Nashville Predators Season Preview – Which Year Will This Be?

The 2008-2009 version of the Nashville Predators are ready to take the ice and prepare for a return to the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. As the NHL ad campaign says, “Could this be the year?”

For the Predators there are three possible answers. First on a positive note, will this be the year the Preds make the playoffs and avoid the first round knockout that they have suffered for the last four seasons? Or will this be the year that they continue along the same path and make the playoffs and check out early again? The final possibility is not a pleasant one. Will this be the year that Barry Trotz, the most underrated coach in the NHL, runs out of rabbits to pull out of his hat to magically get his team to perform far beyond anyone’s expectations?

As has become the norm in Music City over the last few nears, the summer has not been a slow news time for the Predators. After spending the summer of 2007 in a battle to fend off Jim Ballsillie from stealing the team off to Canada and finally establishing a mostly local ownership group it was thought things would quiet down on the financial front. Unfortunately, before the ink was dry on all the contracts, minority owner “Boots” DelBiaggio’s financial house of cards came tumbling down and sent a 27% stake in the team into the hands of a bankruptcy judge.

At this point there is a lot of legal posturing going on by the Predators owners who are trying to get the biggest slice of DelBiaggio’s assets pie from the court that they can. All this poor mouthing about the damage done by the bankruptcy has again fanned the flames of the Canadian media speculating the Jim “Vulture” Ballsillie will try to swoop in and grab the Preds once again. I doubt this will happen but it will be many months before it all plays out.

The other big summer news was the defection of a much improved Alexander Radulov to the KHL in Russia. The fans who adored Rudy when he was a Predator developed an immediate equally intense hatred of him when he flew the coop. In spite of being a player with tremendous upside, A-Rad spent most of his time in Nashville in Barry Trotz’s doghouse due to a lack of maturity and an unwillingness to focus on the defensive side of his game. It is really not surprising that Radulov was easily swayed by Russian money and promises of fame and a loose style of play in the KHL. Again, it will be months or years before this one plays out and we see if Rudy returns with his hat in his hand begging forgiveness of fans and team mates wanting to play in the big leagues.

All this being said, it’s time to talk about the game on the ice which is what most season previews are usually about. This year’s team will be the youngest, most inexperienced team the Predators have put on the ice since well before the lockout year. Fortunately, the youngsters that will be moving into positions of responsibility on this team have pedigrees that indicate they are ready for the move to the NHL.

In goal, the tandem of Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne played a total of 45 NHL games last season. On paper this would send most fans into collective shock and cause season ticket renewals to totally dry up. Last year, however, Dan Ellis escaped the Dallas Stars farm system and burst on the scene dislodging Chris Mason from the number one position. In the last few weeks of the season and in the playoffs against the Stanley Cup Red Wings, Ellis was stellar. Ellis gave the Wings fits and gave David Poile the confidence to unload Chris Mason at a bargain basement price.

Pekka Rinne has been the Predators goalie of the future for several years. Has it not been for an off ice shoulder separation that slowed his performance in camp in 2007 Dan Ellis may have never been given a look last year. Ellis won the battle and Rinne continued to earn his stripes leading the AHL in wins. In preseason action, both Ellis and Rinne have picked up where they left off last season and appear to be ready to stand solid in goal this year. One nagging thought is that over the last two years the number one goalie has lost his job to the back up and then the original goalie was gone. Hopefully the Vokoun, Mason to Ellis merry-go-round will not continue.

The Predators are well stocked in goal in the farm system. AHL veteran Drew MacIntyre would be an emergency call up. College player Mark Dekanich was stellar in goal in the preseason. USA Junior goalie Jeremy Smith is also future NHL star. Finally, the Preds moved up with their second pick in the first round to take junior goalie Chet Pickard. The biggest problem David Poile has will be finding enough work for this crowd to play and further develop their games.

The best thing the Predator’s backstops have going for them is one of the premier young blue line corp in the league. This group can turn a marginal goalkeeper into an NHL performer. The Preds spent their free agent money locking up their own by signing Shea Weber and Ryan Suter to multi year contracts at relative bargain basement prices. This duo along with Dan Hamhuis, Greg Zannon, Greg DeVris, Ville Koistenen and Kevin Klein give the Predators one of the best group of defensemen in the league barring none. Klein was considered such a valuable asset last year that the Preds carried him on the 23 man roster all year to avoid losing him on waivers. He saw limited action but has really impressed in the preseason. Koistenen’s emergence as a point person on the power play made the trade of Maril Zidlicky possible over the summer.

When the Predators need help on defense from Milwaukee they have several near NHL-ready prospects to call on. Alexander Sulzer, Cody Franzon, Teemu Lasko and Robert Dietrich all are capable of filling a spot. Further down the line is nineteen year old Vancouver Giants captain Jonathon Blum who would have probably made every Predator pre lock-out team the Preds skated. He will be a top two defenseman on an NHL team in the not too distant future.

The fight for forward positions on the Nashville Predators has been the most interesting to watch in camp this year. Nine players appeared before camp to have locked in spots on the roster. That group includes veterans Captain Jason Arnott, J P Dumont, Marty Erat, David Legwand, Jordan Tootoo, Scott Nichol, Vern Fiddler, Jered Smithson and Radek Bonk. That leaves prospects and first year players competing for a presumed four or five open slots depending on whether the Preds open with 22 or 23 on the roster. 5 open slots.

Patric Hornquist, who excelled in the Sweedish Elite league and was the leading scorer for Sweden in the World Championships in May has been as good as advertised in the preseason. Rich Peverly who shuttled between Milwaukee and the Preds last year has also matured into an NHL player. It is assumed that the recent acquisition Nick Tarnasky will fill the role left behind by fan favorite Darcy Hordichuk and be the team enforcer whe he recovers from a hand injury. If not, Josh Gratton will be available.

The last position or two will go to Antti Philstrom. Joel Ward or newcomer (from the Wild in the Zidlicky trade) Hobi Baker finalist Ryan Jones. Philstrom has played well in the preseason and could fill several roles on the team being a gritty player with a smooth scoring touch. Joel Ward has done more in camp to impress the Preds brass than any other player. An AHLer from Houston last year, he has played defense the way Barry Trotz demands. Nothing will buy him NHL time in Nashville quicker than what he has done protecting the puck and the goal so far.

Ryan Jones is another star in waiting. It has always been the practice that the road to Nashville starts in Milwaukee but Jones may be an exception. The staff really likes his size and ability to play in front of the goal a la Thomas Holstrom and that is something the Preds have never had. If he doesn’t start the season with the Preds it will only be a matter of time before he is called up. Neither the injured Jed Ortmeyer nor Steve Sullivan appear even worthy of discussion at this point as neither appear close to recovery from long term injuries.

The Predators also have several others ready for call up duty at forward. Cal O’Reilly overcame an early injury to have a good camp. Mike Santorelli also improved his stock immensely before being sent down. Nick Spalling and Andreas Thuresson will probably also see call up duty before the year is over. Further down the line two of the Preds top prospects are still in college. Blake Geoffrion and this year’s first rounder Colin Wilson will be NHLers in a year or two when they decide to leave the college game.

One of the Predators weaknesses over the last few years has been on the power play. The Preds were near last all year in 2007 with the man advantage. The inability of Marik Zidlichy to work the point and the injury to Shea Weber limited the Preds options. It is thought that Ville Koistenin and a healthy Weber will improve this years PP.

The Predators finished third in the league on the penalty kill last year and have improved with an extra year of experience working together as a unit. Jerred Smithson, Scotty Nichol, Vern Fiddler, Radek Bonk and either newcomers Ward or Philstrom will see considerable time on the PK unit.

In summary, if the pieces fall into place the Nashville Predators should finish second only to the Stanley Cup champ Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division. Chicago could challenge the Predators for second and possibly be a third division team in the playoffs. The whole Western Conference will be a battle all year long with Dallas, San Jose, and Anaheim emerging from the West and some combination of two or three teams among Calgary, Edmonton, Minnesota and Vancouver from the Northwest. The remaining teams have too much competition to break into a playoff berth this season.

For ongoing coverage of the Nashville Predators check back to the Nashville Predator page at RumorMeThis for links to the PredsOnTheGlass blog.

Buddy and Jackson Oakes for RumorMeThis