The problem is these top 6 guys aren't just lying around waiting to be signed but in mid-season would likely require giving up a valuable piece in exchange. I realize you're just throwing out some examples so I'm not focusing specifically on those guys, but any top 6 that would make an impact would cause some pain to acquire.

Anyway, all this said from what's being said here it almost sounds like Weber and/or Suter are holding the team to ransom with a "show me the players" attitude before they put pen to paper. I wonder how accurate that is but it sort of stinks if it's true.
- AlexF

This is what really bothers me too. If it is true that Weber and Suter are holding the team ransom with their contracts waiting for mgmt to pul, the trigger on a top 6 scorer, that is pretty shady and I only know of one player that had enough clout to pull that off and that was Gretzky...and Suter and Weber are far from the Great One in negotiating power.

And to answer an earlier post, at the time of free agency this summer, who was really available at a reasonable sum to get? In hindsight it would have awesome to go after Michael Ryder of Fleishmann or Versteeg but it didn't happen and most of the others were severely overpaid or signed to nightmarishly-long contracts (Carter). Poile did get lucky with his so-called "strategy" but with the development of our players and the scouting that the Predators have done, it was only a matter of time before the young ones started to step up and take the roles left by Ward, Sully, O'Brien, Dumont...etc.

I like how the Preds are playing now and I also wish that Poile would get that top 6 scorer...but the point is judging by how we have been playing and the draft picks and role players stepping up for the organization over the last month continues....we have a definite shot at getting deep into the playoffs barring injury.

GO PREDS!!!!

Aaaaaaand Suter just said he is not signing before the deadline because "it would be a distraction"

Bye Sutes, nice knowing ya. Bring us something good in return.

Aaaaaaand Suter just said he is not signing before the deadline because "it would be a distraction"

Bye Sutes, nice knowing ya. Bring us something good in return.
- Domov14

He's not getting traded if we keep playing as well as we have.

Aaaaaaand Suter just said he is not signing before the deadline because "it would be a distraction"

Bye Sutes, nice knowing ya. Bring us something good in return.
- Domov14

Not necessarly....just because he doesn't want to re-sign before the deadline doesn't mean he won't. I think this once again is him saying to ownership/Poile, make a deal to make us better i.e. a top 6 forward and I will re-sign. During this same interview apparently he make it pretty clear that he loves Nashville and is not ruling out re-signing but simply saying he wants to wait. I don't think we need to read to much into this, I mean did anyone really think that we would get him re-signed prior to the deadline anyway? Plain and simple he and Weber want to see ownership/Poile make the moves to make us a contender today not in 3-4 years.

I fear Poile's reserved nature is about to destroy our team.

He's not getting traded if we keep playing as well as we have.
- Whyme78

I think I also read something that said he also said during this interview that he would be a Pred until at least July 1st. Basically hinting at the fact that he is not requesting a trade and expects to be with Nashville for the rest of the year.

Not necessarly....just because he doesn't want to re-sign before the deadline doesn't mean he won't. I think this once again is him saying to ownership/Poile, make a deal to make us better i.e. a top 6 forward and I will re-sign. During this same interview apparently he make it pretty clear that he loves Nashville and is not ruling out re-signing but simply saying he wants to wait. I don't think we need to read to much into this, I mean did anyone really think that we would get him re-signed prior to the deadline anyway? Plain and simple he and Weber want to see ownership/Poile make the moves to make us a contender today not in 3-4 years.
- PredsFan8

I, personally, will never buy another player saying they "love a city" and don't want to be anywhere else. I still think this is coming down to money.

I think I also read something that said he also said during this interview that he would be a Pred until at least July 1st. Basically hinting at the fact that he is not requesting a trade and expects to be with Nashville for the rest of the year.
- PredsFan8

Unless someone blows Poile's hair back with a deal (at this point only Parise comes to mind from the names in the rumor mill) Suter and Weber will undoubtedly be staying for the season. There's time in the off-season to secure a better deal for a top 6 forward and "prove" to these guys NSH are a serious team with serious intentions of contending.

Unless someone blows Poile's hair back with a deal (at this point only Parise comes to mind from the names in the rumor mill) Suter and Weber will undoubtedly be staying for the season. There's time in the off-season to secure a better deal for a top 6 forward and "prove" to these guys NSH are a serious team with serious intentions of contending.
- AlexF

Yeah, I didn't really mean to imply that DP will trade him. I guess I more or less said he should.

Unless someone blows Poile's hair back with a deal (at this point only Parise comes to mind from the names in the rumor mill) Suter and Weber will undoubtedly be staying for the season. There's time in the off-season to secure a better deal for a top 6 forward and "prove" to these guys NSH are a serious team with serious intentions of contending.
- AlexF

I completely agree...I also don't think that the return on Suter would be as good as some think it would be. No team is going to give up a whole lot not knowing if Suter will resign with them. If a contender wanted him, say a Philly team, they are not going to want to give up a guy that is a difference maker now, but will want to give up prospects and pick. They will not want to make their team weaker and thus what we get back won't happen now but maybe in the future. Plus keep in mind if we trade Suter before the deadline and all we get back is prospects/non-NHLers and picks what does that say to the team for the second half of the year and what does that say to Weber?

Yeah, I didn't really mean to imply that DP will trade him. I guess I more or less said he should.
- Domov14

I say wait and if you have to trade him, you try and do a sign and trade at the end of the year. If we could do that we would get more in return because the team we are trading him to would know they have him locked up long term.

Were obviously playing good hockey. Do the preds even need to risk making a deal. Im just not getting my hopes up for a big trade at the dead line. Its not really DP style.

Were obviously playing good hockey. Do the preds even need to risk making a deal. Im just not getting my hopes up for a big trade at the dead line. Its not really DP style.
- benderboots

I think perhaps if you can afford to give up a depth defenseman then perhaps you can get a Ruutu or Mason Raymond type player. A 5-6 dman for a 2nd liner might be the most prudent deal you can make without gutting the shape of your team. The Preds are the hottest team in the NHL at the moment. No need to blow that up if you don't have to.

Yeah, I didn't really mean to imply that DP will trade him. I guess I more or less said he should.
- Domov14

I agree, you can't risk losing him for nothing. He can always resign July 1st in Nash if that's what he wants.

Waiting for that one "piece" to happen!!!!! Is that loose translation for trade for Parise, or Sullivan or Arnott come back, or Trotz to move up to management?????

Hate how Ryan waits to speak on a grand stage! Wow about all of the local media busting their butts for a lead story, throw the locals a bone Sutes!

Trade Suter right now. You'd get a top 6 forward and a top 4 defenseman at very least. Then if Weber won't give you a commitment by the end of July you deal him too. You'll be able to revamp your team quite nicely between those two.

"I don't see it being a benefit at all by hurrying up and trying to get something done," Suter said Friday at the NHL All-Star Game's Media Day. "As far as I see it, I'm a Nashville Predator until July, and I'm going to focus on just making our team better, and hopefully we can win."

Suter said he did not want to be a distraction. Weber seemed glad Suter had said it.

"We talk a lot," Weber said. "Maybe it was just that pressure was weighing on him so much that he just wanted to move past it, and now that he's got it out there, I think it's said and now he can move forward."

The Predators need to keep proving themselves. Weber named some of the players who had left in the past -- Kimmo Timonen, Peter Forsberg, Scott Hartnell.

"You go down the list," Weber said. "All you see is guys leaving. You want to believe them. Obviously they've got the right things in mind, and if they say they're going to do it, then they should do it. We've got to trust them."

"I think we have a lot of good players in our room," Suter said. "I'm not saying you've got to go out and get a big-name guy or things like that. Just the right piece. You don't want to bring someone in that's not going to help you win. So I think the biggest thing is the right piece, and hopefully we're in a position where we can go and get that piece."

Weber cut off his negotiations Jan. 1. He is playing on a one-year, $7.5 million deal he was awarded in arbitration.

"I dealt with enough stress and pressure during the summer going through arbitration and the negotiations there, so right away just put it on the backburner," Weber said. "I'm still there for another year at least. We can use the summer and the next year to try to get something done."


Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are (frank)ing dead to me. Let's move them now and get this painful break up over with. I hope Poile gets fired too at this point. He's obviously promised Weber and Suter something and hasn't done it.

Since when did it become okay for the inmates to run the asylum?

Trade Suter right now. You'd get a top 6 forward and a top 4 defenseman at very least. Then if Weber won't give you a commitment by the end of July you deal him too. You'll be able to revamp your team quite nicely between those two.
- natowar

You will get picks/prospects unless he agrees to sign with the other team.

Weber is a RFA.

They are holding the team hostage. I do hope that Poile brings in a "Top 6" forward, but I don't think he needs to do it just to appease Suter. There is also the option of keeping them both and then making a trade/UFA signing in the offseason to persuade the Suter to sign. I think you lose more by trading Suter than you could gain.

You will get picks/prospects unless he agrees to sign with the other team.

Weber is a RFA.

They are holding the team hostage. I do hope that Poile brings in a "Top 6" forward, but I don't think he needs to do it just to appease Suter. There is also the option of keeping them both and then making a trade/UFA signing in the offseason to persuade the Suter to sign. I think you lose more by trading Suter than you could gain.
- josiahinperu

This is the most likely option IMO. Suter really does look like he's gonna test the UFA waters though, which is a shame for NSH since they would only have his rights to trade in June, which might net a 4th round pick at best.

What message does it send to the rest of a young, impressionable team that, as good as you've been playing, 2 of your 3 superstar players and the head of your leadership core don't believe in you enough to re-sign? Does this hurt the confidence of guys like Smith, Wilson, Halischuk, or Spaling?

And does Shea not realize all the guys he named who left were shipped out of town by previous ownership in a move to slash payroll so he could sell the team?

Right now, IMO, these guys are coming off as a couple of prima donna d-bags.

Shea Weber CAP 7.5

for

2012 1st rounder (top 10 pick)
Streit top 4 D man who will man the PP signed til next year - CAP 4.1
PA Parenteau top 6 right wing (43 points through 48 games) due for an extension CAP 1.25
Josh Bailey prospect whose development has been awful thanks to management... still plenty of potential and very young. CAP 1.05

Shea Weber CAP 7.5

for

2012 1st rounder (top 10 pick)
Streit top 4 D man who will man the PP signed til next year - CAP 4.1
PA Parenteau top 6 right wing (43 points through 48 games) due for an extension CAP 1.25
Josh Bailey prospect whose development has been awful thanks to management... still plenty of potential and very young. CAP 1.05
- wereallislanders

They're not trading Weber. He will be back next year unless someone offers him $10mil, in which case the Preds will get a s***ton of compensation in return.

Suter is who we are worried about walking.

Shea Weber CAP 7.5

for

2012 1st rounder (top 10 pick)
Streit top 4 D man who will man the PP signed til next year - CAP 4.1
PA Parenteau top 6 right wing (43 points through 48 games) due for an extension CAP 1.25
Josh Bailey prospect whose development has been awful thanks to management... still plenty of potential and very young. CAP 1.05
- wereallislanders

I'd think we could get a lot more for Weber, with him being an RFA. I would think an elite top 6 forward +, at minimum.

Shea Weber CAP 7.5

for

2012 1st rounder (top 10 pick)
Streit top 4 D man who will man the PP signed til next year - CAP 4.1
PA Parenteau top 6 right wing (43 points through 48 games) due for an extension CAP 1.25
Josh Bailey prospect whose development has been awful thanks to management... still plenty of potential and very young. CAP 1.05
- wereallislanders

Pass...if we are trading someone it won't be Weber it will be Suter. But I doubt either get traded before the deadline, as we are still in position to win the division. I think Poile is going to make a couple of moves to add to our team and put us in position to be serious contenders. Plus 2 of the guys you offered are going to need pretty large extensions pretty soon and none are as valuable as Weber.