Posts Tagged ‘Nashville Predators’

Nashville Predator Colin Wilson Ready to Take Bite Out of NHL

19, Jul 2010

 

With the introduction of the salary cap, teams have been forced to ice young, cheap talent in order to squeeze higher-paid veterans onto rosters. In fact, 11 first round picks from the 2008 draft saw NHL ice time last season.

Often, youngsters find themselves as depth players barely able to skate with the veterans. Once in a while, though, a teenager jumps to the league and contributes right off the hop.

Colin Wilson of the Nashville Predators looks to be one of those players.

“I know that he is going to have a real long career,” said Predators coach Barry Trotz. “He’s really strong; he’ll put up good numbers.”

Wilson, the seventh overall pick in 2008, has already shown he is capable of doing just that, winning 2008 Hockey East rookie of the year honors after posting 35 points in 37 games with the Boston University Terriers. As a sophomore, he led the team with 55 points in 43 games and was named an NCAA East All-American en route to a national championship.

“He has great instincts for the game and is a big, powerful man,” Trotz said. “He can separate people and win battles in the corners. He has to improve his quickness, though. He is such a great thinker that I don’t think it will be a problem, but that’s the only weakness I see.”

At Boston University, Wilson learned from legendary coach Jack Parker, who has won 11 conference championships and three national titles.

“Coach Parker taught me to just battle through adversity,” Wilson said. “There are many things that come up; sometimes you’re not playing well, sometimes you have an injury and he just taught me how to deal with it and how to develop my all-around game.”

Playing for a successful program at BU also helped bolster Wilson’s confidence.

“You’re on a team that generally wins,” Wilson said. “When you’re on a team with players who generally win, it lets you know what it takes for you to win, what is put into it.”

Throughout his first NHL training camp, which included a groin injury that continues to sideline him, Wilson said he often received advice from his father, Carey Wilson, who played in 552 NHL games.

“I think with training camp, having a dad who played helped,” Wilson said, “Especially with my groin injury now, he talks to me about it. He’s had it before and he tells me just to not worry about it, work hard and get back to full health.”

Despite his injury, Trotz ultimately decided to keep Wilson on the roster for the regular season.

“Whenever there was a loose puck battle, he always won it,” Trotz explained. “He’s really competitive, he wins battles, and he can make something happen out of those battles. He has a big body and we’re really happy with him right now.”

Despite injury woes hampering Wilson’s attempt to kick off the season with a splash, both he and the organization are optimistic.

“I think he may be (a franchise cornerstone) eventually,” Trotz said. “I don’t know how dynamic he will be offensively, but I know that he is going to have a real long career, because he’s sort of a Rod Brind’Amour type…you can win with a Colin Wilson-type player on a regular basis.”

As far as Wilson is concerned, it is simply a matter of getting healthy and maintaining a great work ethic.

“You have to keep working hard and be smart at the same time,” Wilson concluded. “You just have to bear down and do what it takes to make it to the game roster.”

Alan Bass is a writer for The Hockey News and THN.com. In addition to writing for Inside Hockey and Pro Hockey News, he has also worked for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is the General Manager of the Muhlenberg College hockey team as well. You can contact him at BergHockey24@gmail.com.

This article was originally featured on TheHockeyNews.com. For the original article, click here.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Steven Hindle: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda – How & Why the Habs Have Upgraded

11, Jul 2010

Hindsight is 20/20, but, c’mon…

Ok, ok, ok, I get it.

There is a backlash over the Halak trade.

Yea, people are peeved that Gauthier didn’t let Jaro float around on the market a little longer instead of moving him only 8 days before the draft.

It’s tough not to argue, yet, even so, while people clamor for Pierre Gauthier’s head because Jaroslav Halak was “the real deal” and he let…

NSH: Shea Weber named Captain

8, Jul 2010

As per SBNation
The highlight of tonight’s Skate of the Union event at Bridgestone Arena was the introduction of Shea Weber as the fifth captain in Nashville Predators history, succeeding Jason Arnott after his trade to New Jersey last month.
To read the full story, follow the link above.

Flyers Deal Hamhuis’ Rights to Pens; Inquire about Nabokov

26, Jun 2010

NHLHS Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent David Strehle takes a look at the Flyers decision to move the rights to pending UFA defenseman Dan Hamhuis to the Atlantic Division rival Pittsburgh Penguins and the rumors that Paul Holmgren is talking about acquiring the rights to one of the top pending UFA goaltenders, Evgeni Nabokov.

For the Philadelphia Flyers, [...]

Steven Hindle: The 2010 NHL Awards – Vote for Your Winners

23, Jun 2010

Your Chance to Pick the Winners

With the annual NHL Awards bonanza set to kick off this evening in Las Vegas, Nevada, I thought it would be nice to give the readers of Hockeybuzz a chance to voice their opinions on who should take home the hardware this evening.

Have at it folks!

The Vezina Trophy: Top Goaltender

poll by twiigs.com

The Frank J. Selke Trophy: Top Defen…

NHLHS Mock Draft: With the Number Eighteen Pick…

22, Jun 2010

NHLHS Mock Draft is our latest feature where we collectively predict the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The draft is a crapshoot and we will be wrong… …but we thought it would be fun to try.

With the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Nashville Predators select…

Austin Watson
At 6′3″ [...]

Steven Hindle: Caps Pre-Season Schedule

21, Jun 2010

Capitals Announce 2010 Preseason Schedule

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals 2010 preseason schedule features six games against three opponents and includes three games at Verizon Center.

The Caps play their first preseason game on the road at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team’s preseason home opener at Verizon Center is Tuesday, Sept. 28…

Brandon Felder: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow. It’s a New Hockey Landscape in Nashville

19, Jun 2010

Well, it seems this off-season for the Predators won’t be so quiet after all. Not just one but two trades to discuss today. I guess the Predators GM David Poile woke up today and finally decided to take some action after yet another 1st Round exit.

Trade #1: This one I don’t find all that significant. Dan Hamhuis’ rights get traded to (wait for it….) Philadelphia. The deal does send Predator…

Are The Nashville Predators Looking To Sign Ilya Kovalchuk?

19, Jun 2010

The Nashville Predators have pulled off two deals this afternoon, sending centre Jason Arnott to the New Jersey Devils in return for Matt Halischuk and a second-round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and sending the rights to defenseman Dan Hamhuis and a conditional seventh-round draft choice in 2011 to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Ryan Parent.

 

Hamhuis, who was widely expected to test the free agent waters this summer, is said to be looking for a contract in the neighborhood of $5 million or more per season on a long term deal.

 

Arnott, a player that has struggled to stay healthy the past two seasons, heads back to New Jersey where he was a member of the Devils from 1997-98 through 2001-2002.

 

When you factor in what Hamhuis was going to make ($5 million per) and the savings the Predators made on the Arnott deal ($4.5 million), one has to wonder if the Predators plan on doing a little free agent shopping with the Cap room they have saved.

 

While likely not a preferred destination for Ilya Kovalchuk; Nashville may turn their sights on trying to sign the prolific scorer to a long-term deal, believed to be in the $7.5-$9.0 per season range.

 

The Predators boast an up and coming lineup, featuring Pekka Rinne in net, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter on defense and David Legwand, Martin Erat, Marcel Goc, Colin Wilson and veteran Steve Sullivan up front.

 

Other options to replace Arnott include unrestricted free agents Patrick Marleau and Tomas Plekanec, with the cheaper option of Matthew Lombardi also in the mix.

 

While not expected to be a big free agency player, the Nashville Predators have a considerable amount of Cap room with which to sign UFA’s.

 

Colin Wilson is expected to take on a bigger role with the club next season, as is prospect Nick Spaling, both of whom will come on the cheap.

 

There have been many reports suggesting that the Preadtors may, in fact, be trimming salary in an effort to reduce their losses, but with the team having minimal regular season and zero post season success, it may be time for ownership to step up and pay the big bucks to the likes of Kovalchuk or Marleau in hopes of reaping the rewards come playoff time.

 

Needless to say, the odds of Nashville landing Kovalchuk are slim, but it is food for fodder.

 

For more NHL news and notes check out my website at www.theslapshot.com

 

Until next time,

 

Peace!

 

 

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Takin’ a T/O With BT: Nashville Predators Now Driving the 2010 OffSeason

19, Jun 2010

While you can say there’s no rest for the wicked, it wasn’t the New Jersey Devils making (multiple) waves today. It was the Nashville Predators.

Just hours after trading away the rights to defenseman Dan Hamhuis, the Nashville Predators continued to shake things up, trading away their captain Jason Arnott.

One might wonder what general manager David Poile is up to; especially the Predators fans describing this afternoon as “stunning”, “confusing” and “frustrating.”

So far today, Poile was able to trade away a defenseman that he was unlikely to re-sign in Dan Hamhuis (based on a full complement of able bodies behind him on the depth chart), for a big-bodied young defender (Ryan Parent) who has yet to capitalize on his physical attributes.

That trade alone had many wondering whether Nashville was going to use a continual surplus of controllable defenders to acquire a dynamic winger to infuse an aging roster on the cusp of a youth movement.

Now it looks like the Preds are preparing for something big as Arnott is on his way to the site of his lone Stanley Cup.

Give the Devils credit: They’ve gone and acquired a big, strong centreman who’s a great leader. Arnott proved that in Nashville while battling through injuries. But in giving up their captain for winger Matt Halischuk and a second round pick next year, the Preds are in a great position moving forward.

If they can capitalize on it.

Looking at Nashville’s organizational depth, they have the best selection of young defensemen in the league, both in the NHL (Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Cody Franson) and at various stages in the system (Alexander Sulzer, Jonathan Blum, and Ryan Ellis).

Down the middle, Nashville has plenty of young players that need the ice time for their development. Without Arnott, Colin Wilson, Cal O’Reilly, and Andreas Thuresson now have a chance to strut their stuff and battle to become the feature pivot in the Music City.

It’s down the wing however, that you could argue Nashville’s depth isn’t as prominent.

Sure Patric Hornqvist scored 30 goals this year, but he was the only Predator to break that barrier. In fact, he was just one of two (Martin Erat—21) on the team to score more than 20.

Although Blake Geoffrion has now committed to professional hockey and Taylor Beck had a 35-point improvement in the OHL this year, they needed another player that could have an impact at the NHL level. If he can avoid injuries, that player is Matt Halischuk.

But this trade is more about what we could see happen to Nashville’s roster, rather than the former Kitchener Ranger.

Nashville now has the money to go out and spend in free agency, freeing up about $4.5-million for next season (And that’s not even counting other potential moves either. Winger Steve Sullivan could be attractive to other teams this off-season as well, as his contract is up following 2010-11). All in all there’s about $11-million to spend before signing Franson, Hornqvist, and Thuresson to new deals.

For O’Reilly and Wilson, signing a swingman with panache like Patrick Marleau could solve the offensive woes in Nashville and give the two a solid mentor. It would also help replace some of the lost leadership.

Or you could look the trade route, with the Predators not having to look far. In their own division alone the Chicago Blackhawks need help to get out from under the cap, and the Preds may be willing to risk helping a foe down the road if it kicks the offense into gear today.

Nashville has gotten plenty younger in just a day’s work, which is how teams are winning lately in the NHL. Now David Poile has the financial ability to augment those younger pieces with an established scorer—much like the Blackhawks did with Marian Hossa last year.

Realistically, this team is a couple of offensive players away from being a contender to go deep into the playoffs. They just need to be ready to do something to cover that remaining distance.

Whatever they’re considering though, Nashville now finds itself in the driver’s seat for the 2010 offseason.

It’s time to floor it.

Follow Bryan on Twitter @BryanThiel_88. Also, you can e-mail questions, comments, or ideas to BT at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Be sure to check out more of his work over at Hockey54.com—The Face of the Game!

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Dan Hamhuis, Pick From Nashville for Ryan Parent

19, Jun 2010

The Flyers announced on Saturday that they have acquired the rights to Dan Hamhuis along with a conditional pick in the 2011 draft from the Nashville Predators in exchange for restricted free agent Ryan Parent.

Hamhuis, 27, can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but the Flyers have until then to sign him to a contract.

“Our intention is to get him signed prior to [July 1], and that is what our aim is at this point in time,” said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, as reported by the Flyer’s official website. “The sooner that we get going on trying to get this done, the better.”

Hamhuis registered five goals and 17 assists  in 78 games for the Predators last season. In his six year NHL career, Hamhuis has scored 32 goals and 129 assists while only missing nine games, playing in 483 games.

“Obviously, it is sad to leave the Predators,” said Hamhuis. “I spent some great years with them and it is great organization to be a part of. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the city of Philadelphia and the Flyers.”

The addition of Hamhuis to a defense that already includes Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, and Matt Carle gives the Flyers one of the best defenses in the league—something Hamhuis is looking forward to being apart of.

“I think Philly has an unbelievable defense corps,” said Hamhuis. “To join a corps like that makes the Flyers one of the tougher ones in the league. To play against the teams from the East, the conference has a lot of great forwards. Watching the playoffs, having a great defense will get you a long way.”

Hamhuis provides the Flyers with a speedy defenseman who plays a physical game, but also can contribute offensively. At 6-1, 209-pounds, Hamhuis will play in all game situations as he’ll contribute to both the penalty kill and power play.

“Dan Hamhuis is a good all-around defenseman,” said Holmgren. “He’s a guy who can play lots of minutes and he can play in a lot of different situations, from power play to killing penalties. He is another athlete we’d like to add to our team to continue to improve our defense.”

Another positive of acquiring Hamhuis is that it gives the Flyers the ability to rest Pronger more during the regular season. There is no long a need to play Pronger anymore than 22 minutes per game now that you have four other defenseman who can play 20 minutes a night.

Should Hamhuis agree to a contract with the Flyers, Holmgren will need to trade for a goalie and he’ll need to move a contract in the process. Speculation has Jeff Carter ($5 million) being the odd man out for the Flyers, but it could also be Simon Gagne ($5.25 million), Scott Hartnell ($4.2 million) or Danny Briere ($6.5 million), however all three of those have no-trade clauses.

Expect a very busy draft weekend for the Orange ‘n’ Black despite the fact they will not have a pick until the third round.

Visit the Broad Street Scoop for more Philadelphia Flyers coverage.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Dan Hamhuis: Why the Trade Works for the Nashville Predators and the Flyers

19, Jun 2010

While everyone in Montreal is still wringing their hands over the Jaroslav Halak trade, we must remember that life goes on in the NHL.

That is, unless you’re a Montreal Canadiens’ General Manager who trades a goalie. You’ll probably still hear about this twelve years later.

And while things didn’t get monumentally tougher in the East, the Philadelphia Flyers have strengthened their pedigree as the East’s best before the 2010 NHL Entry Draft or free agency.

Meanwhile the Nashville Predators—who are a consistent threat to make the playoffs, yet can’t make a discernible impact in the post season—have put themselves in prime position to improve their club.

Instead of risking losing Dan Hamhuis, a player that—while useful—was replaceable by the strong infusion of youth on the horizon in Tennessee, Nashville has sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Ryan Parent and a conditional pick. 

Predators fans will remember Parent as the highly-touted young defenseman that they drafted in the middle of the first round in 2005. The burly Guelph Storm product was a key cog in the deal that got the Preds Peter Forsberg in 2007, along with a first round pick in that same draft. Four days before that draft, that pick got traded back to Nashville.

With rumors that Peter Forsberg nearly signed with Philadelphia in March (and still may get back to them as a free agent as he’s still not convinced he’s done with the NHL), this has probably been one of the longest stretches of re-trades in NHL history.

Sidenote: In fact, I’m not willing to look this up. Two trades branching off from the initial trade between the same two teams? It’s the longest. It’s now true. Don’t you just love the Internet?

Barring some sort of fax machine mishap with the contract, the Philadelphia Flyers have solidified one of the most dangerous defenses in the league. Already featuring the giant (with surprisingly nice legs) Chris Pronger, the consistently under-valued Kimmo Timonen, the steadily improving Matt Carle, and the burly Braden Coburn, Hamhuis brings another defenseman capable of playing 20 minutes a night with the ability to nibble at the 30-point mark.

Hamhuis’ offensive tools bring another dynamic to the Philadelphia power play; while you may not know this, he lead the Nashville penalty killers in shorthanded time-on-ice per game this season. A solid addition for a penalty kill that was 11th best in the league this season to start with.

Meanwhile the 23-year-old Parent could be entering the perfect situation after being benched the last five games of the Stanley Cup finals and struggling to see the ice more than seven minutes a game during the playoffs.

The Predators have a very young defense (outside of 34-year-old Francis Bouillon), so there will be plenty of opportunity for rotations and playing time behind Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. If Parent can stabilize himself and really learn to use his size, then the Preds get exactly what they need.

But what’s more, Nashville added to an extravagant abundance of good young defenseman. Cody Franson, Jonathan Blum, and Ryan Ellis are only three of the names that will be battling for just one spot on the roster next season, and that’s if Franson’s performance in his rookie season (+15, 21 points in 61 games) doesn’t solidify his NHL credentials or at least give him the inside track.

Nashville also finished 18th in goals-for this season, and while all of last year’s forwards are under contract for this season and Blake Geoffrion is on his way, blue chip defensive prospects could easily land this team a bona fide power winger.

Who knows? Maybe Nashville pedals their way up the draft board with a few of those fresh faces. It’ll also be interesting to see if Franson’s restricted free agency negotiations have anything to do with this potential situation.

But until Nashville makes a move, that’s all this is for them:

Potential.

While tomorrow this could be something completely different, today it’s two teams making a good trade (provided Hamhuis signs with Philly), and getting a jump-start on 2010’s preparations.


Follow BT on Twitter @BryanThiel_88. You can also e-mail questions, ideas, or comments to Bryan at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, be sure to check out Bryan’s other work over at Hockey54.com—The Face of the Game!

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Flyers Deal Parent to Nashville for Rights to Hamhuis

19, Jun 2010

NHLHS Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent David Strehle takes a look at the Flyers’ acquisition of the rights to defenseman Dan Hamhuis and what it means to the Philly blue line heading into the 2010-11 season.
Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren had said that he wanted to make improvements to his club during the offseason, and he got [...]

Steven Hindle: How the Value of a Draft Pick Has Changed – PART 2

15, Jun 2010

Slowly but Surely, the Value of a Top Tier Pick Becomes Apparent

Yesterday, I posted PART 1 in “How the Value of a Draft Pick Has Changed” in which I detailed the trade activity, primarily involving first or second round picks, in the final 5 years leading up to the dispute between owners and players which saw the NHL experience its second lockout in a decade.

Although the first locko…

Steven Hindle: How the Value of a Draft Pick Has Changed

14, Jun 2010

Trading Draft Picks Isn’t As Simple As It Used To Be

In an attempt to decipher how the value of a draft pick has changed in recent years thanks to the implementation of the salary cap, I have taken it upon myself to conduct some rather unscientific research on the matter.

Although nothing is clear upon first glance, through the course of this piece I will hopefully be able to show you ho…

World Cup: Closest Positioning to Opponent’s Goal (through 6/13)

13, Jun 2010

Lars Baron – Getty Images

10 days ago:

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 11: Thierry Henry of France takes a shot on g…

The Hockey Guys

12, Jun 2010

The Cup may have been hoisted but, Hockey fans who are having a hard time coping with the lack of hockey now that the season is over need to look no further.
We got your fix right here.

We go live tomorrow with our 2009-2010 NHL season wrap-up show.
Be sure to tune in live with us tomorrow [...]

Julie Robenhymer: Geoffrion to Sign 2-yr Contract with Nashville

10, Jun 2010

2010 Hobey Baker winner from the University of Wisconsin, Blake Geoffrion, will be signing a 2-year entry level contract with the Nashville Predators. Official announcement will be made at 2pm on Tuesday June 15th at Granbery Elementary, his former elementary school in Brentwood, TN.

Julie

JulieLovesHockey@gmail.com
Follow my twitter feed…
Friend me on Facebook……

Julie Robenhymer: Geoffrion Expected to Sign 2-yr Contract with Nashville

10, Jun 2010

2010 Hobey Baker winner from the University of Wisconsin, Blake Geoffrion, is expected to sign a 2-year entry level contract with the Nashville Predators. Official announcement will be made at 2pm on Tuesday June 15th at Granbery Elementary, his former elementary school in Brentwood, TN.

Julie

JulieLovesHockey@gmail.com
Follow my twitter feed…
Friend me on Facebook……

Blackhawks Taking Maturity to Another Level

25, May 2010

NHLHS Chicago Blackhawks Correspondent, Ryan Hackett, discusses how the Hawks have grown to a level of maturity that is hard to match, especially this season.
Now Playing: Fuel – Sunburn
The Chicago Blackhawks have undergone more transformations in the last three seasons than a reality television star on a plastic surgery shopping spree, and yet their latest [...]


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