Suterday's Dump & Chase: Blackhawks Down

Nashville Predators News

Ryan Suter’s homecoming: How will Predators greet Wild defenseman? | Puck Daddy
Greg Wyshynski expects "lusty boos"...

Ryan Suter braces for boos in Nashville return | The Tennessean
I, for one, wouldn't boo him.

Zach Boychuk makes solid impression in Nashville debut - Nashville Predators Examiner
From the waiver wire to the top line, that's a nice jump.

Bartley "Solid" in NHL Debut | PuckScene.com
It was a big night for Victor Bartley, who took the looooong road to his NHL debut.

Sans jaw protector, Clune lands on the fight card and on the stat sheet | The Predatorial
There's no quicker way to get the fans cheering for you than to drop the gloves...

Which Nashville Predators Players Will Move When Injured Players Return From IR? | Predlines
Jason speculates on what might happen over the coming days & weeks. It will be interesting to see whether or not Patric Hornqvist ends up on IR himself.

Announcing the 4/27 Smashville Express to Columbus | PuckScene.com
What better way to send off our soon-to-be former division rivals?

The 303:30 – Admirals goalie Magnus Hellberg and Gover vs. Porth on the Preds’ future | Section 303
Hockey talk to help you get through the day before tonight's game...

Halischuk lifts Ads in 4-3 win over Chicago | Admirals Roundtable
Matt Halischuk got off to a good start in his showcase conditioning stint.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Game 23 Recap: Avs Defeat Streaking Chicago 6-2 in Duchene's Best Game as a Pro - Mile High Hockey
'twas Colorado that did the deed, bringing Chicago's incredible streak to an end.

Blackhawks fan refuses to end NHL boycott despite Chicago’s record streak | Puck Daddy
Here's one angry customer who still won't come back.

Getzlaf Receives Eight Year Extension Worth $66 Million - Anaheim Calling
Kowabunga... now all eyes turn to Corey Perry.

Hockey’s counting problem | Backhand Shelf
Very well said by Cam: "The "Aha!" moment comes when you realize that shots are a hell of a lot more predictive than goals for determining future events. As soon as you realize that hockey is a game between two teams trying to take shots on goal, I think the rest of it falls into place. Shooting percentages, PDO, "clutch" performances in the playoffs… once you get over the hurdle by recognizing that shots are a more sustainable currency than goals, lots of new concepts make sense."

Hockey's Structure and Incentive Problem | NHLNumbers.com
Kent investigates a major issue separating the analytics crowd from hockey operations staff.

Hockey's Analytics "Aha" moment? - HockeyAnalysis.com
Maybe if you have multiple years of data, goal-weighted measures hold up more strongly, but that's of little value during the course of an individual season.

Oilers player grades – Edmonton humiliated by Nashville in 6-0 defeat | Edmonton Journal
Spoiler Alert: They're not good.

A Conversation Between Steve Tambellini and His Stats Man - The Copper & Blue
I'm guessing this is pretty close to what happened.

Jeff Carter's hot streak tied to hot training sessions - USA Today
Ah, he's just lucky, right?

Edmonton Oilers @ Nashville Predators: Complete Coverage

Two remarkably different teams square off at Bridgestone Arena tonight, but both need a win to maintain their chances at a Western Conference playoff berth.

The Stats

	Edmonton Oilers		Nashville Predators
Record	8-10-5	25th	9-9-5	20th
GF/Game	2.26	26th	1.96	30th
GA/Game	2.74	15th	2.39	6th
5-on-5 SF/60	28.0	20th	22.7	30th
5-on-5 SA/60	32.8	30th	26.2	6th
Fenwick Close	45.09	26th	45.65	25th
5-on-5 Save %	.923	10th	.925	6th
5-on-4 GF/60	7.4	8th	4.6	25th
# of PP's/Gm	4.17	3rd	3.17	26th
4-on-5 GA/60	5.1	11th	8.0	29th
# of PK's/Gm	4.22	28th	3.43	9th

Tonight's tilt brings us an interesting contrast of styles - the Predators play a sluggish, low-scoring & low-shot type of game, while the Oilers are decidedly more up-tempo (although neither have been particularly successful). The real danger here for Nashville lies on special teams. The Oilers draw (and take) a lot of penalties, and their high-skill power play could spell trouble for the Preds' foundering penalty kill.

Do you plan on going to tonight's game, or watching it on TV? RSVP here and you could win $200 in free tickets from our partners at TiqIQ!

Edmonton Oilers

After flirting with the idea of a return to the playoffs, Edmonton fans are resigning themselves to another season in the wilderness as a recent 2-5-2 stretch leaves them sitting in 13th in the West. That includes a 3-0 shutout loss at Detroit last night which left a bitter taste over at Copper & Blue:

I officially lost my patience with this season following the loss to the Minnesota Wild this past Sunday, but if you had held out hope until tonight, hopefully this "effort" was the equivalent of Steve Tambellini and Ralph Krueger telling you there is no such thing as Santa Claus...because they killed him.

Part of that disappointment may be tied to unrealistic expectations. Much like Predators fans were hoping to see something close to last season's offensive performance put together by this year's team, one of Edmonton's brightest stars, Jordan Eberle, enjoyed some puck luck in 2011-2012 and is now seen by many as suffering through a goal-scoring slump that's due to turn around any day now.

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Jordan Eberle

#14 / Right Wing / Edmonton Oilers

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Born: May 15, 1990

---

---

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG		SOG	PCT
2012 - Jordan Eberle	23	6	11	17	-3	4	3	0	1		72	8.3

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Yeah, the Preds could use a few guys going through slumps like this.

Besides Eberle, of course, Edmonton brings a host of other exciting players. Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov are the last three #1 overall NHL draft picks, and old man Ales Hemsky can still dangle with the best of them.

The trick for Edmonton, of course, is supporting their talented stable of young forwards with a competent blueline, and that's been a real challenge. College free agent Justin Schultz is their best hope there, but the D is a long ways from where it needs to be.

They didn't have a problem adding unskilled toughness, however, bringing in Mike Brown from Toronto via trade. Will Brown help the Oilers win hockey games? There's no chance of that, writes Derek Zona, but at least the crowd will have something to cheer for as Edmonton heads towards earning another lottery pick.

I mentioned on Twitter that I was struggling to find comparables for Mike Brown because his on-ice performance was so bad for so long that he's basically in a class by himself. 'Sphere regular woodguy tossed out Ben Eager as a suggestion, and was shocked (though he wasn't alone) when I mentioned that Brown was worse. Much worse, in fact.

Nashville Predators

David Poile's Waiver Wire Wonders hit the ice for the first time tonight, and it will be interesting to see the roles that Zach Boychuk and Bobby Butler step into. Is there enough offensive talent now to put three reasonably dangerous forward lines out there? With Matt Halischuk shipped off to Milwaukee and Brandon Yip on Injured Reserve, we'll look for less work along the boards and more pucks fired on net tonight. Anything less will be a disappointment.

In addition to Boychuk & Butler, Victor Bartley is set to make his Nashville Predators debut, after a promotion earlier this week. The guessing from practice the other day was that Jonathon Blum may be the odd man out, which would at least give Barry Trotz three left-handed D on that side of the ice, as is usually preferred.

There's more than just idle curiosity about these new faces, though. Thanks to their 2-6-1 record of late, the Predators have fallen to the back of the playoff-contending teams in the West, and another poor week could leave them with an awfully steep hill to climb, and only 20 games left to do it.

So even though we'll keep an eye on how the new guys play, the real focus needs to be on Nashville's veteran leaders:

• Martin Erat - no goals since February 5th.
• Mike Fisher - one goal, no assists in his last six games.
• David Legwand - one goal and one assist over the last 13 games.
• Patric Hornqvist - one goal in eight games since his return from IR.
• Sergei Kostitsyn - one goal, 5 assists in his last 15 games.
• Colin Wilson - one assist in his last 6 games.

Put simply, there is plenty of blame to go around for Nashville's scoring drought, and it isn't up to one guy to solve it. Against the Oilers, the Predators have their chance to get back on track.

3 Questions With Copper & Blue's Derek Zona on the Edmonton Oilers

1) There's a discussion which comes up every year among Nashville fans, about whether coming up just short of the playoffs is much worse than completely going in the tank, because of the opportunity to draft the best talent in the world and get the franchise a star. So I have to ask - have the last several years of lousy Oilers teams been worth it, now that you have three #1 overall picks skating up front?

Derek Zona: No. The annual Edmonton death march is an awful way to run a team, an awful way to treat fans, and an awful way to treat your players. You're lucky as both a writer and a fan, your management team is doing everything they can given their constraints and won't give up until the end. Kevin Lowe used to do that. For the last six years, the Oilers have conditioned fans to be excited over hope and the next lottery show on TSN rather than NHL hockey. Is that something Nashville fans want?

2) What's your reaction to the proposed NHL realignment, and what it means for Edmonton?

DZ: I don't have a reaction to it, honestly. Look back at the history of conferences and divisions in the NHL. If you don't like this alignment, just wait a couple of years and it will change.

3) The Justin Schultz signing was talked about as a huge coup for the Oilers, so how is the rookie defenseman working out? Does he have top-pair potential?

DZ: Yes, the potential is certainly there, although he has some significant shortcomings he needs to work out. He may be hitting a wall, as Jonathan Willis suggests, or opponents might have a book on him now. He's a gifted offensive player - he can move the puck on his own by skating, or start the breakout with a pass. He has a bizarrely evasive wrist shot - he can get it on the net from nearly anywhere in the zone - and he has wonderful control of the puck in all zones. He's lacking in his own end, however. He is outmuscled pretty regularly in puck and positioning battles, and gets caught floating and watching the play when he's on the weak side of the ice. The latter will be eliminated with experience, but he needs to work on his strength and positioning to take care of the former. With the puck, in transition and in the offensive zone, he is very much like Roman Josi, if that gives you a reference point.

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Justin Schultz

#19 / Defenseman / Edmonton Oilers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 185

Born: Jun 06, 1990

---

---

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG		SOG	PCT
2012 - Justin Schultz	23	5	8	13	-9	4	4	0	1		48	10.4

---

Thanks to Derek for his insight, and make sure to head over to Copper & Blue for their take on tonight's action.

Nashville Predators 6, Edmonton Oilers 0: The Preds Bounce Back

On a night when the Nashville Predators needed a win, they took it in convincing fashion, pasting the Oilers 6-0 in front of a delighted Bridgestone Arena crowd. This was one of those nights where pretty much everything went right: Colin Wilson dominated with two goals and two assists, Pekka Rinne reasserted himself with a shutout, and the three Preds making their debuts all put forth strong, effective efforts.

Random Observations

• There were admittedly a lot of factors helping the Preds tonight - the Oilers were without dangerous winger Ales Hemsky, and had just played last night at Detroit.
• Still, how about Colin Freaking Wilson?
• Of all the new guys, Zach Boychuk impressed me the most, as much for his hustle on some of the plays that didn't connect as much as his goal. That said, I'm not surprised to see that kind of energy out of he and Bobby Butler. After all, their NHL careers just flashed before their eyes passing through waivers this week. They should be supremely motivated right now.
• Congratulations also go out to Victor Bartley on his first career NHL game. He looked comfortable for the most part, and it will be interesting to see how much work he gets in the near term.
• How about that penalty kill, not giving up two goals in a game? Actually, the Preds didn't have to kill a penalty all night, which is the best PK of all.
• Hopefully the team can bottle up some of the confidence-building moments from tonight and carry that into tomorrow's game against Minnesota, which is every bit as important as tonight was.

Boxscore - Game Summary - Event Summary

Roll the video highlights...

And your advanced stats...

Nashville Predators

Player	Pos	ES TOI	Total Shots For	Total Shots Against	Corsi	Net Zone Starts	Adjusted Corsi
Martin Erat	R	17:12	21	10	+11	0	+11
Gabriel Bourque	L	15:43	15	13	+2	-1	+2
David Legwand	C	15:27	13	15	-2	0	-2
Zach Boychuk	L	14:58	15	8	+7	-2	+8
Colin Wilson	C	14:30	11	13	-2	+1	-2
Paul Gaustad	C	14:25	13	7	+6	-2	+7
Sergei Kostitsyn	L	14:07	10	11	-1	0	-1
Mike Fisher	C	12:40	14	6	+8	-1	+8
Rich Clune	L	12:39	13	5	+8	0	+8
Craig Smith	C	11:57	13	8	+5	0	+5
Bobby Butler	R	11:55	15	8	+7	+2	+6
Patric Hornqvist	R	6:07	6	1	+5	-2	+6
Kevin Klein	D	21:09	9	16	-7	-4	-5
Victor Bartley	D	19:15	9	12	-3	-4	-1
Ryan Ellis	D	18:23	23	12	+11	+1	+11
Scott Hannan	D	17:11	21	11	+10	+1	+10
Roman Josi	D	16:04	22	10	+12	0	+12
Shea Weber	D	15:42	22	9	+13	+1	+13

Edmonton Oilers

Player	Pos	ES TOI	Total Shots For	Total Shots Against	Corsi	Net Zone Starts	Adjusted Corsi
Magnus Paajarvi	L	16:55	15	16	-1	+1	-1
Sam Gagner	C	16:52	16	13	+3	0	+3
Jordan Eberle	C	16:37	10	21	-11	+2	-12
Nail Yakupov	R	16:06	15	11	+4	+1	+4
Taylor Hall	L	15:59	11	18	-7	+2	-8
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	C	15:42	11	19	-8	+2	-9
Ryan Jones	L	12:26	3	17	-14	-1	-14
Ryan Smyth	L	11:00	6	7	-1	0	-1
Lennart Petrell	C	10:42	2	12	-10	-1	-10
Ben Eager	L	10:16	7	7	0	+1	-0
Eric Belanger	C	10:10	2	14	-12	-1	-12
Mike Brown	R	8:43	7	4	+3	+1	+3
Justin Schultz	D	20:06	9	27	-18	+2	-19
Jeff Petry	D	18:36	11	16	-5	0	-5
Ryan Whitney	D	18:30	16	20	-4	+2	-5
Ladislav Smid	D	18:26	11	15	-4	0	-4
Nick Schultz	D	16:14	9	18	-9	0	-9
Theo Peckham	D	16:00	14	10	+4	0	+4

How is Shea Weber Really Doing Without Ryan Suter?

One of the consolations that Nashville Predators fans are taking these days is that at least Shea Weber's been playing well, right? Much better apparently than Ryan Suter, who spurned Nashville's overtures in free agency last summer and left for the Midwestern comforts of Minnesota.

Sure, Suter has 1 goal and 14 assists in 22 games for Minnesota, but he's also sporting a -6, so LOL, the reasoning goes.

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Ryan Suter

#20 / Defenseman / Minnesota Wild

Height: 6-1

Weight: 198

Born: Jan 21, 1985

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	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG		SOG	PCT
2012 - Ryan Suter	22	1	14	15	-6	8	1	0	0		40	2.5

The problem is, Weber isn't exactly enjoying a fine season himself, and contrary to Barry Trotz's endorsement a few weeks ago, he won't garner serious Norris Trophy consideration unless things turn around quickly. Once upon a time, the pairing of Suter & Weber was a dominant force, eating up huge amounts of ice time against top opposing forwards, while managing to churn out positive results for a Predators team that generally struggled otherwise.

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Shea Weber

#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-4

Weight: 232

Born: Aug 14, 1985

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	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG		SOG	PCT
2012 - Shea Weber	23	3	6	9	+3	13	0	0	1		60	5.0

That effect which Weber & Suter had together is best reflected by Corsi Relative, also known as the difference between the balance of Total Shots For & Against while a player is on the ice, and when he is on the bench during 5-on-5 play. For years, Weber has been a strongly positive force for puck possession, standing head & shoulders above his Nashville teammates in that regard. That's no longer the case this season. Let's review some of those possession measurements and how they've trended over the years (data from Behind the Net):

SEASON	Corsi Relative	Corsi On	Off Zone Start %	Off Zone Finish %	Corsi Rel QoC	Corsi Rel QoT
2007-2008	+3.2	+4.4	48.3	49.6	-0.09	-0.01
2008-2009	+13.3	+5.8	48.5	48.4	+0.62	+2.77
2009-2010	+7.0	+7.3	44.2	46.5	+0.94	+1.59
2010-2011	+7.2	+2.7	45.3	48.4	+0.94	+1.89
2011-2012	+11.2	-0.9	44.6	47.3	+1.33	+1.46
2012-2013	-7.5	-12.6	40.4	38.4	+1.78	+0.64

Put simply, when Weber hopped over the boards in years past (usually with Suter by his side), the flow of play turned remarkably in Nashville's favor, but this year he's been forced to scramble in his own end more often than not. Interestingly, Ryan Suter is experiencing the same phenomenon up in Minnesota. Like Weber, his Corsi-based metrics have fallen off the table.

SEASON	Corsi Relative	Corsi On	Off Zone Start %	Off Zone Finish %	Corsi Rel QoC	Corsi Rel QoT
2007-2008	+9.1	+7.6	53.4	50.6	+0.13	+2.50
2008-2009	+10.9	+4.4	48.4	49.4	+0.66	+3.21
2009-2010	+5.3	+6.7	44.8	46.4	+1.01	+1.82
2010-2011	+8.9	+4.3	44.7	48.1	+0.97	+1.95
2011-2012	+7.3	-2.9	45.7	47	+1.26	+2.05
2012-2013	-5.0	-8.7	49.3	45.5	+0.73	+2.68

Neither defenseman is playing at his best right now, and that's hardly shocking. You don't just split up a world class defense pair that had been together for years, and expect both guys to prosper right away independently. It will be worth checking back on these measures at the end of the season, to see if another 20 games or so helps them gain familiarity with their new partners.

Friday's Dump & Chase: Predators Hit the Thrift Shop

Nashville Predators News

Betting on the Turn: Will Nashville’s Waiver Wire Additions be a Risk or a Reward? | The Predatorial
There's basically no risk in these latest moves, but it will be interesting to see how Bobby Butler & Zach Boychuk fare tonight.

Smashville 24/7 - Clune finds ways to be effective without fighting
Rich Clune (another waiver wire acquisition) is trying his best to stay in the NHL, and his work ethic shows that.

Smashville 24/7 - Klein envious of Friday’s fan promotion
It looks like I picked a good night to bring my daughter to the game!

Smashville 24/7 - Midseason report card: Forwards
Some of these Preds are gonna get a paddling, if they bring home Robby's report cards. My review of the wingers is scheduled for later today.

Predators' playoff chances improve under NHL's proposed realignment | Nashville City Paper
David Boclair highlights a bright side of the realignment plan.

In honor of the new direction the Predators have taken this week, I think we have a theme song on our hands. "Poile's gonna pop some tags..."

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Ronny Keller paralyzed after hit into boards in Swiss playoff game (VIDEO) | Puck Daddy
Terrible news out of Switzerland, providing an example of what could happen just as easily in the NHL.

Thin Air: Whatevs | Jerseys and Hockey Love
James puts himself in the shoes of the guy making a hit like that one in Switzerland... yikes.

NHL teams ready to embrace advanced statistics | Hockey | CBC Sports
Whether you like fancy stats or not, they are making more of an impact on the NHL with each passing year. Given the amount of money these teams spend on player personnel, a relatively small investment in analytics can pay HUGE dividends.

The Anaheim Ducks should trade Corey Perry and/or Ryan Getzlaf | Backhand Shelf
Ah, recall these kinds of debates we had last season?

Hitting, Shot Differentials and Variance | NHLNumbers.com
What with the Northwest Division teams arming up with sluggers?

WCHA includes Alabama-Huntsville in 2013-2014 conference schedule - Western College Hockey Blog
Next season marks the beginning of a new era for Alabama-Huntsville hockey.

What’s behind St. Louis Blues’ humbling slump? | Puck Daddy
Injuries, in part.

NHL: Midseason picks for awards - ESPN
The Preds may be without representation at this year's NHL Awards the way things are going.

Stanley Cup of women’s hockey finds a home at Hockey Hall of Fame - The Globe and Mail
I don't even want to hear what's happened to the Clarkson Cup over the years...

At what point does someone lose all credibility? | Backhand Shelf
How much stock should we put in media figures whose primary purpose is merely to provoke reaction?

Loser Points: NHL Needs to Focus on Winning | The Hockey Writers
Here's a topic I never tire of. The NHL's point system is an abomination.

Checking in on Your (Old) Favorite NHL Player - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
Life hasn't exactly been a bowl of Skittles for Anders Lindback with Tampa Bay.

So, Edmonton Oilers fans, do you miss Shawn Horcoff yet? | Edmonton Journal
Bruce McCurdy recounts the ways in which the Oilers miss their captain.

The Final Buzzer Sounds For Stompin' Tom Connors | The Hockey Writers
A fine look back at the life & career of the man behind "The Hockey Song".

Dividing the NHL’s star forwards by style: Lurkers, Bombers, Long-Bodies and more | Backhand Shelf
How would you categorize the leading Preds?

Sports Radio Interviews " Blog Archive " Joel Quenneville is Superstitious When it Comes to Discussing the Blackhawks’ Streak
I'd be surprised if they're not sacrificing a chicken before every game at this point.

Meet SND’s 2012 World’s Best news sites and apps: SB Nation, Lenta.ru and the Guardian and Observer iPad app – The Society for News Design – SND
A tremendous honor here for the SB Nation design crew, which does incredible work.

Edmonton Oilers @ Nashville Predators Preview: A Study in Contrast

The Stats

	Edmonton Oilers		Nashville Predators
Record	8-10-5	25th	9-9-5	20th
GF/Game	2.26	26th	1.96	30th
GA/Game	2.74	15th	2.39	6th
5-on-5 SF/60	28.0	20th	22.7	30th
5-on-5 SA/60	32.8	30th	26.2	6th
Fenwick Close	45.09	26th	45.65	25th
5-on-5 Save %	.923	10th	.925	6th
5-on-4 GF/60	7.4	8th	4.6	25th
# of PP's/Gm	4.17	3rd	3.17	26th
4-on-5 GA/60	5.1	11th	8.0	29th
# of PK's/Gm	4.22	28th	3.43	9th

Tonight's tilt brings us an interesting contrast of styles - the Predators play a sluggish, low-scoring & low-shot type of game, while the Oilers are decidedly more up-tempo (although neither have been particularly successful). The real danger here for Nashville lies on special teams. The Oilers draw (and take) a lot of penalties, and their high-skill power play could spell trouble for the Preds' foundering penalty kill.

Do you plan on going to tonight's game, or watching it on TV? RSVP here and you could win $200 in free tickets from our partners at TiqIQ!

Edmonton Oilers

After flirting with the idea of a return to the playoffs, Edmonton fans are resigning themselves to another season in the wilderness as a recent 2-5-2 stretch leaves them sitting in 13th in the West. That includes a 3-0 shutout loss at Detroit last night which left a bitter taste over at Copper & Blue:

I officially lost my patience with this season following the loss to the Minnesota Wild this past Sunday, but if you had held out hope until tonight, hopefully this "effort" was the equivalent of Steve Tambellini and Ralph Krueger telling you there is no such thing as Santa Claus...because they killed him.

Part of that disappointment may be tied to unrealistic expectations. Much like Predators fans were hoping to see something close to last season's offensive performance put together by this year's team, one of Edmonton's brightest stars, Jordan Eberle, enjoyed some puck luck in 2011-2012 and is now seen by many as suffering through a goal-scoring slump that's due to turn around any day now.

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Jordan Eberle

#14 / Right Wing / Edmonton Oilers

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Born: May 15, 1990

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	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG		SOG	PCT
2012 - Jordan Eberle	23	6	11	17	-3	4	3	0	1		72	8.3

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Yeah, the Preds could use a few guys going through slumps like this.

Besides Eberle, of course, Edmonton brings a host of other exciting players. Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov are the last three #1 overall NHL draft picks, and old man Ales Hemsky can still dangle with the best of them.

The trick for Edmonton, of course, is supporting their talented stable of young forwards with a competent blueline, and that's been a real challenge. College free agent Justin Schultz is their best hope there, but the D is a long ways from where it needs to be.

They didn't have a problem adding unskilled toughness, however, bringing in Mike Brown from Toronto via trade. Will Brown help the Oilers win hockey games? There's no chance of that, writes Derek Zona, but at least the crowd will have something to cheer for as Edmonton heads towards earning another lottery pick.

I mentioned on Twitter that I was struggling to find comparables for Mike Brown because his on-ice performance was so bad for so long that he's basically in a class by himself. 'Sphere regular woodguy tossed out Ben Eager as a suggestion, and was shocked (though he wasn't alone) when I mentioned that Brown was worse. Much worse, in fact.

Nashville Predators

David Poile's Waiver Wire Wonders hit the ice for the first time tonight, and it will be interesting to see the roles that Zach Boychuk and Bobby Butler step into. Is there enough offensive talent now to put three reasonably dangerous forward lines out there? With Matt Halischuk shipped off to Milwaukee and Brandon Yip on Injured Reserve, we'll look for less work along the boards and more pucks fired on net tonight. Anything less will be a disappointment.

In addition to Boychuk & Butler, Victor Bartley is set to make his Nashville Predators debut, after a promotion earlier this week. The guessing from practice the other day was that Jonathon Blum may be the odd man out, which would at least give Barry Trotz three left-handed D on that side of the ice, as is usually preferred.

There's more than just idle curiosity about these new faces, though. Thanks to their 2-6-1 record of late, the Predators have fallen to the back of the playoff-contending teams in the West, and another poor week could leave them with an awfully steep hill to climb, and only 20 games left to do it.

So even though we'll keep an eye on how the new guys play, the real focus needs to be on Nashville's veteran leaders:

• Martin Erat - no goals since February 5th.
• Mike Fisher - one goal, no assists in his last six games.
• David Legwand - one goal and one assist over the last 13 games.
• Patric Hornqvist - one goal in eight games since his return from IR.
• Sergei Kostitsyn - one goal, 5 assists in his last 15 games.
• Colin Wilson - one assist in his last 6 games.

Put simply, there is plenty of blame to go around for Nashville's scoring drought, and it isn't up to one guy to solve it. Against the Oilers, the Predators have their chance to get back on track.

NHL Realignment Agreed to by NHLPA: Predators to Lose Red Wings as Division Rival

The NHL proposal which was discussed two weeks ago, which features four divisions, was agreed to by the NHLPA today, as reported by TSN among others:

NHLPA executive director Don Fehr released a statement on Thursday, saying, "After discussions with the Executive Board, the NHLPA has given consent to realignment, to be re-evaluated following the 2014-15 season."

In an NHL memo obtained by TSN last week, the league proposed an Eastern Conference with 16 teams and a Western Conference with 14 teams.

A vote from the NHL Board of Governors is expected within the week to make the plan official.

...

The top three teams in each division would make the playoffs, along with the four wild-card teams - the best two non-division winners in each conference.

The new layout is as follows:

West 1	East 1
Chicago Blackhawks	Carolina Hurricanes
Colorado Avalanche	Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars	New Jersey Devils
Minnesota Wild	New York Islanders
Nashville Predators	New York Rangers
St. Louis Blues'	Philadelphia Flyers
Winnipeg Jets	Pittsburgh Penguins
	Washington Capitals
West 2	East 2
Anaheim Ducks	Boston Bruins
Calgary Flames	Buffalo Sabres
Edmonton Oilers	Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings	Florida Panthers
Phoenix Coyotes	Montreal Canadiens
San Jose Sharks	Ottawa Senators
Vancouver Canucks	Tampa Bay Lightning
	Toronto Maple Leafs

As I wrote a couple weeks ago, I love this format. Sure, the Predators lose Detroit as a familiar rival, but Dallas, Colorado, St. Louis and even Minnesota all have the makings of great rivalries in years to come (not to mention Chicago already). In particular, the playoff format should help develop those rivalries, especially once the NHL expands to 32 teams and it can ditch the wild-card stuff.

As for the playoffs, here's a bit more on that from ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun from when this format first became news:

The playoff format as detailed in the league memo Tuesday calls for the top three teams in each division to earn postseason berths. The remaining four spots would go to wild cards, the top two records in each conference. That means there's a possibility five teams make it from one division and only three from another.

So what's your take on all this? Take this opportunity to take the new SB Nation commenting features for a spin, the new "spoilers" tool looks very interesting...

Matt Halischuk Sent to Milwaukee for Conditioning Stint

Just as Brian McGrattan was a couple weeks before being traded to Calgary, Matt Halischuk is being sent to the Milwaukee Admirals to get some game action. He's been in and out of the lineup of late, most recently seeing 8:53 of ice time in Monday night's game at Los Angeles.

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Matt Halischuk

#24 / Right Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Born: Jun 01, 1988

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	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG		SOG	PCT
2012 - Matt Halischuk	16	0	1	1	-4	6	0	0	0		13	0.0

I'll confess to not being the biggest Halischuk fan, but his tale is a perfect example of the perils of PDO. His advanced stats have always been underwhelming, but they had actually improved this season. God-awful puck luck, however, has cast him in a horrid light. The team is scoring on just 1.61% of shots in 5-on-5 when he's out there, 2nd-worst in the NHL among players with 10 GP and 10 minutes per game.

And no, you really can't convince me that Halischuk is responsible for that low shooting percentage.

When the hockey gods smiled upon him, the underlying warts in Halischuk's game were easy to overlook. Now that the fates have turned, he's the odd man out.

This just arrived from the Predators:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has assigned forward Matt Halischuk to Milwaukee (AHL) on a conditioning assignment. Halischuk remains on Nashville's active roster during the conditioning stint.

Halischuk, 24 (6/1/88), has one assist and six penalty minutes in 16 games for the Predators this season. He last appeared with the Admirals during the 2010-11 season when he amassed 23 points (11g-12a) in 37 games.

TiqIQ RSVP: Win Free Tickets by Telling Your Friends You're Watching or Attending a Preds Game!

Share your plans on attending or watching any Preds game, and you'll be eligible to win $200 in tickets from our partners at TiqIQ. One winner will be chosen each month!

TiqIQ's new RSVP feature allows fans to tell their friends (via Facebook) that they are going, might be going, or even just watching a game on TV. So if you are headed down to Bridgestone Arena to check out the Preds, let us know. If you are hitting your favorite sports bar or holding down your couch to watch the game, let us know and you'll be eligible to win.

For the rest of the season, I'll make sure to send a tweet (@Forechecker) during the day before a home game, or shortly after the start of a road game, with the RSVP link to remind you.

Take a look for yourself and RSVP right here, starting with tonight's game against Edmonton!

Nashville Predators 1st Half Report Cards: The Centers

For details on the advanced stats appearing in the boxes below, consult yesterday's post on the defense & goaltending.

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Mike Fisher

#12 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 208

Born: Jun 05, 1980

1st Quarter Grade: B

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Mike Fisher	23	4	4	8	16	+6.85	+1.47	+1.66

Fisher is still struggling at the offensive end of the ice, and as the team's top center, that has become a tremendous problem. He's still working hard in the defensive zone (he stands 2nd among all forwards in Blocked Shots), but much more is needed from the veteran.

Grade: B-

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Paul Gaustad

#28 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 212

Born: Feb 03, 1982

1st Quarter Grade: A

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Paul Gaustad	16	1	2	3	14	+7.31	-0.45	-1.22

When it comes to taking lots of defensive-zone faceoffs and keeping trouble out of the way, Gaustad is getting the job done. He has pulled into 1st in the league among regular faceoff-takers, and has fared better than his mates on the penalty kill, although that area has slid backwards considerably over the last couple weeks.

Grade: B+

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David Legwand

#11 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-2

Weight: 204

Born: Aug 17, 1980

1st Quarter Grade: D+

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
David Legwand	23	3	4	7	8	-3.88	+1.06	+2.45

*sigh* I'd like to look for positives, but there just haven't been many. His offensive production has been meager (at this pace, he'd put up 25 points in a regular 82-game season) and the defense hasn't been there either. We've seen similar disappearing acts in years past for weeks at a time, but in a 48-game season, the Preds can't afford for Legwand to underperform for much longer.

Grade: D

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Nick Spaling

#13 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 198

Born: Sep 19, 1988

1st Quarter Grade: B

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Nick Spaling	23	3	2	5	10	-5.35	-0.47	-1.05

Spaling is having trouble standing out from the crowd on a team loaded with forwards known more for their work effort than their skill. His possession numbers are the worst among the Preds' centers, and he takes only a handful of faceoffs any more, but does remain a key component of the penalty kill.

Grade: C

Stompin' Tom Connors of "The Hockey Song" Fame Passes at 77

"The Hockey Song" will always hold a special place in my heart, not so much as a hockey fan, but rather as a parent.

My journey as a Nashville Predators season ticket holder began at the Save the Team rally in 2007, when the idea struck me to get a 12-game package with two seats, and rotate each of my kids through from night to night (occasionally getting a sitter and bringing Mrs. Forechecker along for a date night). When you've got three children of roughly the same age, most of your time as a parent is spent playing zone defense, so opportunities to get some one-on-one time are extra special.

Anyway, in that 2007-2008 season, at one of the first games I took my oldest son to, the Preds played "The Hockey Song" during intermission, and my then-5-year-old had a grand old time singing along with the crowd. I don't remember who the opponent was that night, or whether the Predators won, but it was a fun night and we hopped in the car for the 30 minute drive home.

My son was long asleep by the time I pulled into the driveway, so I had to scoop him out of his car seat and carry him into the house. That's a delicate piece of work, keeping super-quiet and trying to lift your child as gently as possible so as not to wake him, but by that time I was a pro at such things.

To my surprise, despite my best efforts, as soon as I lifted him into my arms, he started singing in his sleep:

"...the good old hockey game... it's the best game you can name..."

Freaking magic moment, that was.

Earlier today, Stompin' Tom Connors passed away at the age of 77, a celebrated icon of Canadian culture whose influence goes far beyond the signature song heard at rinks around North America.

Here's to hoping we hear this at Friday's Nashville Predators-Edmonton Oilers game, and many more to come (perhaps a live version from the band stage?)...

Nashville Predators 1st Half Report Cards: Defense & Goaltenders

The actual halfway point of the 2013 Nashville Predators' season doesn't come until Friday night's game against Edmonton, but with a few days off until then, and no time between that and Saturday's game against Minnesota, we'll go ahead and hand out 1st Half report cards, beginning with the defensemen and goalies. Despite the team's overall slide down through the standings, this group as a whole is faring better than the rest.

Our stats box for each player features three advanced stats, harvested in part from Behind the Net:

• ARC (Adjusted Relative Corsi) is meant to reflect the flow of play in 5-on-5. It reflects the Relative Corsi value from BTN for each player (how Total Shots For & Against per 60 Minutes balance during his ice time as compared to when he's on the bench), including an adjustment for whether that player starts more of his shifts at either end of the ice. For example, a player who is used primarily in defensive-zone settings will naturally have poor raw Corsi numbers, so we compensate for that by making an adjustment of 0.4 Corsi events per extra zone start in either direction.
• COMP reflects the Quality of Competition that player is facing, using their Relative Corsi values. The higher the number, the tougher the opponents that player is skating against.
• TEAM shows a similar value for the Quality of Teammates that a player is skating with. Is he in there with the top line, or the scrubs?

Defense

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Jonathon Blum

#7 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 190

Born: Jan 30, 1989

1st Quarter Grade: B-

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Jonathon Blum	15	1	4	5	2	+1.14	-1.07	+1.11

Blum has managed to muscle his way past Scott Hannan onto the second pairing alongside Kevin Klein of late, and is getting steady second-unit work on the power play. This season has been characterized as make-or-break for Blum as an NHL-caliber defenseman, and so far, he's making it.

Grade: B

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Ryan Ellis

#4 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 5-10

Weight: 179

Born: Jan 03, 1991

1st Quarter Grade: B

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Ryan Ellis	23	2	4	6	6	+12.18	-1.01	-0.44

Is he being sheltered by playing 3rd pair at even strength, and relatively fewer shifts starting in the defensive zone compared to his teammates? Certainly, but there's no shame in that for a guy in his first full NHL season. Ellis is, to use a football analogy, moving the chains for Nashville more consistently than any other blueliner, and shows great promise on the power play. The coaching staff also has great confidence playing him in key 4-on-4 situations, such as when he set up Colin Wilson's overtime winner against San Jose back on February 12.

Grade: B+

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Hal Gill

#75 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-7

Weight: 244

Born: Apr 06, 1975

1st Quarter Grade: B+

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Hal Gill	15	0	0	0	8	+4.90	-0.76	+1.01

Since our 1st quarter assessment, Gill only played in 3 more games before a lower-body injury knocked him out of the lineup. Notably, the penalty kill has turned into a complete disaster over the last several games. In 4-on-5 play, Gill"> among Nashville's core PK group.

Gill">

Gill">Grade: B+

Gill">

Gill">

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Gill">

Gill">Scott Hannan

#22 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-2

Weight: 220

Born: Jan 23, 1979

1st Quarter Grade: B

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Scott Hannan	23	0	1	1	20	-2.47	+0.64	+0.80

Hannan has seen work on every level at even strength already this season, from the top to the third pair, and has struggled a bit of late. Things aren't as bad as they might seem at first glance, however, as Hannan's 960 PDO speaks to some poor puck luck in 5-on-5. The penalty kill, however? Yuck... and that's something he was brought in to bolster.

Grade: C+

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Roman Josi

#59 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-2

Weight: 198

Born: Jun 01, 1990

1st Quarter Grade: B+

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Roman Josi	23	3	4	7	4	+0.60	+1.05	-0.08

Josi's puck-possession numbers have moderated in a bad way since the first quarter, but his offensive game burst out in a big way in the 5-4 comeback win over Dallas, in which he recorded two goals and two assists. He is back working the top pair along with Shea Weber, and seems comfortable there on a night-to-night basis (although we hope he learned a thing or two about protecting the puck after Jeff Carter picked his pocket the other night in L.A.).

Grade: B+

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Kevin Klein

#8 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Dec 13, 1984

1st Quarter Grade: A

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Kevin Klein	23	1	5	6	2	+3.91	+0.03	+0.01

Like Josi, Klein's puck possession numbers have trended downward in the second quarter, but they're still better than most of his teammates. Klein has also continued to do well on the penalty kill, where he coughs up goals at less than half the rate of Weber & Josi.

Grade: A-

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Shea Weber

#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-4

Weight: 232

Born: Aug 14, 1985

1st Quarter Grade: B

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Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	ARC	Comp	Team
Shea Weber	23	3	6	9	13	-4.37	+1.73	+0.64

8 points in his last 11 games has quieted some of the criticism, but there's a legitimate concern that Weber has indeed been missing his longtime partner Ryan Suter. His Corsi numbers are the worst in many years (I'll have more on that tomorrow), and he's been right in the middle of the PK meltdown, too. Out of 149 defensemen around the NHL with at least 10 games played and 1 minute of 4-on-5 ice time per game, Weber has yielded goals at the 7th-fastest rate.

Grade: B-

Goaltenders

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Chris Mason

#30 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 195

Born: Apr 20, 1976

1st Quarter Grade: A

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GP	W	L	OTL	SV%	GAA	SO
5	1	1	1	.900	2.89	0

In the second quarter, Mason laid an egg in his only start (at Colorado on Presidents Day, remember that one?) and came into two other games relieving Pekka Rinne. Hopefully that stinker in Denver is well in the rear-view mirror.

Grade: B

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Pekka Rinne

#35 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 209

Born: Nov 03, 1982

1st Quarter Grade: A

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GP	W	L	OTL	SV%	GAA	SO
21	8	8	4	.914	2.25	3

The second quarter started on a high note, with back-to-back shutouts over the Sharks & Coyotes, but the last nine games have been awful, featuring an .875 save percentage since February 16. Some of that responsibility can be passed along to a bunch of skaters which gives him little offensive support to work with, but when Rinne plays like a mere mortal, this team takes on a whole different appearance.

Grade: B

Thursday's Dump & Chase: Line Juggler's Delight

Nashville Predators News

Nashville Predators set to juggle lineup | The Tennessean
Expect Bobby Butler, Zach Boychuk and Victor Bartley to all make their Predators debut on Friday.

New players entering the Predators lineup means others will sit - Nashville Predators Examiner
It looks like Spaling, Halischuk & Blum could be on the outs. Are those the guys who should be on the receiving end of any "message"?

Smashville 24/7 - Boychuk determined to stick in NHL
Will pickups like this lead to a "leadership by example" situation, as guys who are fighting for their NHL careers are motivated to do whatever it takes to stay?

Smashville 24/7 - Conversation with Craig Button
Check out how the former Calgary GM views the Preds.

Our first radio segment features David Poile, appearing on Winnipeg's NHL Mid-Week with Illegal Curve:

Next, the folks at 102.5 The Game have posted last night's Player Show in podcast form, featuring Kevin Klein and Roman Josi. Enjoy it in four bite-size morsels:

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Marc Staal Injury: Marc Staal Expected To Make Full Recovery; Out Indefinitely - Blueshirt Banter
This is one lucky guy. I wonder if he'll wear a visor in the future?

Chris Pronger injury: Flyers defenseman says he's lost his 'sixth sense' - Broad Street Hockey
It's a pity to see how quickly Pronger's career ground to a halt. Marc Staal (and the rest of you NHL players), pay attention.

Chicago Blackhawks’ 5 unsung heroes of their NHL record points streak | Puck Daddy
When you're on a run like this, even the stick boy looks like a champ.

Rumblings: Where Iginla, Alfredsson could land - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN
Don't bet on Nashville for any of these.

Down Goes Brown: The NHL's official application form for submitting an offer sheet
Somebody frame this and present it to Jay Feaster.

Record NHL ratings continue to pile up for NBC - Awful Announcing
So far so good...

Streaker jumps onto ice during Calgary Flames game, briefly (VIDEO) | Puck Daddy
What a maroon... what a ta-ra-ra-boom-dee-yay.

Top 10 NHL power forwards of all time - NHL - Allan Muir - SI.com
I'd put Brendan Shanahan much higher on this list.

Examining the five penalties with no signal, according to the NHL rulebook | Puck Daddy
Well, here's something new & different...

The Quiet Room: Stingers Suck (just ask Brad Richards) | Backhand Shelf
What happens when you go face-first into the boards? Jo knows.

STEPHEN WEISS: Wrist Surgery Only Option ... Realizes Sunday May Have Been Last Game with #FlaPanthers, Welcomes Return | On Frozen Pond
Check back on Weiss as he is expected to hit the free agency market this summer.

Lastly, the fight of the night last night led to as clear a knockout as you'll ever see, and yes, Dave Dziurzynski of the Senators is reported to have suffered a concussion:

Nashville Predators Claim Zach Boychuck Off Waivers, Brandon Yip to Injured Reserve

After having picked up Bobby Butler yesterday from Carolina, today the Predators have claimed winger Zach Boychuk, who was put on waivers by Pittsburgh yesterday. Boychuk has already passed through this situation previously this season, as the Penguins grabbed him from Carolina back on January 31st.

Along with Brandon Yip being placed on Injured Reserve, this leaves Nashville with 22 players on the Active Roster, and two on IR (Yip & Hal Gill).

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Zach Boychuk

#17 / Left Wing / Pittsburgh Penguins

Height: 5-10

Weight: 185

Born: Oct 04, 1989

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	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG		SOG	PCT
2012 - Zach Boychuk	8	0	0	0	-2	2	0	0	0		6	0.0

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This morning, I linked to our comrades in New York, who wondered if the Rangers might snap him up:

Boychuk did lead the AHL in scoring a couple of years ago, but has only posted 18 points in 80 career NHL games. He's a bigger body, can protect the puck and has good vision, but those skills (to this point) have never translated to the upper level.

Is the risk worth the reward? In my mind, yes, simply because there's nothing but monetary risk in claiming Boychuk. If he doesn't work out in New York the Rangers can expose him to waivers and allow another NHL team to give him another shot.

What are your thoughts, Predators fans? Is this a kid with some untapped potential, or is Poile digging furiously in the NHL's bargain bin hoping to get lucky?

Here's the team's press release:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club claimed forward Zach Boychuk on waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins and placed forward Brandon Yip on injured reserve. Boychuk is on a two-way contract worth $625,000 and the NHL level and $105,000 at the AHL level in 2012-13.

Boychuk, 23 (10/4/89), has been held scoreless in eight NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes in 2012-13. In 80 career NHL contests since 2008-09, the Airdrie, Alta., native has 18 points (7g-11a) in 80 career contests with Pittsburgh and Carolina. Boychuk started the 2012-13 season with Carolina's primary developmental affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, amassing 32 points (16g-16a) in 37 games.

Drafted by the Hurricanes in the first round (14th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Boychuk was a member of back-to-back Canadian World Junior Championship-winning teams in 2008 and 2009. He was teammates with current Predator forward Matt Halischuk on the 2008 team, and Preds defenseman Ryan Ellis on the 2009 team.

Wednesday's Dump & Chase: What To Do About David Legwand?

Nashville Predators News

David Legwand's legacy with Nashville Predators still to be determined | The Tennessean
Josh Cooper pens an honest assessment of Leggy's long run with the Predators, which includes more than a hint of criticism regarding potential which has gone unfulfilled. When Barry Trotz says that Legwand can be "as good as he wants to be"... wow. Talk about damning with faint praise.

Nashville Predators Veterans Need To Be Sent a Message - Nashville Sports Hub
Robby points the finger squarely at four key veterans who aren't getting the job done, Legwand included.

Six Reasons The Nashville Predators Should Trade David Legwand | Predlines
Should Leggy get the ziggy?

Boclair: When Suter returns Preds should do the right thing | Nashville City Paper
Should the Predators pay tribute to Ryan Suter on Saturday, as they did Steve Sullivan & Jordin Tootoo. Of course they should.

And heeeere they are! | Admirals Roundtable
Pekka Rinne makes the list of Top 10 All-Time Admirals.

In this video for the Tennessean, the Preds' strength & conditioning coach David Good shows what the guys are up to this season:

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Marc Staal Injury: Gif Of The Puck Staal Took To The Face [Graphic Gif Warning] - Blueshirt Banter
A terrifying play from last night, and another reason why visors should become mandatory.

Shots are getting so hard some NHLers are upping their paw protection | Backhand Shelf
A pretty nifty enhancement...

Off Wing | mc79hockey.com
Tyler points out an obvious case where a finer level of detail in NHL data could yield practical insights.

The Baddest Man In The Whole Damn Town | mc79hockey.com
Please, whatever you do, don't pay attention to the Hits stat. Utter garbage.

Only Way Out - The Spin
Might Columbus launch their rebuild with multiple high draft picks this summer?

Pittsburgh Penguins targeting Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson? | Puck Daddy

Working out a deal to move Johnson could really get the Blue Jackets moving in the right direction.

30 Thoughts: Ryan O'Reilly pursuit still a hot topic | Hockey | CBC Sports
Elliotte Friedman attempts to put a bow on the latest RFA offer sheet caper.

How long does the end of a college hoops game take? | SportsonEarth.com : Mike Tanier Article
Here's something I love about hockey, and hate about basketball - the way stoppages and time outs make the end of a hoops game drag on interminably. Seriously, basketball teams should get one timeout per half, tops.

Derek Roy, the Dallas Stars & the Role of the Number Two Center - Defending Big D
Dallas may get on a roll, as Roy has been battling through nagging injuries early on.

Great Debacles in NHL History - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
Even the Predators got an honorable mention here...

Flames bruiser helping alcoholics in NHL - Calgary Sun
Brian McGrattan has really taken his message of recovery to the next level, and plans on gaining a college degree in addiction counseling.

Pure Hockey Launches 20% Site-Wide Sale - Hockey Gear HQ
This is a pretty sweet deal, because it includes goaltending equipment, which rarely sees such discounts (so pass this along to your friendly neighborhood netminder).

Victor Bartley Recalled from Milwaukee

Another interesting roster development comes this morning with the recall of Vic Bartley (@VicBartley8 on Twitter) from Milwaukee. This brings Nashville to 23 men on the Active Roster, along with Hal Gill & Brandon Yip who are on Injured Reserve.

What makes this move different from the waiver claims of recent days is that generally, the defense hasn't been a major issue. As a left-handed shot, one wonders if Bartley might threaten the ice time of Scott Hannan or Jonathon Blum (who has played on the left side mostly).

This came from the Predators:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has recalled defenseman Victor Bartley (VIHK-tohr BAHRT-lee) from Milwaukee (AHL).

Bartley, 24 (2/17/88), leads Milwaukee defensemen and is ranked among the AHL's Top 20 defensemen in points with 26 (7g-19a) in 54 games. He attended Predators training camp this season, but was reassigned to the Admirals before appearing in a game. The 6-0, 212-pound native of Maple Ridge, B.C., tied for 10th among American Hockey League defensemen, and second among AHL rookie defensemen in points (39) in his first season with Milwaukee in 2011-12 after signing as a free agent with the organization on May 24, 2011.

The Best (and Worst) Waiver Claims in Nashville Predators History

Fan discussion is all over the board as to whether this week's acquisition of Bobby Butler and Zach Boychuk will help the Nashville Predators reverse their slide down through the Western Conference standings.

Will these two provide an offensive boost up front? Will they light a fire under already-established players, and motivate them to produce in order to keep their jobs?

With the assistance of Pro Sports Transactions and Hockey-Reference.com, I thought I'd piece together a list of the players Nashville has scooped off the waiver wire over the years, and examine how they performed as Predators...

Date	Acquired	Prior Team	Note
10/05/1998	Zdeno Ciger	Oilers	Never played for the Preds.
03/12/1999	Dan Keczmer	Stars	Played 40 games over 2 seasons, traded to STL for Rory Fitzpatrick.
11/10/1999	Bill Houlder	Lightning	Played 302 games over 4 seasons, staunch stay-at-home D.
01/20/2000	Niklas Andersson	Islanders	Played 7 games for Nashville, then waived & claimed by Islanders.
05/23/2000	Mike Watt	Islanders	Played 18 games then traded to Flyers for Mikhail Chernov.
05/23/2000	Sean Haggerty	Islanders	3 games as a Pred, rest of 2000-1 season in Milwaukee.
01/02/2001	Robert Schnabel	Coyotes	Played 22 games for Nashville over 3 seasons.
06/01/2001	Bill Bowler	Blue Jackets	Never played for the Preds.
06/19/2001	Yves Sarault	Thrashers	Played just 1 game for Nashville.
01/28/2002	Reid Simpson	Canadiens	Played 52 games over 2 seasons, left via free agency.
10/04/2002	Francis Bouillon	Canadiens	Played 4 games for Nashville before being waived & claimed by Montreal. Returned as a free agent in 2009 for 3 full seasons as a Predator.
03/11/2003	Todd Warriner	Flyers	Ended his NHL career playing 6 games for the Preds.
10/03/2003	Chris Mason	Panthers	His 2nd stint with Nashville last 4 seasons, until traded to St. Louis.
10/03/2003	Wade Brookbank	Senators	Played 9 games for Preds before trade to Vancouver.
10/22/2003	Jeremy Stevenson	Wild	88 Nashville games over two seasons before waived & claimed by Dallas.
12/31/2003	Jason Morgan	Flames	Played 6 games as a Pred before waived & claimed by Calgary.
01/30/2004	Jeremy Yablonski	Blues	Never played for the Preds.
01/28/2006	Simon Gamache	Blues	Had previously been waived by Nashville & claimed by St. Louis. Upon being reclaimed by the Preds, didn't play for them again.
11/27/2006	Michael Leighton	Ducks	Played one game as a Predator, then waived & claimed by Philadelphia.
12/29/2010	Marek Svatos	Blues	Preds swiped him after St. Louis tried to bring him back from Europe, but he never fit in lineup and was ultimately waived.
10/11/2011	Brian McGrattan	Ducks	Popular fighter signed for current season, then was traded to Calgary.
01/18/2012	Brandon Yip	Avalanche	Currently in 2nd season with Nashville, signed contract extension.
01/15/2013	Rich Clune	Kings	Depth banger carving out a niche for himself on the roster.
03/04/2013	Bobby Butler	New Jersey	???
03/05/2013	Zach Boychuk	Pittsburgh	???

Thinking about buying Nashville Predators tickets? We've got you covered...

The Greatest Waiver Claims in Preds History...

Out of 22 players listed above (prior to Butler & Boychuk), I see just two who stepped into a major, long-term role here. Bill Houlder was a consummate stay-at-home defenseman who took on the thankless task of manning the blueline of a recent expansion team, while Chris Mason blossomed into a solid NHL backup (including a remarkable run in 2007 when Tomas Vokoun was sidelined, finishing 2nd in the league in save percentage that year).

In my book, that makes Mason the Greatest Waiver Wire Claim in Nashville Predators history.

Following Mason & Houlder you have a handful of guys who held on to minor roles such as Brian McGrattan, Jeremy Stevenson and Reid Simpson. The book on Brandon Yip is still being written, as he claims 12 points in 44 games on the Predators' wing.

...and the worst

As for the worst? Well, take your pick of the guys who never ended up playing for the Preds, but don't be too hard on them. The whole idea of waiver claims is that it's a low-risk way of trying out the fit between a player and team, which is especially important for a player who would otherwise be consigned to the minors.

So if Bobby Butler and/or Zach Boychuk fail to pan out as Predators, don't sweat it. You shouldn't have very high expectations for their performance coming in.

What It All Means

These lowered expectations don't have to lead us to the conclusion that the Butler & Boychuk claims are bad moves. While minor, these transactions are basically zero-cost in terms of hockey assets, so even a small step in the right direction does represent some progress (although much more is needed, certainly).

Do these pickups represent a roadblock to the development of prospects in Milwaukee that might benefit from an NHL call-up, however? Personally, I don't think so.

Given the way this team is getting out-gunned on a regular basis, I don't know that this is the right environment into which a rookie should step right now. It might be better to wait a few months and allow players like Taylor Beck, Michael Latta or Austin Watson to earn a job in training camp and have the benefit of working alongside teammates for a few weeks prior to the 2013-2014 regular season, rather than throw them into the mix right now and expect them to make a difference.

Nobody is patting David Poile on the back and saying the work is done here. But what do you think about what these recent claims might mean for the Preds?