As a hockey fan, everyone knows that the recent NHL draft have left a few of us with dropped jaws. Yes, I am talking about Andrew Shaw being traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Montreal Canadiens. As well as Brian Elliot from the St. Louis Blues to the Calgary Flames. Both of these aforementioned men played in this year’s Stanley Cup post-season tournament against each other in round one. The Blues eventually eliminated the Blackhawks in a forced game seven, the Dallas Stars in the second round with another game seven, but eventually fell to the San Jose Sharks in the Conference Finals on game six. One would think that the Blues would have kept their star goaltender, considering he got the team one round away from competing for the Stanley Cup in the final. These are just two examples of what happened in the first round.
Afterward, the curiosity peaked during the second through seventh round draft picks, in which our very own Nashville Predators picked up four defensemen out of the seven picks, involving two centers and one goaltender. A few things can be deduced about these draft results. The Nashville Predators are known to have a few offensive lines inclusive of above average forwards, such as Filip Forsberg who was a restricted free agent, now signed a 6 year, $36 million contract with the team.
Mike Fisher, Craig Smith, Calle Jarnkrok, James Neal, Ryan Johansen, among others, are also key players that have proven themselves continuously throughout the regular season; Viktor Arvidsson eventually stole the limelight during the post season, keeping the Predators alive until the seventh game of round two against the Sharks.
With this being said, it’s no surprise that David Poile was adamant about disposing the blue liners instead of the forwards. Continuing on to the defensive side of the game, the Nashville Predators weren’t that bad; however, a few players have been known to leave the goaltender, whether it be star player Pekka Rinne or backup Carter Hutton, high and dry, defending the net for themselves. Blocked shots are one thing the fans didn’t see often during the regular season, and it was the one thing that could have helped the team advance to the Western Conference Finals instead of the San Jose Sharks.
What happened a few days after the 2016 NHL draft has left Preds’ fans either really excited or in despair? General Manager, David Poile, announced June 29 that homegrown captain, Shea Weber, has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens for P.K. Subban. After Weber was named as a 2016 All-Star, and won the All-Star award for hardest slap shot, as well as being named the recipient for the Mark Messier Leadership Award, Predators’ fans were never in question that the captain would not continue his reign for the next season to come.
David Poile has not announced who will be the next captain for the Nashville Predators. Speculations have concluded that it may very well be Mike Fisher, as he has served as alternate captain since the 2011-2012 season. James Neal and Roman Josi are the other alternates for the team; Neal, having a one-year edge, since 2014, and Josi since 2015. Other players not returning for the 2016-2017 thus far include: Eric Nystrom, Barrett Jackman, Gabriel Bourque, and Carter Hutton. The latter has been signed by the St. Louis Blues as a backup goaltender on a two-year contract.
Shortly after the trade between Weber and Subban, David Poile announced that the Predators have recently signed defenseman, Yannick Weber, who ironically also wears the number 6 on the back of his sweater. (So fans, don’t sell or burn the Shea Weber jerseys, yet). The 27-year-old Yannick Weber agreed to a one-year, $575,000 contract after spending the past two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. The new Weber brings not only his alacrity, but he also possesses the same type of defense that spectators often see in Roman Josi; the two were defensive partners during the World Junior Championships.
With the Nashville Predators’ pre-season hockey just 82 days away, David Poile will definitely be making some more adjustments and additions to the Predators’ roster. In the meantime, fans can expect a faster d-line with better agility and puck control. As well as Jackman not trying to start pointless fights for the heck of it.
