First off… Happy 240th Birthday USA!
Well… it appears crazy season is done at 501 Broadway, unless there is a bargain out there to be had… let’s take a look at the results of the last ten days, the work left to do and the bargains that may be out there to help this team get over the hump.
The results in chronological order…
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The cupboard is less bare on the blueline – Defense was an obvious focus at the draft, Dante Fabbro was a solid pick at #17… I would expect him to play at least two years in college before being ready to play in the NHL, however… he performed very well in Development Camp and impressed at the Prospect Game. Four more defensemen were drafted and two are solid possibilities to develop into NHL ready players.
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More Help - An under the radar move was the hiring of Wade Redden as the Assistant Director of Player Development last Monday. Redden played over 1000 games in the NHL and will be a very solid add to Scott Nichol’s staff, especially when it comes to developing defensemen. He will have a lot to do with the five new defense prospects acquired in the draft.
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Scoresberg Stays - Almost lost in all of the hub-bub of last week was the critical re-signing of RFA Filip Forsberg to a reasonable 6 year $36 million contract. The 21 year old budding superstar will remain in Nashville. How surprising... a player that consistently said he wanted to be in Nashville, and the actually backed up his words with actions… what a concept!
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Hutton Departs - Carter Hutton turned into a solid backup that wants (and frankly deserves) more time in net, as well as a potential starters role, had his intentions to go UFA announced. Since then he has signed with a team that will give that to him, the St. Louis Blues have done the goalie rotation thing for a couple of seasons now and Hutton will get to be the next one to threaten Jake Allen with the Blues.
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Trenin Hurt - Preds prospect Yakov Trenin, one of the players that Pred Nation was anxious to see at Development Camp, broke his leg in a cycling accident and will be out until at least training camp. Another year in juniors will help this prospect recover and be ready to join the Preds but I was looking forward to seeing the progress he has made over the past year.
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The Trade - Sheesh… I am only to Wednesday. The Predators and Canadiens shook the league by trading their top defensemen in a move that I believe will work for both teams in the short run. A few years from now??? Well… that’s the open question, isn’t it?
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Buyouts - Eric Nystrom’s much talked about buyout became reality and another one announced, veteran Barrett Jackman, another blueliner that didnb't seem to have the speed to keep up in Nashville's system.
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Weber Signs - GM David Poile stuck his toe into the UFA water by signing a depth defenseman to replace the bought out Jackman. Yannick Weber played the last two seasons in Vancouver and is an upgrade to the third d-pair.
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Depth Signings - Three more players signed as depth moves for Milwaukee.
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Dev Camp Finishes - You can’t say the crop of prospects that attended Development Camp didn’t get a look at life in the NHL with all of the news that swirled around them as they went through their paces.
Now THAT was a busy, crazy week with enough fireworks to match Nashville’s 4th of July Display… but there is work left to do…
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RFA’s - While the big fish was signed, there are two more RFA’s to address…
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Calle Jarnkrok - The young forward needs to be locked up for a decent term as this versatile player fills a lot of roles and usually fills them well. He did yeoman's work on the second and first lines when needed last season.
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Petter Granberg - Picked up on waivers while injured, Granberg showed fairly well in his limited time with Nashville but his durability is a huge question. I can imagine the sticking point is term rather than money in this negotiation.
Some other work could be in the UFA’s that are left on the shelf… Is there a Mike Ribeiro left out there that could help this team? Honestly, I don’t think so… most of the names left are defensemen and the Preds filled their veteran D man need with Weber, but given some of the deals that David Poile has pulled... who knows?
Now things slow down a bit…
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Random Notes
- Longtime readers of this blog know, I am not the biggest Alexander Radulov fan. That being said, everyone deserves a chance at redemption. His quotes after signing in Montreal struck a chord with me… being a father does change a man… I hope, for Alex’s sake and for the sake of his child… that is the case here.
- Seth Jones has been spotted skating with his brother at Ford Ice Center…
- There have been quite a few “put the band back together” signings, besides Montreal’s attempt to be the “anti-Preds” … PA Parenteau back to the Islanders, Roman POlak back to the Leafs.
- The money that got thrown around on July 1 was a bit nuts (Thanks Captain Obvious!) but the other crazy was the term given… some teams are going to be in some serious cap jail come 2-3 years from now… unless Arizona comes riding to the rescue of course.
- The Las Vegas NHL team will have a GM by August 1 according to NHL.com.
- Ray Shero has certainly put his stamp on the New Jersey Devils. Fleecing Edmonton for Taylor Hall, signing Ben Lovejoy from the Pens, adding Vern Fiddler… New Jersey will not be a walkover this year.
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