Tuesday's Dump & Chase: Preds Get to Work

Nashville Predators News

Predators fought successful battle with the bulge during lockout - Nashville Predators Examiner
Me? Not so much.

Boclair: On the NHL, the SEC and the nature of fandom | Nashville City Paper
David Boclair expects packed houses at Bridgestone Arena. After all, it's about community.

Predators already changing plans for training camp | Nashville City Paper
There will also be some "on the fly" adjustments required, since they don't have as much time to evaluate where guys stand.

Nashville Predators start line juggling act | The Tennessean
The varying levels of preparation (who played competitively, who didn't) could have an impact on line decisions, at least during the first few games.

Nashville Predators' coaches join practice | The Tennessean
Finally, Trotz & Co. were able to get out on the ice with the players rather than just watch from the side of the rink.

Chris Mueller Hopes "Mueller Time" Has Arrived | PuckScene.com
Especially with Gabriel Bourque out due to injury, Mueller has a chance to hang around on the roster for a while.

What Victor Bartley Brings To Nashville Predators Training Camp - Predlines
I don't know that he's much of a threat to play for the Preds very much, he was called up this week so that they'd have 8 D to run drills with.

PuckCast Episode 16: Mark Dekanich | PuckScene.com
Patten chats up the former Milwaukee goalie.

TSN: 50 Top NHL Players Include Weber, Rinne - Predlines

This list is always a conversation-starter.

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Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Wings' Henrik Zetterberg ready to fill big skates - Yahoo! Sports
From one Swede to another, Detroit is about to name a new captain.

Shootout Tip | Admirals Roundtable
Here's a jaw-dropper from the KHL.

Afternoon Dump & Chase: NHL CBA Implications Still Uncertain

Nashville Predators News

Smashville 24/7 - Abbreviated training camp under way
Ryan has a look at the line combos and d-pairings rolled out this morning.

Paul McCann - Schedule Analysis - Preds and Pins Tonight!
Paul picks a few games of note, and reminds folks of the charity bowling event taking place tonight.

NHL Power Rankings: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly - Predlines
You're sure to find something to elevate your blood pressure in here.

Smashville 24/7 - Season Preview Podcast
Tune in, turn on, drop the puck.

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Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

30 Thoughts: Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf take priority on Ducks | Hockey | CBC Sports
Perhaps the most interesting new CBA wrinkle discussed here has to do with the fight against sleeping pills.

Ridiculously overpaid players are the new market inefficiency | Backhand Shelf
Will Scott Gomez and Wade Redden eventually find new homes in the NHL under this CBA?

Grange on NHL: Did CBA cost Campoli a job? - sportsnet.ca
If Chris Campoli's activism during the CBA negotiations is hurting his chances of landing on a roster, I wonder if it might ultimately help him down the road if he wanted to become a player agent.

KHL prez shouldn't be rushing to judgment - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN
Will Alexander Medvedev's smack talk impact the NHL's thinking on sending players to the Olympics?

Center Ice to be $50 or $60 in 2013 - Pension Plan Puppets
Meh, I cancelled my account when the lockout first began, and I'm not renewing.

Damien Brunner Ready to Excel in Detroit - The Hockey Writers
Does Detroit have another Euro-wonder in the making?

Mark Fistric Traded To Edmonton Oilers For 2013 Third-Round Pick - Defending Big D
You'll remember Fistric as the guy who gave Shea Weber a concussion last season.

Lubomir Visnovsky will miss Islanders training camp, per report - Lighthouse Hockey
Not good news for New York Islanders fans.

Dean Lombardi and Darryl Sutter to Receive Long-Term Contract Extensions - Jewels From The Crown
The GM and head coach of the Stanley Cup champs punch their ticket.

Media no longer allowed to ask Flames about Iginla’s contract status - Calgary Herald
The Flames can ignore the speculation about Jarome Iginla, who is in the final year of his deal and would make an ideal trade deadline pickup for a Cup contender, but it will rage nonetheless.

Lost in the Lockout: the Flames turn 40 | The Hockey Writers
To celebrate this milestone, Calgary players will add a spare tire, and have their heads shaved in varying styles of male pattern baldness.

Kevin Klein Season Preview: The Modern Stay-At-Home Defenseman

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Kevin Klein

#8 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Dec 13, 1984

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	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	PIM	Shots	Avg TOI
2011-12	66	4	17	21	-8	4	91	19:56
Career	309	12.00	53	65	-15	80	314	18:22

Last Season

While Klein's offensive numbers and Corsi results don't jump out at you, there is one area in which he excels: playing tough defensive minutes without taking penalties. Out of 197 NHL defensemen who played 40 games last year and averaged at least 10 minutes per game, Klein was the only one in the league who didn't take a penatly during 5-on-5 play. In fact, the only 4 penalty minutes he took all season came in an altercation with Anaheim's Francois Beauchemin, in which Klein stood up for Mike Fisher after Fish took a nasty hit from the Ducks defenseman. Both Klein & Beauchemin received four minutes in penalties, leaving the teams at even strength.

Thus Klein was able to hold down the fort the entire regular season without taking a penalty that left his teammates down a man. That's pretty freaking remarkable, and that accomplishment alone was worth about one point in the standings for Nashville (an average D-man as cited above took 11.3 penalties in 5-on-5, which translates to between 2-3 goals).

Klein wasn't totally left out of the spotlight, though, as he scored two goals against Detroit in the playoffs, including this beauty:

The Outlook

While there was good reason to be concerned that players might get fat & out of shape during the extended lockout, Klein put a new spin on the phrase "pounding a Danish" while playing in Denmark for the Herlev Eages. As told by the Tennessean's Josh Cooper:

...in a Dec. 4 game for Herlev, he was hit from behind a few feet from the boards. The check sent Klein into a bit of a rage and he was assessed 27 penalty minutes - for roughing, slashing and a game misconduct.

"It was a little bit of a dangerous play, so I kind of took exception to that," Klein said with a chuckle.

After she saw her brother was OK, [Kevin's sister] Laura found it slightly comical that the normally even-keeled Klein got angry so quickly.

"He actually got in a fight, which was pretty funny because you're not supposed to fight (in the Danish league)," she said. "He's not a fighter (but) people were scared of him."

There's every reason to believe that Klein is in fighting trim and ready to go, and he's likely to hold a similar shutdown role in the season ahead. Shea Weber & Ryan Ellis will get the offensive opportunities, so it's up to Klein to soak up PK minutes and defensive zone starts to free up his more celebrated teammates.

The Question

As a 28-year-old blueliner entering his 5th full-time NHL season, is there any upside left to Klein's game?

Patric Hornqvist Season Preview: Smashville's Sniper

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Patric Hornqvist

#27 / Right Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 188

Born: Jan 01, 1987

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	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	PIM	Shots	Avg TOI
2011-12	76	27	16	43	+9	28	230	15:20
Career	263	80	69	149	+35	131	824	15:08

Last Season

Horn Dog enjoyed another productive season, leading the team in shots and goals, but once again his production dried up in the playoffs. In the regular season, Hornqvist scores about 0.3 goals per game, but in 24 playoff contests, that rate has dwindled to 0.125. There's hope to be found in the realization that he's getting his shots (3.3 per game in the playoffs vs. 3.1 per game in the regular season), but if doesn't break through with a standout playoff performance soon, he could get a reputation for coming up short at crunch time.

The Outlook

Hornqvist still enjoys a unique role within the Preds' attack, being the front-of-the-net specialist in tips & rebounds. My hope is that he doesn't limit himself to that kind of game, because he does have a decent set of hands, as shown in this goal from last March against Anaheim:

Patric isn't just a crease crasher, he also boasts some of the best possession metrics on the team, even after you take into account the fact that he gets extra faceoffs in the offensive zone. He spent the lockout ping-ponging back and forth between Swiss and Swedish professional leagues, so he should be ready to hit the ground running when the regular season opens.

This will be an important season for Hornqvist, as he'll be eligible for Restricted Free Agency this summer.

The Question

While he has led the team in goal scoring in two of the last three seasons, there are young players rising up through the ranks like Craig Smith and Colin Wilson. Will Hornqvist lead the Preds in goals once again?

Sunday's Dump & Chase: Preds Training Camp Opens

Nashville Predators News

Nashville Predators hurry up to shape up as camp begins | The Tennessean
There's no time to waste, the Preds need to sort out some lines and get ready for game action.

Predators start process of wooing fans back | The Tennessean
Teresa Walker patrolled the arena yesterday to get a sense of the mood.

Nashville Predators' second-year center Craig Smith shows fourth gear | The Tennessean
I hope Smith's in good shape, but he spent most of the lockout back in his college town. I'd be loaded up on pizza & beer by now.

Q&A With Preds Assistant GM Paul Fenton | Admirals Roundtable
Ryan gets input from Fenton on how the Admirals are shaping up, and how close Austin Watson is to the NHL.

Smashville 24/7 - Call-ups have chance to make early mark
Blum still looks like the odd-man out, but Ryan Ellis will certainly play a major role.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

NHL training camp: Scott Gomez to stay home, be bought out in summer | Puck Daddy
There had been speculation about this type of move while teams wait for the window to buy out contracts in a few months. Rather than risk seeing him get injured in the minors (leaving the team on the hook for the rest of his contract), Montreal will have Gomez sit out the season.

Islanders Sign Radek Martinek; Strome, Reinhart Among Call Ups For Training Camp | The Hockey Guys
At least Martinek looks like he wants to play on Long Island.

Johnny Canuck returns from the wilderness to celebrate end of NHL lockout (VIDEO) | Puck Daddy
This will get the maple syrup pumping through your veins...

Who Should Be The Panthers Captain In 2013? | The Hockey Writers
Jerred Smithson or Marcel Goc, right?

Brashear delivers cheap head shot in LNAH game | Backhand Shelf
How very Bertuzzi-like of him.

Watch Henrik Lundqvist rock out to Guns N’ Roses on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’ (VIDEO) | Puck Daddy
That's one way to use that NHL-NBC tie-in...

And lastly, now we know why Ilya Kovalchuk wanted to stay in Russia. As part of the KHL's All-Star skills competition (details on the game are here), he went up against Alexei Morozov in pairs figure skating:

You know, I give these guys a ton of credit - it's hilarious, but they went out there and had fun with it. Two thumbs up here...

Monday's Dump & Chase: SK74/Fisher/Erat Is Still a Thing

Nashville Predators News

Sergei Kostitsyn returns to Nashville in time for camp - Nashville Predators Examiner
It sounds like the SK74-Fisher-Erat line will be together to start the season. It will be interesting to see how Sergei Kostitsyn (who has been playing in the KHL) will mesh with his two elder linemates, who have been working out informally for the last few months.

Preds name Erat alternate captain - Predators Insider
This sounds like a permanent deal, he's not just taking that "A" for a spin.

Predators think season will be as challenging mentally as it is physically - Nashville Predators Examiner
Any time you can work Yogi Berra into a hockey article, that's a good thing.

The Checklist for Ryan Ellis | The Predatorial
I think we all need to be patient with Ellis, who holds great potential.

Barry Trotz had mentioned that he wanted to have 8 D on hand for training camp, so here you go:

Off to Nashville!

— Victor Bartley (@VicBartley8) January 14, 2013

Admirals Lose in Shootout to Rivermen, End Weekend 0-1-1-1 | Admirals Roundtable
Last night, Milwaukee skated without any players with NHL experience, thanks to the moves being made ahead of the season.

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Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Ducks have stars Getzlaf and Perry in their sights - latimes.com
This season it's Anaheim's turn to cope with major stars heading towards free agency.

Chance Will Be a Powerful Contributor to the Playoff Bound - Fear The Fin
Many people hate to read this stuff. In hindsight, the winners will be credited as being more "clutch".

NHL intermissions are now one minute longer - Puck Drunk Love
I wonder if this might help with ice conditions in the 2nd & 3rd periods.

Winners and losers in NBC Sports’ 2013 NHL TV schedule | Puck Daddy
Same story, different day - the Preds will be among the least televised teams by NBC & NBC Sports.

Canes Now - Ellis signs one-year contract with Canes | newsobserver.com blogs
Alexander Semin in practice. #DanEllisProblems

Maple Leafs Sign RFA Cody Franson - Pension Plan Puppets
Will the former Preds D-man find more ice time under Randy Carlyle than he got with Ron Wilson?

Breaking down the Anthony Stewart/Kevin Westgarth trade: What did the Kings just get? - Jewels From The Crown
The Hurricanes and Kings got the trade market rolling with a minor deal.

Martin Erat Season Preview: An "A" For Effort

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Martin Erat

#10 / Left Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 201

Born: Aug 29, 1981

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	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	PIM	Shots	Avg Ice Time
2011-12	71	19	39	58	+12	30	107	18:29
Career	687	159	301	460	+12	400	1257	16:48

Last Season

Marty is the model of consistency, having totaled between 49 and 57 points for seven straight seasons, before blowing the roof off with a 58-point effort in 2011-2012 (I kid, I kid). While he's not the most boisterous, flashiest guy on the ice, his dagger-in-the-heart goal against Columbus on December 22nd (capping off a 6-5 comeback win) showed Erat at his most enthusiastic:

Of course, his mesmerizing puckhandling skills led to a dandy assist in the playoffs, too:

Outlook

As a newly-ordained alternate captain, Erat will be relied upon as a leader for a young group of forwards who are still finding their way in the NHL. As we've seen for the last few years, he'll play a ton against other teams' top lines, skate on the top power play unit, and chip in as a secondary figure on the penalty kill (where he's highly underrated).

At this point in his career (he's only 31, but it seems like he's been around forever) it's not about fulfilling any untapped potential so much as delivering on what he's established himself as - a legitimate top-line winger who can create offensive opportunities while taking care of business on the defensive end.

The Question

In each of the last six seasons he's missed at least 8 games. Can Marty withstand the condensed schedule, and play a full 48-games (or something close to it)?