Today marks the last of our NHL Draft Previews. Buddy Oakes (@PredsOnTheGlass on Twitter) gives us an extremely thorough and detailed look at where the Nashville Predators stand as an organization—as well as a great look at what they need to address at the NHL Draft. If you want one article to fully encapsulate where the Preds are at, this is the one for you. If you want more than a single article, check out Preds On The Glass for all of your Predators needs! Here’s what Buddy had to say…
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The 2008-09 version of the Nashville Predators was one of the more interesting teams in the franchise’s eleven-year history. Playing with nothing but a big heart for the last month of the season, the Predators remained competitive in the Central division race up until the next to the last game of the season.
Funny how a goaltender like Pekka Rinne can make the entire defense look better!
Down the stretch the team was ravaged by injuries to key players including David Legwand, Marty Erat, Jason Arnott, Ryan Jones, Wade Belak, Alexander Sulzer, Antti Philstrom and others, which provided extended looks at several potential future Preds including Cal O’Reilly, Patric Hornqvist, and Mike Santorelli.
The Predators strength last season was in goal (with Pekka Rinne) and on the blueline. After a rocky start to the year with Dan Ellis getting most of the starts, the defense improved immensely when Pekka Rinne took over in goal and the defensive parings became more consistent. Kevin Kline won the battle for the sixth d-man slot, as Ville Koistinen never panned out as hoped by the organization.
The glaring weakness that the Predators had was an ability to put the puck in the net on a consistent basis. The departure of Alexander Radulov, well after the free agent deadline last summer, left a hole in the offense that was never filled. There was a glaring period during the middle of the season when the Preds were averaging less than two goals per game, which was putting tremendous pressure on the defense and the goalie.
The Preds have strength with good prospects at all positions. Colin Wilson, who was the Pred’s top pick last summer, is the best overall prospect that they have. He will probably start the season in Milwaukee, but with the Pred’s lack of scoring could make the team out of training camp. I had a chance to meet with him a few weeks ago and he is a quality individual as well as a future NHL star.
Also on the offensive side are Ryan Jones, Cal O’Reilly, Patric Hornqvist, and Antti Philstrom. All played at the NHL level as well as the AHL and will probably stick with the team permanently this fall. Mike Santorelli, who tore up the AHL last season, will have to learn to play better defensively to stick with a Barry Trotz coached team.
On defense, Alexander Sulzer and Cody Franson will probably get the hardest looks in camp to replace Greg Zannon and Greg DeVries since both appear to be headed for free agency. Longer term, Jonathon Blum, the WHL Defenseman of the Year, is the better prospect of the three but will probably start the season in Milwaukee where they will try to get him to bulk up a little.
Radulov is extremely gifted offensively. Some Predator fans just find him offensive period.
Unless a trade is made involving Dan Ellis, it appears that the Preds will stick with Rinne and Ellis in goal at the start of the season. Milwaukee goalie Drew MacIntyre is a free agent and will probably head elsewhere to catch on as an NHL backup.
Chet Pickard, the Preds other first round pick in 2008, will start in Milwaukee and appears to be the goalie of the future for the organization. Mark Dekanich and Jeremy Smith are also strong prospects.
The Predators most immediate need over the summer is a proven point per game scorer. Long term, they need defensive prospects that will be ready in a few years once the current crop of D-Man prospects moves to the NHL level.
Looking at the draft later this month, the Predators are loaded with picks and are slated for the eleventh pick in the first round. They have twelve picks in all including two each in the second and third round and three in the fourth round. If the Preds stay in their 1st round slot, there is speculation that they might be interested in Jordan Schroeder from Minnesota, who would fit the need for scoring and speed. However, I don’t expect the Preds to be drafting in the eleven slot come draft day.
After sitting on his hands and doing nothing at the trade deadline, I seriously think that Davis Poile will be wheeling and dealing at the draft and will either be packaging draft picks and prospects to move up into the top five or six slots or trading down in exchange for a proven NHL scorer.
After the first round, I expect that the Preds will continue their philosophy of drafting the best players available with each pick and will get a good mix of offense and blue liners and probably a goalie (most likely a European) in a late round.
It should be an interesting draft to watch for the Predators. They continue to operate on a limited budget, which puts an increased emphasis on drafting players that they can sign and have playing on the NHL level within their entry-level contract period. The Predators ended the year with a salary in the $45 million range and already have $33 million committed for next season, still needing to attempt to re-sign Steve Sullivan and/or possibly picking up a moderately priced scoring forward on the free agent market. To stay in the same range this season, that will require several entry level contracts to fill out the roster.
The Predators’ future from within the system is a bright one, as indicated by the Preds recently being slotted as having the third best rating in the recent Hockey’s Future organizational rankings. They don’t necessarily need a marquee name out of the draft (like the Islanders) as they have marketed Colin Wilson well since his signing in April. However, drafting high enough to get immediate help would be a big boost to the offensively challenged Predators.
Personally, I would love to see the Predators hoodwink the Colorado Avalanche into departing with their third pick where we could pick up Matt Duchene. The Avs need a lot of help, and a couple of picks, a goaltending prospect, and the rights to Alexander Radulov would be the perfect addition to Colorado’s stable.
I have faith in the tandem of David Poile and Barry Trotz that they will put together a competitive squad and return for the playoffs next season in spite of playing in the increasingly tough Central Division.
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Honestly, there’s not much I can add to that! Everything that you ever wanted to know about the Nashville Predators, in 1000 words or less. The biggest question I have when I look at the Preds is the current situation with Alexander Radulov. He’s EXACTLY what they need—which is ironic because up until 12 months ago, he was part of their long-term plans. Whether he decides to stay in the KHL or come back to North America, he’s a world class scorer. Hopefully the Predators can enjoy his services and turn him into an asset that can help them next season.
So there you have it… our Draft Preview is complete. You can find Buddy on his great site: Preds On The Glass; as well as on Twitter at @PredsOnTheGlass. He’s a great guy to read and great guy to follow. A special thanks to all of the people that helped contribute over the last 2 weeks. Here is a rundown of everyone that pitched in, as well as places that you can find them on a regular basis. Twitter, blogs, websites—these bloggers are everywhere!
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