As Mr. Cub used to say (with a stick tap to Ek) “Let’s play two!”
The Nashville Predators dropped an interesting little bomb today by not only signing center Derek Roy… a signing that has been long rumored, denied, changed and finally done… but also announced the signing of Mike Ribeiro, creating a depth at forward this team hasn’t seen since Paul Kariya and Peter Forsberg wore Pred colors, and a training camp competition that will be very fun to watch!
Let’s face it gang… these are “transitional” signings. Players that will allow this team to give their prospects time to grow and develop in juniors and in Milwaukee. Important time that young players need, and frankly… they aren’t getting on a consistent basis in the NHL nowadays.
Derek Roy has been discussed to death, he is a playmaker and is coming off a season he would like to forget with St. Louis, but he has a history of point production and his influence in the locker room is above question. He’s not a number one center… but will certainly help fill the void created by Mike Fisher’s injury and for one year at one million… the contract works.
Mike Ribeiro was let go by the Phoen… err… Arizona Coyotes due to “behavioral issues.” The 34 year old has gathered 656 points in 865 NHL games… Again… an off season for the center but he is one season removed from a point-per-game season with the Capitals.
Both Roy and Ribeiro have spent the last few days in Nashville, in deep discussions with the team. I can imagine that the talks have been very frank, especially given the bad divorce in the desert with Ribeiro, but one year and 1.05 million is the right dollars and the right term for a player with something to prove for a team that needs someone to feed James Neal the puck. I really like this signing.
Here’s the other interesting twist to this story… both of these players sought out the Predators, saying specifically that they wanted to play here… wanted to be a part of what is being built. They spent significant time with the team and in the city and apparently liked what they saw.
This gives the team at least eight roster players that play center, Matt Cullen, Mike Fisher, Paul Gaustad, Olli Jokinen, Colin Wilson, Craig Smith, Derek Roy and Mike Ribeiro. That doesn’t even count players that are bubbling under like Calle Jarnkrok, Colton Sissons and Filip Forsberg. Unless there is a trade coming… it could be a Royal Rumble in training camp to see who gets the center positions.
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Random Notes
- I'll be joining the gang on TEAM 104 in Vancouver tonight... 9:15 central time.
- Tweet of the day goes to Dan Rosen…
- Nope… our friend Jim Diamond gets Tweet of the Day!
- Eight centers… but as our friend Kris Martel points out…
- More coaching moves… Kevin Dineen joining the Blackhawks and Tony Granato joining the Red Wings.
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