Paul McCann: The break and its' impact

If they're sellers (and very likely they will), bring up the young guns. Give them the NHL experience.

The owners should start scouting a new GM. Likely Shero. Though I wonder if he'd keep Hynes. If you sack Poile, sack the entire staff. If you're going to rebuild, start with a good foundation.

Personally, I'm for a rebuild. Peks is old, Juuse isn't the guy, we have some studs in the wings, so lets be sellers and stack up. Get rid of dead weight and retool the team to be competitive with the teams that exist now, not the ones that did three years ago. Change is good.

The Preds are in a weird position right now. Not quite good or consistent enough to have faith they'll make the playoffs or make a run if they do sneak in, and not quite bad enough to completely give up and throw in the towel. Let's face it though... The Preds are lot closer to a lottery pick then they are the Stanley Cup right now. I don't see any reason for the Preds to be buyers... There's no quick fix that's going to make this team better than St. Louis, Dallas, or Colorado... When's the last time you can remember the Preds making a deadline deal for a rental who made an significant impact anyway? They're better off selling what they can, and hoping the current team, with a infusion of young talent from Milwaukee, suddenly gets hot.

I've been trying to get inside DP's head, and I've found it's a confusing place I don't really want to be. Like many Preds fans, I've given him the benefit of the doubt over the years, but ever since the Turris debacle, things have steadily gone downhill. Nothing he's done has worked. Yes, luck has been involved. Some of the moves he's made look good on paper but haven't panned out. While I disagreed with the Ellis signing for reasons, you can understand why he'd resign him. Their was no indication he was going to fall off a cliff the very next season. Granlund for Fiala should've been a slam dunk win in the short term, but another guy whose produced elsewhere can't quite find his game when he puts on the Gold. Duchene has been okay, but he wasn't signed to be just 'okay'. That's not even including the obviously bad moves like Simmonds and Hartman. I'm not sure if Poile's evaluation of offensive talent is off, or if his desperation to win a Cup has forced him into some bad habits.

The Preds have pieces you would love to build around, Josi, Forsberg, Arvy, Eklholm... But in reality Poile's eventually going to be forced to build the team around Johansen, Duchene, Ellis, and Turris because those meaty contracts they signed will have them tent-poled in Nashville until they expire. Eventually you might be able to buy out Turris and Ellis's offensive resurgence this yer might make his contract more movable during the off-season, but Poile's created a bit of a mess that's going to be hard to clean up. Whether it's fair or not, Coaches are held responsible for wins and losses on the ice despite the roster, and GM's are responsible for putting together the roster and need to be held accountable when those decisions don't pan out.

I really don't know what's going through Poile's head right now, and I hope he's able to redeem himself. If he doesn't stop the bleeding soon though, drastic measures might be necessary..

Poile is on the hook for this team, and every bad contract and misfit piece is on him. He built this. And it's a mess of a team. Lots of good pieces, some of them overpaid, and shoved into places where they don't fit.

I'm a bit nervous about the deadline. It would be a good time to offload a contract or two (Turris, Johansen, etc.), and plan for the future. But sadly, Poile's future is right now, and this deadline will probably see him reach to make a move that might lead to a playoff run - when the best thing for the Franchise long-term is to count this year lost, and get the roster younger and more cap friendly. Can't see Poile being a seller at the deadline unless they tank the next 4-5 games.

Poile's legacy so far is one cup final run, and lots of underachieving teams. Oh, and one great trade (Forsberg) and a lot of swings and misses at the deadline. I don't see the Preds competing for a cup with this roster, and I can't see Poile being okay with tanking or remaking the roster that he sold out for. Does ownership have the stones to do what needs to be done? I'm not so sure.

Poile is on the hook for this team, and every bad contract and misfit piece is on him. He built this. And it's a mess of a team. Lots of good pieces, some of them overpaid, and shoved into places where they don't fit.

I'm a bit nervous about the deadline. It would be a good time to offload a contract or two (Turris, Johansen, etc.), and plan for the future. But sadly, Poile's future is right now, and this deadline will probably see him reach to make a move that might lead to a playoff run - when the best thing for the Franchise long-term is to count this year lost, and get the roster younger and more cap friendly. Can't see Poile being a seller at the deadline unless they tank the next 4-5 games.

Poile's legacy so far is one cup final run, and lots of underachieving teams. Oh, and one great trade (Forsberg) and a lot of swings and misses at the deadline. I don't see the Preds competing for a cup with this roster, and I can't see Poile being okay with tanking or remaking the roster that he sold out for. Does ownership have the stones to do what needs to be done? I'm not so sure.
- holycow_75

That's the dream for a lot of Preds fans, but unfortunately its largely fantasy GMing. The issues with Turris are obvious and nothing we need to delve into again, but for Joey... It's very unlikely anyone's going to take on a 8 mil contract for a guy who chronically under-performs and doesn't like to shoot the puck. Never say never, because all it takes is one GM that sees something in him, but it's unlikely. Maybe if it was the last year of his contract, but not in the middle of it.

The guys you might actually see moved are the likes of Granlund, Smith, and Grimaldi who'd all have value as rentals, and perhaps guys like Jarnkrok and Bonino if you were really serious about retooling the roster. Not all of those are necessarily guys you want to to see moved right now, but those are the players with value. That's just the situation the Preds are in right now.

If they're sellers (and very likely they will), bring up the young guns. Give them the NHL experience.

The owners should start scouting a new GM. Likely Shero. Though I wonder if he'd keep Hynes. If you sack Poile, sack the entire staff. If you're going to rebuild, start with a good foundation.

Personally, I'm for a rebuild. Peks is old, Juuse isn't the guy, we have some studs in the wings, so lets be sellers and stack up. Get rid of dead weight and retool the team to be competitive with the teams that exist now, not the ones that did three years ago. Change is good.
- FoxMulder

Who are the young guns that you refer to? Yes change is good as long as you are winning but if you are losing may as well keep the status quo. Trenin proved himself, not so sure about Tinordi, Olivier or Tolvanen. I think they need more size. Why not put your top scoring line as the number 1 line. Demote 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. I believe Watson is on his way out because he is not playing with the same enthusiasm as he did the first of the year, but that can be said about the whole team.

Really can't put a finger on this team only that it is not a "Team". Remember the past where no star player wanted to come to Nashville ! My how things have changed...along with the City itself. This team has changed since the cup run. Maybe ego's have gotten in the way. Maybe jealousies over contracts and $$$$ have gotten in the way. It's not often that there are problems in O, D, and goaltending not to mention special teams. I am a huge fan and always will, but something has to change. I would not be a buyer as I think this goes beyond just the performance on the ice.

Yes change is good as long as you are winning but if you are losing may as well keep the status quo.
- porterw1

???

I think you have that backwards.

Who do you replace Polie with? His son? I dont like this new coach but I'm giving him til after the break, if we come out like a bat out of hell and winning yay, if not then he has to go.

???

I think you have that backwards.
- FoxMulder

Nope, I am talking about winning after the change. If you don't win after changing whats the point of making a change.

Who will take Polie's place? His child? Although I don't like the new coach, I'm going to give territorial io him until after the break; if we come out winning like a bat out of hell, great; if not, he has to go.