where the traffic jam at center has an impact as well as a few natural centers will end up at wing. Joel Ward and Steve Sullivan are on the UFA list, Sullivan wants to come back and as long as the terms are reasonable, he should. Ward may have played himself into a big raise with his playoff performance; however his regular season was sub-par. Nashville may not be able to afford getting him back. Sergei Kostitsyn may be the anti-Ward, very solid regular season with a sub-par playoffs, an RFA that Nashville would like to have back and can qualify at a very reasonable price.
So… who, if anyone, does the team go after in free agency? The Predators are still looking for more top six talent (who isn't?) and some interesting possibilities are on the UFA list as I write this. Two names jump out at me for UFA’s that have significant upside… but also significant risk.
One name I find interesting and a potential good fit for the Predators is Tomas Kopecky. The 29 year old has spent his entire NHL career in the Central Division with Detroit and Chicago. A solid role player that isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty and is coming off his best season as a pro. Kopecky is due a raise from his $1.2 million salary last season, but, unless someone gets stupid, should be reasonably priced. The question is, can he step up to a consistent top six role?
The other UFA that may be a very nice fit is Simon Gagne. Gagne is coming off two consecutive seasons where his performance was hampered by injury. At the age of 31, he still has something left in the tank and may be had for a reasonable price. The addition of another left wing to the Predator’s lineup certainly doesn’t hurt. Gagne’s injury history may put some teams off, but I think he’d be a great pickup for a team starved for a sniper.
The questions and discussions will continue during this run up to the draft and the July 1st beginning of UFA season. So, what’s your take? Who should the Predators sign, re-sign, draft or go after?
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Random Notes
- Props to homegrown Pred Blake Geoffrion, his twitter updates and pictures from the red carpet at last night’s CMT Award show were a lot of fun.
- Stick tap to Thom Abraham, during a discussion on his show last night, I told him he was crazy to pick Boston 5-2 last night… OK, it was 4-0, but I didn’t expect him to be close. Kudos to you Big Dawg!
- This is certainly a brand new series, but I’ve always believed the old saying that it isn’t really a series till someone loses on home ice and that ain’t happened yet.
- Is this series turning out to be the ultimate “heart vs. talent” series? Sure looks that way so far…
- The pressure is ramping up on Vancouver… you can see it in the Canadian media. First example… there is a poll on the front of the sports section of the Vancouver Sun, who should start in goal for game five. Silly.
- Former Pred Rich Peverly did an outstanding job replacing Nathan Horton last night. He may be playing himself into a great UFA season.
- Tim Thomas is far and away the leader for the Conn Smyth in these playoffs. His play and his story are both outstanding and compelling. Right now the MVP is his to lose no matter what happens in the next 2-3 games.
- Does anyone else wonder why the Prime Minister of Canada would attend an SCF game in Boston, but not Vancouver? I understand the travel issue, but the optics are not great.
- Roberto Luongo seems to be given the goat horns, but some responsibility needs to be borne by others on the team. Once again the Sedins have disappeared. Ryan Kesler is not playing well and the entire Canuck blueline is playing poorly, repeatedly hanging Luongo out to dry. One other issue… Vancouver's power play is 1-22 in this series.
- Everyone has been wondering why Keith Ballard has been on the bench for the Canucks… Methinks he showed why last night. Yikes!
- I kinda liked the nastiness between Tim Thomas and Alex Burrows. Thomas certainly responded to Burrows knocking his stick out of his hands.
- Glad to see that Alain Vigneault’s complaints to the NHL about Tim Thomas’ aggression seems to have worked out just fine… :)
- Hey… we finally got through a game without a finger incident.
- Tonight’s playoff schedule – No game – Game Five tomorrow in Vancouver – Series tied 2-2
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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, but we are having a bit of fun by getting your input on Gnash introductions, weigh in on Twitter and who knows, we may use your introduction for the best mascot in the NHL at the next Preds game!
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COMING UP ON THE NEXT SLAPSHOT RADIO…
The podcast for last night’s show is posted. We chatted with Versus/NBC analyst Keith Jones last night to preview game four of the Stanley Cup final, plus we checked in with Eklund to get his take on the game and the wheeling and dealing going on in advance of the NHL Draft plus a talk with the dean of ESPN hockey John Buccigross.
You can get check out our podcasts at
the SlapShot Radio podcast page.
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