After a spirited day in practice yesterday, the Nashville Predators are in Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets in a matinee at Nationwide Arena… after that practice, the Predators training camp roster was reduced by 17. Eight of the 17 were assigned to Milwaukee, including Tyley Moy, Justin Kirkland and goaltender Matt O’Connor. The other nine were released from their PTO’s including Bobby Butler, Jimmy Oligny and Stephen Perfetto. A surprising name on that release list was Tyler Kelleher, who I thought had an outstanding rookie camp and comported himself well in camp, although… the Preds have a lot of Kelleher type players so it may not be all that surprising.
So it is Game Day as the Preds play game four of their six game preseason schedule, concluding the road portion of their training camp games. Columbus has some high hopes for their season as well and now that we hit the second week of training camp, we should see an amping up of the game intensity. With 36 players remaining in camp there should be some pitched battles for remaining roster spots.
In my estimation, the list of players that have roster spots right now are…
Forwards – (12) - Aberg, Arvidsson, Bonino, Fiala, Forsberg, Hartnell, Jarnkrok, Johansen, McLeod, Sissons, C. Smith, Watson
Defensemen – (6) - Ekholm, Emelin, Irwin, Josi, Subban, Weber
Goaltenders - (2) – Rinne, Saros.
So, if that list is accurate, there are three roster spots up for grabs… two forwards and a blueliner. Let’s look at defense first…
The blueline roster spot will be a temporary one, barring significant injury. So far, Anthony Bitetto has been showing very well in preseason games and may grab it unless… Unless the Preds want to give one of the younger players a shot, in that case, I believe it comes down to Samuel Girard or Alexandre Carrier. Both fit the “Ryan Ellis” type of mold and would benefit from extended time with the big team. It could also be a showcase to dangle one of these prospects for an offensive addition come January (COUGH)
Duchene (COUGH)
The forward slots get a lot more complicated and may come down to what “roles” may need to be filled. I am a BIG Miikka Salomaki fan, and he has played very well during the preseason, that little wrecking ball could add another physical element to the team. Emil Pettersson has been a player that has shone brightly through both camps and I wonder if he is playing his way into contention, he’s got good size but may need to fill out a bit. Additional help at center wouldn’t be a bad thing so does that put Vlad Kamanev into the mix? You cannot leave out last season’s playoff surprise Frederick Gaudreau who has also played with an intensity that says he wants to find permanent accommodations both in Nashville and in the locker room. It is my opinion that the final two come from the four I just listed, but the wild card is Nick Bonino, all indicators is that he will be ready for game one… but if he isn’t, that opens another, albeit temporary, slot
Today’s game is a 2pm CT start time, the game will be carried on the Predators Radio Network with Pete Weber and Hal Gill and streamed live on NashvillePredators.com.
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I would like to invite you to join us for the Best Buddies Friendship Walk, the number one walk in the country raising awareness and funds to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The walk plays a key role in funding Best Buddies programs dedicated to one-to-one friendships, leadership development, and integrated job opportunities for individuals with IDD.
I am honored to be the host of the walk and it is scheduled for Sunday October 1st at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park from 2 – 5pm.
To get more information, donate or sign up to walk
Click Here. This is a great group of people, the weather should be spectacular and we will have a great time supporting a great cause.
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Random Notes
- After today’s game, the Predator’s preseason travel is done as they finish their schedule with home games Thursday against Columbus and Saturday against Tampa in Smashville.
- It is always fun to see the gladiator shots being taken, and for the first time in a few seasons, Bridgestone Arena ice was available for the sessions. There is a nice feature on this at the Preds website.
- Looking forward to this week’s SlapShot Radio, we will be talking with former NHL referee Kerry Fraser about the new rules and interpretations happening in preseason games. Tune in Wednesday at 7pm.
- We had a blast at the Red Bull Flugtag yesterday as Team Smashville went airborne… sorta. Congrats to Maverick on surviving the contraption and the team for putting together a great looking "flying" machine.
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SlapShot Radio has an exciting season in store for our tenth anniversary season. As the longest running hockey show in the region, SSR feeds hockey fans what they crave… intelligent, fun, entertaining talk about their favorite sport and we do it from the opening of training camp all the way through UFA day… the only local hockey show that does that.
We are on every Wednesday night at 7pm on the Predators flagship station, 102.5 the Game. Our new co-hosts are ex-Preds Dan Keczmer and JP Dumont bringing a true insiders perspective to the show.
We have been delivering great hockey talk to the most energetic and engaged fans in radio and advertising with us drives results at a reasonable price. Just ask our sponsors… including day one sponsor
Dr. Jane Bacon at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at (615) 872-7762, Mark Lonsway at ReMax Fine Homes, call him for all your real estate needs at (615) 207-7799, and TurfMasters… check out their great service at
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We are also welcoming a new sponsor to the SlapShot Radio family… The Crag… Nashville’s premiere location for indoor rock climbing. Newton Dominey and his awesome crew have a great location in Cool Springs and they are opening a new location in South Nashville at the corner of Old Hickory Blvd and Nolensville Rd. Check out their website at
ILoveRockCLimbing.com If you’ve never done it before… you need to try, they specialize on helping first timers.
Advertisers… reach out to me in order to access our activated listener base though great preseason advertising deals available for our tenth season when you email me at paul(@)slapshotradio(dot)com
You can also keep up with all the goings on with SlapShot Radio by following the show on Twitter @SlapShotRadio1 … Also... make sure to "like" SlapShot Radio on Facebook... here's the
link.
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