UPDATE - 12:07pm 9/30 - The word broke a few minutes ago that Miikka Salomaki and Steven Santini were placed on waivers, obviously with the intention of sending them down to Milwaukee. So now... we got a roster...
Original Post
Looks like we have a roster… almost. Yesterday’s official news of Jared Tinordi and Freddie Gaudreau clearing waivers and being sent down to Milwaukee leaves 24 on the roster... that means one more to be sent down before the roster deadline. That is assuming everyone is healthy.
There are 15 forwards, 8 defensemen and 2 goalies still on the roster… one further cut would have to clear waivers before going down to the Ads. All players left are on one-way contracts. So… who stays and who goes?
On the blueline? That’s a tough one… Your obvious potentials here are Steven Santini and Matt Irwin. Irwin has seen limited preseason action and looked OK… Santini, acquired in the Subban trade, has looked solid and adds a bit of desperately needed sandpaper to the Preds lineup. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Predators carried 8 d-men and both make the opening night roster.
So that means the cut needs to come from the forwards… but that could be an even tougher decision. Again… looking at the obvious choices… you may need to make a call between Miikka Salomaki and Daniel Carr. Carr has had an up and down camp, but the comments about him by the coaches and front office sure indicate a belief that the reigning AHL MVP is ready to make the leap to the NHL. But you wonder if he can get the minutes in a top six (or at least top nine) role on this roster. Salomaki’s role as a bottom six player is pretty well established and if he ever gets back to the “Wrecking Ball… play that got him to the league, his value will only increase. But since missing a lot of time over the past few seasons, that style of play is only now just peeking through.
This is a very tough choice as either one will probably be grabbed on waivers, so the question may come down to which player has the higher upside. Carr has played 100 NHL games over the past four seasons… 94 of them with Montreal, the rest with Vegas. The 28 year old winger had a breakthrough season last year with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, scoring 30 goals and posting 41 assists. 71 points in 52 games is a very good season. But is this player on the brink of a breakout?
Salomaki on the other hand, is a known quantity in the Predators organization. The 26 year old has played in 162 games over his five years in the league, but hasn’t played in over 60 games in a season since 15-16. His "throw the body around with abandon… style seems to lead to injuries and his durability is certainly a question mark.
Unless there is news of a player being put on IR sometime this week, one of the four players I listed may possibly be wearing another team’s colors by the end of the week.
We will talk about this more tonight on SlapShot Radio… join Brent, Zack and me at 8pm on 102.5 the Game!
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Thanks to everyone who came out to support Best Buddies last night at the “Murder in Music City… event. A big thank you to the sponsors, including our good friends at Cool Springs Wines and Spirits. Another huge thank you goes out to a good friend of Best Buddies, Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg, who sat in as part of the mystery!
A lot of folks came out right after yesterday’s Preds Fest and we appreciate the support of Best Buddies.
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Random Notes – Presented by
- Preds Fest rolled out a few things yesterday… the first was the jersey patch for the Winter Classic… I kinda like the design and a new color was added… a little red to go with the Predator Gold, white and blue.
- Bridgestone knows a good thing when they see it, extending their naming rights agreement. 501 Broadway will remain Bridgestone Arena through 2030.
- The Predators finished preseason with a record of 5-1-0 with two of those wins coming in overtime.
- After some fits and starts in the first few preseason games, the power play seems to be rounding into form. It certainly has more activity, more puck movement, more shooting, more foot movement.
- The home opener is Thursday… we will start the festivities with the Gold Carpet ceremony on the plaza… things will get going at around 3:30pm.
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SlapShot Radio will be back for our 12th season as Zack, Brent and I will be moving the show to Monday night’s this year. The best hour of hockey talk on the longest running hockey show in the southeast will begin the season at 8pm and will settle into our normal 7pm slot after Thanksgiving… Monday’s on 102.5 the Game.
Our sponsor list continues to grow. Not only are we welcoming back Drs. Jane Bacon and Aileen Kruger at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at (615) 872-7762 and our good friend Carter Church, Your Mufreesboro real estate expert with Weichert – The Andrews Group. And our newest sponsors… Cool Springs Wines and Spirits! The largest spirit store in all of middle Tennessee! And La-Z-Boy Nashville! Three locations, locally owned and operated, check out La-Z-Boy in Mufreesboro, Hendersonville and Cool Springs!
The new season promises to be the best yet and we get going on tonight!
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