Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Nashville-Predators

Video- Luongo In The Running For Save Of The Night

by Paul on 02/07/12 at 09:58 PM ET
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He robs Colin Wilson of the Predators with this save.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Roberto+Luongo,

No More Excuses In Nashville

by Paul on 02/07/12 at 02:40 PM ET
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from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

Look, the stars are aligning very nicely in Nashville. They’ve got arguably the best goalie in the West. After some 46-time Norris Trophy winner in Detroit, they’ve got the two best defenceman. And, with Jimmy Howard out of the lineup, a shot at catching the Red Wings for first place in both the division and conference. (As of Feb. 7, they are four points back with a game in hand.) Avoiding that brutal four-vs-five first round series is critical.

There are times a franchise must take a stand. This is one. You think Jay Feaster didn’t know Nikolai Khabibulin was going to walk in 2004? You think the Blackhawks were unaware they were headed to Salary Cap Jail in 2010?

Bring it on. They won. You can deal with the “inconveniences.”

But going for it does something else, too. They’ve paid Rinne. They’re going to throw money at Suter and Weber. Adding an offensive piece or two—even if it costs you prime prospects—puts the onus on the players.

“Alright,” GM David Poile can say, “We’re loading up. We’re going to do what you’ve asked. Now you’ve got to deliver. No more excuses.”

more plus 30 Thoughts…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

This Team Never Goes Away

by Paul on 02/02/12 at 05:15 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

After months of debating the three-team race in the Central Division among Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis, the men from the Music City have muscled their way into the conversation.

Well, that’s what 13 wins in your past 15 games can do for you, right?

“Right now, we’ve got really good team chemistry,” Preds coach Barry Trotz told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “Talk about a group that just comes to play. We’re getting great goaltending but, really, contributions throughout our lineup. ... Everyone is playing with a purpose.”

Trotz, in fact, credited the incredible competition in his division as a factor in his young team’s rise. He feels the standard is so high when playing against the Wings, Blues and Blackhawks that his team has no choice but to try to keep up.

His team feeds off those challenges. Much like the Preds look forward to a tough test Thursday night in Philadelphia in what is ESPN.com’s Game of the Week, teams separated by two points.

“Philly’s a really good measuring stick for what the league has to offer as a top team,” Trotz said. “There’s also a couple of ex-Predators on that team. We don’t play them a lot but they’re always good games.”

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Odds Are Suter Won’t Be Moved

by Paul on 01/30/12 at 11:26 AM ET
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from Frank Seravalli of Frequent Flyers,

Word circulating through the general manager’s ranks is that Suter will be kept off the market.

“The consensus among us is that Nashville will be hanging onto him, even if they know the odds are not in their favor of re-signing him,” one Eastern Conference GM told the Daily News on condition of anonymity. “If he does decide to trade him, [David] Poile has the market cornered. There are very few defensemen of Suter’s caliber in the league and Nashville has two of them.

“You have to wonder whether the Predators can continue to trade away their top players for prospects because they can’t afford to pay them.”

Poile’s problem is that the small-market Predators - who won a playoff series for the first time in franchise history last season - can’t convince their growing fanbase that they’re gunning for a Stanley Cup if Suter is traded before the deadline. Nashville begins the second half just 4 points out of first place in the West.

more

I can only see him moved if the Preds received an offer they could not refuse.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Ryan+Suter,

Talking Morrow & Suter

by Paul on 01/29/12 at 10:16 AM ET
Comments (5)

from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal,

• Why should anybody be surprised that Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow might be on the market? There are lots of miles on that chassis from all the punishment he’s taken and dished out, and he just turned 33. He’s still an effective player, but this is the classic case of the Stars checking the level of teams’ interest before Morrow hits the free-agent marketplace on July 1, 2013. He would be the perfect pickup for the San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks or Detroit Red Wings, although you would think they would rather move him to an Eastern Conference team. Do you think Brad Richards in New York would be talking him up to Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather? You think the Washington Capitals, in serious need of more leadership, would grab him? In a heartbeat. He’s well-priced at a $4.1-million cap hit for one more year….

• When Ryan Suter says he won’t sign a new deal before the Feb. 27 deadline, it puts the Nashville Predators in an awful spot. They need Suter to make the playoffs, but they lost Dan Hamhuis, also an unrestricted free agent, for virtually nothing in 2010. GM David Poile vowed he wasn’t going to get burned again and wants something tangible for the NHL’s most underrated defenceman. Suter says he’s still a Predator and doesn’t want his contract status to be a distraction, but once he gets to July 1 as a free agent, all bets are off. Watch the teams line up, just as they did for that auction for Dallas centre Brad Richards last summer. Suter wants the Predators to get help offensively if he’s to stay, but Nashville can’t deal, for instance, puck-moving D-man rookie Ryan Ellis to get that forward, not if Suter walks, too. The best Poile could do is get a stocking stuffer for Suter’s rights before the July 1 deadline.

much more and in the column, Mr. Matheson notes Evgeni Malkin leads the league with 7 GWG, but Johan Franzen has 9 so far this season…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Brenden+Morrow, Ryan+Suter,

Nashville May Have To Make A Decision On Suter Before The Trade Deadline

by Paul on 01/27/12 at 05:46 PM ET
Comments (5)

from of Tim Panaccio CSNPhilly,

Ryan Suter’s situation of potentially being dealt at the NHL trade deadline next month took an interesting turn on Friday when the Nashville Predators defenseman said he does not want to re-sign before the deadline.

He is unrestricted while fellow coveted teammate Shea Weber is restricted. One of them could be dealt.

The Flyers are among a handful of clubs interested in getting into the mix if that happens.

“I feel it would be more of a distraction than anything,” Suter said of signing in February. “We’ve never had a timeline or deadline. We’re just focusing on winning. Everything else will take care of itself.

“I don’t see it being a benefit by hurrying up and trying to get something done. I’m a Nashville Predator until July. I will focus on making my team better.”

continued

added 7:33pm, from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

Poile has told Suter and Weber that the old days of Nashville playing on small payrolls are over.

“That’s the conversation we’ve been having,” Poile told ESPN.com via phone Friday, a few hours before Suter broke his news. “Those days are past. We have new ownership in place. They’ve made a commitment to me and the players and both Ryan and Shea know that, because of the dollars they’re going to be getting and what we need to do to win that Cup, we’ll be spending what is necessary to contend.”

Right now, the Preds are a bottom-five payroll. But if Suter and Weber sign on the dotted line over the next few months, that will obviously change.

“I know we’re one of the lowest payrolls this year, but going forward that will no longer be the case,” stressed Poile.

more and Shea Weber chimes in too…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Ryan+Suter,

Video- Bad Goal Of The Night Goes To Corey Crawford

by Paul on 01/21/12 at 11:21 PM ET
Comments (2)

Kevin Klein from center ice…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Corey+Crawford,

Ellis Continues To Impress

by Paul on 01/21/12 at 10:12 AM ET
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from Bob Duff of the Windsor Star,

He’s pounding slapshots into the back of the net, and opposing forwards into the ice.

Eleven games into his National Hockey League career, Nashville Predators defenceman Ryan Ellis has wasted little time in showing big-league fans what he’s all about.

The same elements that made him a star with the Windsor Spitfires, that brought fans at the WFCU Centre out of their seats with regularity, are quickly emerging as Ellis grows rapidly into his stature as an NHLer.

“A little bit more comes out each game,” said Ellis, who has 2-3-5 totals and a plus-four rating since his Dec. 26 recall from the AHL Milwaukee Admirals.

“You kind of realize what kind of player each guy is out there, and you just go out and play your game.

“The more you can play your game, the easier it gets for you.”

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Ryan+Ellis,

Yip Claimed By Nashville

by Paul on 01/19/12 at 12:30 PM ET
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 19, 2012) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club claimed forward Brandon Yip on waivers from the Colorado Avalanche and activated forward Jerred Smithson from injured reserve.

Yip, 26 (4/25/85), has 41 points (23g-18a) in 113 career NHL contests, all with Colorado, since the 2009-10 campaign. The Vancouver, B.C., native has been limited to 10 games in 2011-12 – going pointless – due to arm (missed 18 games from Oct. 8-Nov. 15) and groin (missed four games from Dec. 13-19) injuries. The 6-1, 195-pound right wing amassed 108 points (45g-63a) in 139 games with Boston University from 2005-09, helping the Terriers win the 2009 NCAA National Championship on a team that also included current Predator Colin Wilson.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Brandon+Yip,

Suter Still Out With Upper-Body Injury

by Paul on 01/18/12 at 01:23 PM ET
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from Dan Rosen of NHL.com,

Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter said Wednesday during a visit to the NHL offices that he will not play Thursday night in Columbus.

Suter, who spoke to NHL.com in the morning, left Monday’s game against the Islanders after the first period and did not play Tuesday against the Rangers. He wouldn’t elaborate on the nature of his injury other than to say it’s to his upper body and he is day-to-day.

“It’s not my head, though, so that’s a good thing,” Suter said.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Ryan+Suter,

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