Shea Weber Season Preview: We Have a Hulk™

---

Shea Weber

#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-4

Weight: 232

Born: Aug 14, 1985

---

	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	PIM	Shots	Avg TOI
2011-12	78	19	30	49	+21	46	230	26:10
Career	480	99	164	163	+44	369	1307	22:46

Last Season

The perfect blend of defensive ability -- thanks to his size, strength, and grit -- and offense ability -- thanks to his Howitzer of a slapper -- Weber posted 49 points in 2011-2012 (19 G, 30 A), good for the second best offensive season of his career. (18 of those 49 points came against Central Division opponents.) Clearly an elite defenseman, many thought Weber got the titanium shaft when the Professional Hockey Writers Association decided all of a sudden that a whole bunch of offense mattered more than defensive ability in last year's Norris Trophy voting, and Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators somehow managed to beat Weber by just 12 points. Called upon by Barry Trotz to play in all situations, Shea played big minutes against the top lines in the league, and routinely frustrated the best of the NHL's best. (As if the world needed any more evidence that he's the best in the world at his position.)

In the playoffs last year, Shea became persona non grata in Hockey Town when #Webering became a thing in the Western Conference Quarterfinal (revisit OtF's coverage of the incident).

But perhaps more interesting than anything Shea did during the regular season or playoffs last year, he helped give Nashville Predators ownership lots of positive press this summer (at least that's how I'm choosing to think about it) when he signed a 14-year, $110 million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers in the offseason, thereby giving the folks at 501 Broadway an opportunity to match, locking up their captain for virtually the rest of his career. We weren't scared at all in Nashville. Nope.

The Outlook

All eyes are on Weber this year, since his long-time Nashville blueline partner Ryan Suter inked a 13-year, $98 million deal with the Minnesota Wild, who also signed Suter's pal and former New Jersey Devils captain Zach Parise to an identical deal. Weber appears confident that Roman Josi is the answer to an absent Suter, and Dirk concluded a year ago that Suter wasn't really any better than Weber (personally, I think there is no Ryan Suter without Shea Weber -- not that I'm still bitter or anything), but how the new first pairing fares in the first two weeks of the season will probably make or break the team's chances of making the playoffs.

The Question

Will the Sicamous Sasquatch be able to lead Nashville out of the fog of questions surrounding the blueline, and will that be good enough to finally win him a Norris Trophy?

Nashville Predators vs St. Louis Blues Preview: Happy Hockey MLK Day

Remember folks, it's a 5:00 p.m. Monday afternoon start for this one, as the Predators host their traditional Martin Luther King Day game. The Preds are 3-4-0 all-time on the holiday, after having beaten the Islanders last year 3-1.

Need tickets to the Blues & Preds on MLK Day? Check out TiqIQ!

The Stats

Since it's too early for the stats to mean much, let's review the numbers from last season:

	St Louis Blues		Nashville Predators
Record	49-22-11	3rd	48-28-6	5th
Goals For/Game	2.51	21st	2.83	8th
Goals Against/Game	1.89	1st	2.50	10th
5-on-5 Shots For/60 Min.	30.2	10th	27.4	24th
5-on-5 Shots Against/60	26.0	1st	30.5	25th
Fenwick Close	55.07	1st	46.08	29th
5-on-5 Save %	.936	1st	.924	7th
5-on-4 GF/60	5.8	17th	7.6	1st
# of PP's/Gm	3.29	15th	3.05	26th
4-on-5 GA/60	4.7	5th	6.1	15th
# of PK's/Gm	3.44	19th	2.98	6th

Even setting aside the career year that Brian Elliott had in the Blues' net, the St. Louis skaters carried the flow of play at a dominating level. The Preds went 4-1-1 against the Blues last season, however, so they certainly shouldn't lack for confidence.

Last Time Out

While the Predators ground out a shootout loss to the Blue Jackets, St. Louis demolished Detroit in their home opener 6-0, turning Blues fans all giddy. Not that I blame them, we'd be giddy too if a rookie stepped into the lineup and scored twice in his first game, including this doozy:

Who to Watch Out For

Besides rookie Vladimir Tarasenko, who is seen above, keep an eye on these Blues:

---

Chris Stewart

#25 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-2

Weight: 228

Born: Oct 30, 1987

---

Stewart scored twice on Saturday and adds depth to a talented group of forwards that includes David Perron, T.J. Oshie, and David Backes.

---

Alex Pietrangelo

#27 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-3

Weight: 206

Born: Jan 18, 1990

---

After finishing 4th in the Norris Trophy voting last season, Pietrangelo is primed to make a run for the prize this year, in just his 3rd full NHL season.

Preds Primer

Due to the early start there won't be a morning skate, so we may have to wait until late afternoon before hearing about any potential lineup changes. With Vic Bartley heading back to Milwaukee, the possilbilities include Richard Clune possibly getting a chance to play instead of McGrattan, or Jonathon Blum getting some work on defense. The lines on Saturday started out as follows:

Sergei Kostitsyn	Mike Fisher	Martin Erat
Craig Smith	David Legwand	Patric Hornqvist
Colin Wilson	Paul Gaustad	Matt Halischuk
Brian McGrattan	Nick Spaling	Brandon Yip

In the third period, however, Smith's ice time was slashed, and Wilson got the chance to play alongside Legwand and Hornqvist. The defense was largely as follows:

Roman Josi	Shea Weber
Scott Hannan	Kevin Klein
Hal Gill	Ryan Ellis

So what do you think, will Barry Trotz shuffle the deck at all?

Monday's Dump & Chase: It's a Matinee Kind of Day

Nashville Predators News

Benching Craig Smith And The Boring Moralism Of Trotz's Doghouse - Nashville Sports Hub
Sam's spitting mad over the 3rd-period demotion of Craig Smith on Saturday night.

David Climer: Nashville Predators feel pressure to win | The Tennessean
Will the longtime presence of the existing coaching staff and many of the players help the Preds in the early going?

Nashville Predators say power play holds early advantage | The Tennessean
Ooh, there's an update on Gabriel Bourque (whose speed would be most welcome on the third line).

Predators ponderings - Predators Insider
Josh Cooper shares three observations from Saturday night's game.

Smashville 24/7 - Defensemen gaining chemistry on the fly
The new defense pairs seem to have had a good Game One.

Ads swept in two at Abbotsford | Admirals Roundtable
To be fair, the Admirals skated without three defensemen who played major roles for them in Blum, Ellis & Bartley.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Phoenix Coyotes vs Chicago Blackhawks Postgame: Banner Night Goes Awry - Five For Howling
At least the fans in the desert got to see that Pacific Division championship banner raised to the rafters before Chicago took a 6-4 decision.

Dallas Stars Downed By Wild, 1-0 - Defending Big D
Zach Parise scored his first goal for Minnesota.

Sharks recover from terrible start to douse Flames in opener - Fear The Fin
San Jose had their opener yesterday, and handled Calgary 4-1.

Oilers Re-write The Script, Come Back To Win In Shootout - The Copper & Blue
Edmonton topped Vancouver, with Ales Hemsky stealing the show.

Despite getting dental work done on Saturday, Stars’ winger Reilly Smith sees action vs. Wild | Dallas Stars Blog
Because he's a hockey player!

Neal, Malkin Continue Hot Start in 6-3 Win Over Rangers - PensBurgh
The Penguins are off and flying.

Stafford, Ott Set Different Tone For Sabres In 5-2 Win Over Flyers - Die By The Blade
Buffalo got their season started on a high note, handily defeating Philadelphia.

Joffrey Lupul's Contract Value: Point/Counterpoint - Pension Plan Puppets
The Maple Leafs committed to a new 5-year contract for Joffrey Lupul - was it the right move?

Ratings win for NHL: 2013 openers give NBC record regular-season numbers | Puck Daddy
Nice ratings for Opening Day, but hockey still has a long ways to go.

Exploring NHL Helmet Decals - Blog - icethetics.info
A sampling of stickers adorning buckets around the league.

And lastly, to get those hockey juices flowing... here's Hockey Night in Canada's intro video for the season:

Saturday's Dump & Chase: It's Opening Day for the NHL!

Nashville Predators News

On the Forecheck's Dirk Hoag on blogging, Predators' return - Nashville Business Journal
Blogging won't exactly land me on "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous", but that's not why I got into it in the first place. Thanks to Jamie McGee for reaching out for this interview.

The Hippodrome: There's A Fever In The Puck House Now | Pith in the Wind
J.R. points out that language in Tom Cigarran's statement to Preds fans can sure make it look like the Preds were on board with the lockout, contradicting many others who chose to believe that they were just bystanders in the whole thing.

Nashville Predators hope Ryan Ellis can assist on offense | The Tennessean
I've got him as a depth guy on my fantasy team, so I sure hope he cashes in.

Icebreaker: Predators will finally answer big question tonight | The Tennessean
Are they ready or not? One has to wonder if the relatively low roster turnover will help the Predators play well together early on.

Travel hurts West teams more than East | The Tennessean

Hmm... I wonder where these AP writers got the travel mileage numbers for this story? I don't see any attribution...

All the key story lines to get you ready for the (wildly abbreviated, probably totally insane) NHL season - Grantland

Katie Baker touches on items from all around the league, and includes a (much appreciated) nod to my Super Schedule.

Even for veterans, the first game of the NHL season is special - Nashville Predators Examiner
The adrenaline junkies are about to get their first fix in a long time.

Playing the point on the power play suits Sergei Kostitsyn just fine - Nashville Predators Examiner
Is SK74 part of the solution on the back end of the PP?

Three Minutes With: Scott Hannan… | Section 303
Hannan's familiarity with Shea Weber should help him fit in on the Nashville blueline.

POSSESSION-- THE PREDATORS BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: The Game
Willy Daunic gets input from Rob Vollman of Hockey Prospectus on the issue of the Preds' poor possession numbers from last season.

Why Shea Weber Needs To Win Against Columbus - Predlines

Methinks Jason is over-cranking the hype machine a bit much here.

Smashville 24/7 - Will Preds power play success carry over?
Jacob Underwood points out the hole left behind by Ryan Suter.

Mid-season report card: Forwards | Admirals Roundtable
Well done, Mr. Mueller & Mr. Van Guilder.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Your Guide to NHL Opening Day - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
The first game starts at 2:00 p.m. Central, with the Kings & Blackhawks on NBC.

Puck Daddy chats with Dustin Brown about Stanley Cup hangovers; playing the villain role; and LA Kings being confused for Sacramento Kings | Puck Daddy
The defending champion L.A. Kings could be set up to contend for several more years, but will they be ready to go from Game One?

Hockey Operations Update: Standard of Enforcement and New Rules - NHL.com
Get up to speed on a few new wrinkles in the rule book (hat tip to Kukla's Korner for sharing this).

Wade Redden, Blues Agree In Principle To Contract - St. Louis Game Time
The Blues made a low-risk, high-reward move here, rescuing Redden from the scrap heap.

Canucks re-sign Alex Edler to a 6 year deal - Nucks Misconduct
A staple of the Vancouver defense gets a sweet contract extension.

Incorrect things you will hear: "In a 48-game season, every game counts" | Backhand Shelf
Cam argues that we may know by the halfway point which teams are going to make it.

Pre-Season Injury Update: Western Conference | Backhand Shelf
The Canucks in particular are missing two important forwards, Ryan Kesler and David Booth.

The Best NHL Goaltenders Between the Lockouts - Eyes On The Prize
What will we end up calling the era from 2005-2012? Anyways, here's a look at the top 'tenders from that time.

james mirtle: 2013 NHL teams by weight, height and age - A hockey journalist's blog
Man, those Sharks are chubby!

Sports Radio Interviews " Rick Nash Believes it’s Tough to Build Chemistry in a Lockout-Shortened Season
Nash certainly doesn't have any excuses now that he's in New York.

Red Wings Roster: Patrick Eaves Cleared to Play - Winging It In Motown
Good news for the Detroit forward who was felled by a Roman Josi slap shot.

And lastly... ESPN mixes hockey & the Muppets to perfection:

Predators vs Blue Jackets Reaction: Glad to Be Back, But No Time to Lose

There was some good, some bad, and some ugly to talk about after Nashville's 3-2 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.

Craig Smith's Ice Time Drop

As many of you noticed, Craig Smith's ice time plummeted in the 3rd period, and in the post-game press conference, Barry Trotz specifically pointed out his turnovers as the reason for that. He also mentioned that due to the lack of a preseason and the urgency of a 48-game season, the coaches have to take an approach that rewards those guys who are going well "right now", and that the opportunity is there for players to turn things around immediately and be their best player the next night.

Ryan Ellis Goes Adventuring

It was interesting to me how aggressive Ryan Ellis was in the offensive end, and he talked post-game about having the green light from the coaching staff to go deep into the zone for potential chances, as long as the situation is right. On his first period goal, "Fisher made a great pass, and I missed the net, but as we worked the puck back to the point I was able to hang out down there and the play came back to me." In the overtime session, he had another extended foray down near the Columbus net. "In 4-on-4 there's more room out there, and in that situation I saw we had numbers, and I knew with a dependable veteran like Scott Hannan back there that he would play it safe and take care of things."

I was very encouraged with how the defense worked out in this game. Ellis is still young, so it's important that the Preds manage his ice time and situational usage to get the most out of him, and last night, that seemed to pay off.

Other reaction, via quotes provided by the Preds' PR staff:

Barry Trotz on the top d-pair of Shea Weber & Roman Josi:

They were really good. Really, really good. It's going to take some time to get that chemistry. It's game one and we had no preseason. It's the same for everybody. I wish we would have gotten those two points for our fans. You want to get a home victory. We went to a shootout, and that's what happens sometimes.

Trotz, on Shea Weber's fight in the second period:

I thought Shea Weber, our captain, was doing the right thing. Going against Jared Boll for an excessive hit against Smith then he stepped right in and that's what your captain does - he leads by example. Not a great trade'off for us but at the same time, he did what you want your captain to do, step right in there.

Over in the Columbus locker room, Derick Brassard said that for the Blue Jackets, that fight proved to be a pivotal moment in the game:

We had a rough start. In the first period the guys were kind of anxious out there and kind of nervous a little bit. They stepped up their game in the second period and took the intensity to them. It was kind of a game changer there when Jared Boll and Shea Weber fought. That is a key defenseman for them that was gone for ten minutes and we could go after their defensemen and we did a good job and we stuck to the game plan and kept it simple. For a lot of guys here, it is their first game of the season. That was the game plan just to keep it simple and work for 60 minutes and trust our work ethic and that's what we did.

Kevin Klein, on the first game with his new D-pair Hannan:

It was good. Lots of talk. He is very vocal. Makes it easy. He is very steady back there. I thought we gelled pretty easily but there are still some things we need to work on.

Klein on what it was like to play against a Columbus team which rolls all four lines (no more Rick Nash):

I think they are very similar to us. I think they do a good job getting the puck in behind you, starting their forecheck. They are a very disciplined forechecking team and they play a lot like us. We knew they were going to come hard and we knew they were going to dump it in and unfortunately we came up on the wrong side today.

Pekka Rinne, on the compensation of at least getting one point in the standings:

You can't deny that. Not too many guys are smiling after the game when you lose. I think right nowwhen the puck is on the ice and you are playing and we still got a big point. You have to remember that.I think that still brings a smile on my face. Even though it's disappointing to lose in the shootout, I takethose losses more personally than those in overtime or anything like that but I will get over it and getback on it Monday.

Shea Weber on how the team played early on, and the prospects for improvement:

A little unsystematic at times. There were a lot of turnovers, but it was kind of expected, and like I said before, there was a lot of room for improvement. We have got to get going here, especially if we've got a game every other night.

...

We're working on things during practice, but it's not the same as a game. I think as the season goes on,you get better period'by'period and game'by'game.

We'll leave the last word to Coach Trotz, who summed the feelings of many:

Hockey is back. We have such a great sport. We see the energy in the building. Wecould see that people were excited being back.

Predators vs Blue Jackets: Columbus Wins in a Shootout

It's been a long time coming, so perhaps the first game of the season deserved overtime and a shootout.

Stay tuned for something new this season, as we'll be able to use SB Nation's "story stream" technology to feature all of the content related to tonight's game in a single package. There may be some bumps & bruises along the way as we get used to it, but I think you'll enjoy it.

Need tickets to tonight's game? Only a few are available via TiqIQ!

How the Preds Stack Up

Following yesterday's announcement of the Opening Night roster, Josh Cooper shared what the likely lines & d-pairs will be tonight:

Kostitsyn - Fisher - Erat

Smith - Legwand - Hornqvist

Wilson - Gaustad - Halischuk

McGrattan - Spaling - Yip

Josi - Weber

Hannan - Klein

Gill - Ellis

Pekka Rinne, of course, is expected to start in goal.

3 Questions With The Cannon

For some insight into what's been going on in Columbus, I fired 3 Questions over to Dan Parker of SB Nation's Columbus blog, The Cannon:

1. Blue Jackets fans may have received the biggest kick in the proverbial nuts over the last several months, between the lockout, the All-Star Game cancellation, and of course the Rick Nash trade. Where is there reason for optimism in Columbus?

It really depends on how you define "optimism" for many fans. I tend to fall into the group that is pretty sure this season is going to be a rough one in terms of wins and losses, but it also may be the first ray of light in a while.

The biggest reason for optimism, purely and simply, is John Davidson. His hiring was a coup. He's a bona fide top-of-the-organization executive, and he jumped at the chance to come to Columbus when he probably could have had any job he wanted around the league or in the broadcast world. The off-shoot is that, between Davidson's desired team identity and the players that came on board and/or will be taking over the leadership roles this season, Columbus is going to try to become a full-ice gritty, tough team to play against.

Another good thing to think about is the notion of addition by subtraction: losing Nash hurts in the stat sheets, but it's also not a coincidence that their last two top draft picks are Captains of their junior clubs, and Jack Johnson was brought in and has been a Captain multiple times for Team USA. While Nash was the Captain, everything from practice habits to on-ice effort has been the subject of whispers. If, under this new direction and with the influx of new "good leadership" guys, they can develop that 60-minute effort and build an identity around it, the rest will fall into place in subsequent seasons.

2. Goaltending has been an issue there ever since Steve Mason's second season, so what's the story in net?

The story is that everyone's kind of holding their collective breath. Sergei Bobrovsky couldn't be more of a wild card. Will the Jackets see the starter-quality play of his rookie year and during the lockout in the KHL? Or will they see last season's spotty play? The book on Bob is that he's willing to work hard and is motivated to improve--two things which never seemed to be part of Mason's psyche--and that Columbus might end up with at least a bridge until some of their younger, more highly-regarded guys in juniors are ready.

The hope with Mason is that actual competition will force him to elevate his game. Given 48 games in 99 days, however, both guys are going to have to step up big time if the Jackets hold out any hope of competing.

3. Who has made the biggest impression in training camp, in terms of offering potential to take a leap up the Columbus depth chart?

I'm going to take this in a different direction and list two guys who didn't actually make the club: Tim Erixon, and Boone Jenner. Erixon was, of course, one of the guys who came over in the Rick Nash deal, and is Springfield's (AHL) highest-scoring defenseman and an AHL All Star. His cut was a bit of a surprise, but it's looking more and more like the 5-7 spots on D are going to be a round-robin of Adrian Aucoin and youngsters John Moore and David Savard. The club clearly wants Erixon to continue playing every day instead of getting lost in that mess. As for Jenner, the 2011 2nd round pick is Captaining the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. He looked good enough and physical enough to have made the Jackets' roster as a third- or fourth-line center, and his two-way play--and the potential for wearing a letter someday--is certainly a reason for much optimism for the future. He went back to the OHL because they didn't want to burn a year of his ELC in a shortened, crazy season, and because he can continue to develop his leadership qualities as he Captains Oshawa for the second straight year. If he doesn't make a legitimate push to be on the club to start next season, the Jackets' brass will have to be disappointed.

For more on the BJ's, check out The Cannon's Season Preview section.

Question of the Day

So as we get ready to dust off our Game Day routines (make sure to review the OTF Unofficial Glossary in preparation for tonight's Game Thread), I'll toss a question out there for discussion. Who scores the first goal of the season for the Preds?

NHL Season Predictions

The 48-game intraconference schedule makes predictions a trickier business than usual. With divisional rivals playing a larger portion of the season strictly against each other (37% as opposed to 29% in an 82-game season), will that make it more difficult for one division to field 4 playoff teams, like the Central and Atlantic did last year?

So here's who George & I are picking to make the playoffs (in order), and take home the hardware:

George		Dirk
West	East	West	East
San Jose	Pittsburgh	St. Louis	Pittsburgh
St. Louis	Washington	Los Angeles	Boston
Vancouver	Montreal	Vancouver	Florida
Minnesota	Philadelphia	San Jose	New York Rangers
Chicago	New York Rangers	Chicago	Carolina
Nashville	Boston	Phoenix	Washington
Phoenix	Buffalo	Detroit	Philadelphia
Detroit	Carolina	Nashville	Ottawa
Stanley Cup champs	New York Rangers		Los Angeles Kings
Hart Trophy	Alex Ovechkin		Sidney Crosby
Norris Trophy	Ryan Suter		Alex Pietrangelo
Vezina Trophy	Henrik Lundqvist		Pekka Rinne

Feel free to submit your own picks in the comments below!