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Good News... and Bad News...

July 8, 2014, 11:08 AM ET [36 Comments]
Paul McCann
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Socks and underwear indeed, from yesterday…
On the blueline… a few fascinating potentials

Anton Volchenkov - The 32 year old Russian was a compliance buyout from the New Jersey Devils. 6’1” and 225 pounds, the left shooting blueliner is a solid shot blocker and could be a nice veteran add.


As Development Camp hits the ice today, a lot of news broke from 501 Broadway late yesterday. The signing of Anton Volchenkov makes complete sense and adds an element to the Predators blueline that the team has been missing in recent years. A stay-at-home, left shooting, shot blocker, Volchenkov fills that veteran need quite nicely on the rear guard.

The New Jersey Devils bought out of the last two years of his contract last week, making the Russian a steal at $1 million for the year. Volchenkov isn’t afraid to hit and will be valuable on the penalty kill as well. He will also provide another developmental voice for young blueliners like Seth Jones, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm.

So that was the good news…

The bad news? Mike Fisher ruptured his Achilles tendon during a workout and required surgery to repair the damage. The surgery took place last Thursday and the recovery period is pegged at 4 – 6 months. Best case… Fisher returns in time for the CMA road trip and only misses 10-12 games… Worst case, he’s back in time for the new year, missing 36 games.

So what does this do for the need at center? Obviously, the dynamic has changed as Fisher has been the man in the middle, this opens up some possibilities…

UFA Acquisition - There has been a lot made over potential center acquisitions. Here’s reality… there ain’t much left on the cupboard when it comes to the kind of center this would like to acquire. The name Derek Roy has been bandied about, but the information I get indicates that Roy isn’t a target for Nashville. Things can change… but I don’t expect much from this avenue at this point.

Trade - Now this one may make a LOT more sense after the injury. Nashville definitely has options in this scenario. The most obvious one is the much rumored/talked about deal with Philadelphia for Vincent Lecavalier, which by most accounts, is stuck on how much salary Philly is willing to retain. The issue here is cap space for the Flyers vs. the actual dollars. This is an attractive scenario for Nashville as it won’t cost the team player assets, probably just a low round draft pick. Another scenario, that is much more under the radar, is a potential trade with San Jose for Joe Thorton. It would certainly give the Predators a big body in the middle… the question here is cost and, quite honestly, fit. Is Jumbo Joe a fit for Peter Laviolette’s go-go philosophy?

Stand Pat - This one will drive a certain portion of Pred Nation up the wall, but… if a responsible trade isn’t there… it is not a terrible thought, but it is disquieting. This adds pressure on a Colin Wilson to step up his game to regain his mojo from before his injury in 2013, or opens up the potential of Calle Jarnkrok to be the man. Recent signee Olli Jokinen is the obvious number one as the roster stands right now.

I’m not joining the “doom and gloom” brigade that has broken out over the past 18 hours. Fisher’s injury is an impact but frankly… it’s not a season-killer. Not on July 8. There are too many options and too many moves to be made to call it that.

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Random Notes

- Saturday’s Open House looks like a must attend event. Not only do regular season single game tickets go on sale at noon, there will also be 100 tickets at $15 per ticket available for each of the Predators regular season home games.

- I’ll be doing the PA for the prospect game on Saturday, there will also be commentary from Preds broadcasting personalities during the game. Puck drop is around 3:30pm… so make it a full day at Bridgestone Arena.

- G.O.A.L. is coming to Huntsville, AL! The Predators free Get Out And Learn program will be held in Huntsville on Friday August 1st. Sign up at the Preds website…

- LA playoff hero Kyle Clifford underwent successful wrist surgery a couple of weeks ago, he should be good to go by the start of training camp.

- Completely off topic… a fan who fell asleep during a Yankees / Red Sox game in April is looking to cash in on his notoriety… by suing ESPN, MLB and the New York Yankees for defamation of character. Wow… just wow… ummmmmm dude… you fell asleep in a place where there are cameras and people who comment on the action, both on the field and in the stadium. In the immortal wors of Bugs Bunny “What a maroon!!!!” Uh-oh… I guess I may get added to the lawsuit… just kidding guy!!

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