Ouch. But really, you're not going to find the objective comments if all you're looking for over there is a reason to be upset.
- BulliesPhan87

I love your location...I work at a liquor store and that is my internal motto for up-selling everybody...

I love your location...I work at a liquor store and that is my internal motto for up-selling everybody...
- HardCorePredFan316

There's no such thing as a bad time to quote Gene Wilder.

Want to thank you spatso and madcap for all your help beating down the idiots that came trolling. I mentioned in the last blog that it was funny how many idiots came on Paul's blog to tell us what was what but you didn't see a single Pred fan in Bill's thread gloating!! That's "CLASS"!!!
- SouthNash

Lots of ill informed people on the subject out there, still are.

Love reading your Blogs Paul. Congrats to the Preds are keeping Weber. I was truly hoping that they would keep both Suter and Weber and attract a good UFA. Preds will be fine. With Blum, Ellis and Josi on the rise things will be fine. Hopefully some of the talented forward prospects can be game changers. Looking forwards to Watson, Salomaki, Cehlin, Beck and Budish.

Offer sheets only contain certain principal terms of the contract, items such as NTC/NMC's could be added as addendums after the fact. Really not that strange. Philly could have done the same thing if Nashville didn't match.
- Double_A

Beyond maybe wanting to offer an olive branch, is there much motivation to do such a thing? What can he give the team in exchange for it?

Beyond maybe wanting to offer an olive branch, is there much motivation to do such a thing? What can he give the team in exchange for it?
- sbrambo

It's simple, you don't give him one.

Why would the Preds even consider giving him a NTC/NMC at this point when they dont have to?

I think the headline is correct, you can't lose something you don't have. It only feels like a loss to those that accepted he would be a Flyer just because he signed the offer sheet.

Gotta say, that's the first time I've ever heard anyone say that, Flyers fans included.

There's a reason he was covering high school sports before he somehow got assigned to the Flyers.

Thanks for the laugh.
- feelingkettle

I thought the same thing!!!!
The Preds made a great Hockey decision!!! frankly I have no idea about their owners finances!!! except to say they stood up for the franchise and the fan base....but hell theres a whole bunch of them... I hope the city of Nashville always supports this team they deserve it...great organization full of people who genuinley care about hockey in the south. I share the passion , just from the far north!!
Economically maybe not the best move.......But these guys don't get into ownership of sports franchise to make a ton of $....they already have that.
and while disapointing for Philly they are in no worse position then they were in before the offer sheet. One positive I can see is Weber WILL NOT BE A UFA next summer....so if its not Philly now atleast its not NYR or Pitt either or who ever else in the east was interested.
The offer sheet accomplished that anyways. Perhaps thats all the philly guy meant.

Why would the Preds even consider giving him a NTC/NMC at this point when they dont have to?
- skelly96

Not only that, why would Shea want one if he "plans on being traded" after one season?Doesn't add up.

Beyond maybe wanting to offer an olive branch, is there much motivation to do such a thing? What can he give the team in exchange for it?
- sbrambo

Not that I can see. I guess he could pull a Thomas and just refuse to play, but somehow I think that's probably unlikely for at least the foreseeable future

Not only that, why would Shea want one if he "plans on being traded" after one season?Doesn't add up.
- Section106

So he doesn't end up some place he doesn't want to be. Less about not being traded at all than it is about having control.

Paul, your being too defensive on this. There was lots of support for the Preds from lots of directions over this matter. I thought the feature by Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News was very positive about the Preds and, especially, about the highly efficient way that Poile handled the entire affair.

In my own mind I thought Poile was going to get the green light to match and than negotiate a mega deal not to match that would have given him some elite talent. Regardless, Poile and Pred's ownership handled this with a great deal of class. Not a time to let your frustration boil over.
- spatso

I am open to that... I am very tired of certain media sources (cough... Hockey News) that continue to look for ways to denigrate this market... You point to the one positive article... I seem to remember the cover story (just last season) that called this franchise "Slashville"

They simply have an agenda an I will continue to call it out... if that is defensive... so be it.

He's ready. Weber will be able to make up for his lack of size on that line. But he moves the puck just like Suter and has one helluva shot. I think that combo would be nuts. Keep Gill/Josi together cause they played great together, and pair up Klein and possibly Blum?
- Van~Damage

I think you are looking more Josi on the first pair... but I could be wrong...

Gotta say, that's the first time I've ever heard anyone say that, Flyers fans included.

There's a reason he was covering high school sports before he somehow got assigned to the Flyers.

Thanks for the laugh.
- feelingkettle

Disagree with you there... Carchidi is an excellent writer, his sources are impeccable and he knows Philly sports. His books (especially the one on Bill Campbell) are outstanding...

I think you are looking more Josi on the first pair... but I could be wrong...
- pmccann

I'd be ok with either. I was just forming my decision on how well Gill and Josi did. I'm not freaking out about our defense. Lots of good young talent and veteran guys to drag them along. Not to mention Pekka Head in net

Clearly you guys don't have the highest opinions of Flyers fans, but fools rush in where angels etc. Some puzzled (and respectful!) queries for y'all

1. From everything I have heard and from Wilson's radio interview yesterday, Preds planned to have both Suter and Weber signed. Offered Suter a comparable deal to the one he signed, offered Weber a 104 m deal. But one crucial difference seems to be: the deals the Preds were offering were not as front loaded (with bonuses etc) as the ones the two signed. Here's my question: with the uncertainty of the CBA looming it is not rocket science that Weber & Suter would prefer to get front loaded/guaranteed deals as much as possible. Therefore, the original offers of the Preds were quite simply non competitive (not in total value but in structure of contract) and this non-competitiveness was completely foreseeable. If one of your owners is a billionaire, willing to spend, and owners planned all along etc, why did they make non-competitive offers and come close to losing both the players? Just because Rinne signed such a deal does not mean the other two will.

2. If they had money to retain both Suter AND Weber, then surely they had the money to retain just Weber after Suter was gone. All other signings have been their own players, so that is money earmarked for different purposes. Of the 26 m due to Weber in year 1 in offer sheet, they must have earmarked roughly 15-16 m for the Suter+Weber in year 1 from just salaries without any bonuses/front loading. That leaves only a deficit of 10 mil in year 1 and much less over life of contract. Why did they wait 6 days to match for a perennial Norris candidate with this kind of arithmetic?

3. A cynical perspective to answer question 2 above: Could it be that Preds are significantly more cash strapped than they let on, and will again not spend much more than cap min, but created a drama out of OS so that fans will forget that compared to a month ago they are actually much worse off (of Weber,Suter: 1 gone, no big names signed to replace him)? That way, fans feel grateful and ownership does not have to spend.

4. If you feel 3 is incorrect, do you expect the deep-pocketed owners (Wilson's own tweet) to spend enough to push the Preds over the playoffs plateau soon by spending more given their deep pockets? I say plateau b/c the team pretty consistently makes the playoffs and yet has never made it past the 2nd round for as long as I remember and could clearly use some elite forward talent.

Sorry about the long query.

When Carolina gave Federov that offer sheet nobody was outraged because they "dared to offer sheet someone from an original 6 team." It was because the contract was so front loaded it gave him 32 million in the first year. People have been saying how crazy front loading 27 million to Webber in the first year is, imagine how unheard of it was to give someone 32 million in the first year back in 1996.

Weber/Blum
Gill/Ellis
Josi/Klein

I think you are looking more Josi on the first pair... but I could be wrong...
- pmccann

I think Josi is a little too offensive-minded and Weber needs more a stay-at-home defenseman. Right now Ellis is my man....unless Poile gets a FA/trade

Agreed!
Absolutely true - Dreger is a tool.
That he did (Gillis) - but few listened. We paid attention here!
And lastly, thanks!


- blueline

He's a tool because he was wrong for once and because he's super respected in the media and has a job we all wish we had?

Yeah, what a tool.

...
- PT21

Could be Preds knew that at least one OS was coming (Philly) and decided to let them set the standard. Maybe it's what Shea's agents demanded? IE: "We want to know what the best is that's out there. If you want to match after we find that top offer, so be it." (They probably felt Preds would not match, hence the agents' ridiculous public comments during the 6-day wait.)

As to why wait, well that's pretty easy. You are given the time so why not take it? The team has the time to examine the offer and its ramifications very carefully. All prominent decision makers are included - CEO, COO, owners, GM, Asst GM, attorneys, etc. which is not too unusual considering you are about to spend over 1/10th of a billion dollars. How involved do you think Snider was in the Philly offer sheet?

Then again, maybe it was payback to the Flyers. Let 'em sweat it out.

Then again, maybe it was payback to the Flyers. Let 'em sweat it out.
- blueline

That's what I would have done. I would have waited until the last hour to announce it too.

Could be Preds knew that at least one OS was coming (Philly) and decided to let them set the standard. Maybe it's what Shea's agents demanded? IE: "We want to know what the best is that's out there. If you want to match after we find that top offer, so be it." (They probably felt Preds would not match, hence the agents' ridiculous public comments during the 6-day wait.)

As to why wait, well that's pretty easy. You are given the time so why not take it? The team has the time to examine the offer and its ramifications very carefully. All prominent decision makers are included - CEO, COO, owners, GM, Asst GM, attorneys, etc. which is not too unusual considering you are about to spend over1/10th of a billion dollars. How involved do you think Snider was in the Philly offer sheet?

Then again, maybe it was payback to the Flyers. Let 'em sweat it out.
- blueline

I thought from the beginning it'd go to the last day, regardless of whether Nashville could afford it or not. After all, it's Nashville's time, why wouldn't they use all of it? As for whether it was making Philly sweat it or taking time to consider the big money decision, I'd say it was a bit of each.

As for Snider, I think he was very closely involved in the offer sheet.

Either way, the Predators made the right decision methinks.

Disagree with you there... Carchidi is an excellent writer, his sources are impeccable and he knows Philly sports. His books (especially the one on Bill Campbell) are outstanding...
- pmccann

Interesting. I used to follow him on twitter until it was obvious he is pretty clueless about hockey. He actually tweeted about how the Flyers are not going to be able to win shootouts in the playoffs, and then when was called out on that, he blamed it on his contacts or eye drops or something.

I'd challenge you to find one Flyers fan who believes he is a good reporter. Because I sure as hell don't know any.