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Goals and Roles - Five Signings for The Predators

July 5, 2013, 3:37 PM ET [52 Comments]
Paul McCann
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Goals and roles. That was the theme inside 501 Broadway over the past few weeks. There were many thoughts that surrounded this...

The thought coming into the off season was to get a top four defenseman… Check.

Get a top six forward… Check.

Get a backup goaltender… Check.

Get harder to play against… Check.

The Nashville Predators have accomplished all they set out to do, and it is barely three hours into free agency as I write this.

Signing Victor Stalberg away from Chicago gives the team a legitimate top six forward… The top four defense position is nicely filled by one Seth Jones. Get harder to play against, well… that role falls to Eric Nystrom and Matt Hendricks, both forwards that play with sandpaper in their game. A backup goaltender also comes from the defending Stanley Cup champs… Carter Hutton played one game for the Hawks this past season, spending most of his time in Rockford. He will come into camp as the designated backup to Pekka Rinne. Additional scoring will come from Matt Cullen, a bit of a journeyman, but comes to Nashville with solid skills and a playoff performance record that will come in handy.

Not a free agent haul that will excite the pundits… but looking at this group… well… they just scream Predator hockey. Hard work, grit, all the things that Pred Nation is used to seeing out of a Predator team.

Oh… and one other thing… Hendricks and Cullen are very good in the shootout… a major failing of the Predators last season, nice to see that considered as GM David Poile and staff made their pursuits.

All-in-all, a solid days work retooling this Predator team. Add in the return of all of the wounded from last season, a healthy Pekka Rinne, continued development of Filip Forsberg and you have the potential for a very solid, hard working, very good hockey team.

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