Nashville Predators

David Legwand almost makes a return to the Nashville penalty box

By Jim Diamond

So when you play nearly 1,000 games for a single team, half of them in the same building, you kind of get into some routines, like say, which penalty box to go in after you are called for an infraction.

Coincidentally enough, that’s exactly what happened Thursday night when longtime Predator David Legwand was sent off for a tripping penalty at 14:30 of the second period.

After 956 regular season games played in a Predator uniform, Legwand was sent to the Detroit Red Wings in a deadline day deal that saw Calle Jarnkrok and a draft pick come Nashville’s way. In the offseason, Legwand signed with the Senators, Nashville’s 2014-15 season-opening opponent.

Playing his first-ever road game in Nashville, Legwand was having a few words of disagreement with referee Kelly Sutherland on his way toward the penalty box. He skated over the red line and actually got both feet into the Nashville penalty box and had to be directed away by the penalty box attendant.

Courtesy: On The Forecheck – http://twitpic.com/ecks5m

“Yes, it’s tough going to one for 15 years and then you’ve got to go to the other one,” Legwand said after the game. “It’s over and done with. I’m happy that it’s over and done with and I move forward.”

It was a warm welcome back to Nashville for Legwand. At the first media timeout, the Predators played a nice tribute video and then showed him on the Megatron as he was about to take the ensuing faceoff while he received a standing ovation from the Bridgestone Arena faithful.

Now healthy, Pekka Rinne expects to play a lot in 2014-15

By Jim Diamond

When Barry Trotz was the head coach of the Predators, one of his go-to phrases when talking about the team’s goaltending was that he was going to ride Pekka Rinne “like Seabiscuit.” Prior to each season Trotz and goaltending coach Mitch Korn had a plan for the number of games their team’s top netminder was going to play, but circumstances often dictated a change to that schedule.

Now under the direction of new head coach Peter Laviolette, the Predators begin their 2014-15 season Thursday night at home against the visiting Ottawa Senators. Following the team’s Tuesday afternoon practice at Bridgestone Arena, Laviolette said that there is no master plan in place as to how he will use his goaltenders in his first season at the helm in Nashville.

“I think it usually develops as the season goes on,” he said. “You can have a plan I think at the start of the year, but depending on where you are at in the standings and goalie being hot, I think it always changes a little bit.”

After the conclusion of the 2012-13 season, Rinne had surgery on his left hip. He worked hard to get ready for the start of last season and was between the pipes when the puck dropped for the team’s first game Oct. 3.

Fewer than three weeks later, Rinne fell ill and was hospitalized the morning after Nashville’s Oct. 22 at Minnesota. Rinne had developed a dangerous E. coli infection in that same left hip. The repair of and recovery from that infection kept Rinne out of the lineup until early March. The 6’5” Finn missed 51 games.

Now healthy, Rinne is looking forward to getting back to the form where his coach wants him in the game each night.

“Personally, I expect myself to play a lot of games and stay healthy,” Rinne said. “To me, I am just going to focus on starting the season well and keep it going after that. Obviously anytime I feel like I am on top of my game, I want to play every night.”

After a lockout shortened the 2012-13 season to just 48 games and the Winter Olympics compacted last season’s schedule, the 2014-15 season will have a feeling of normalcy to the players and coaches. Rinne wants to get back to the form that made him a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, he finished fourth in the voting for the Hart Trophy, given to the league’s most valuable player.

“I’m excited about this year since for the first time in a couple of years, it is going to be a normal season, a normal schedule,” Rinne said. “It is not going to be so random as the last couple of years; the lockout year and the Olympic year.”

When Laviolette wants to give Rinne a rest, he will turn to Carter Hutton, who is entering his second full NHL season. Prior to last season, Hutton had one game of NHL action on his resume, and with being Rinne’s backup, he wasn’t expecting to see a lot of playing time last season. All of that changed with Rinne’s hip infection.

“Mitch and Barry kind of put a number on how many games I was going to play and what they expected and needed from me,” Hutton said. “Things changed with Pekks going down, obviously I was seeing a lot more action. It was kind of a whirlwind for my first NHL season, but I think it helped me develop. I learned a lot and learned different experiences at this level.”

After a strong start, Hutton hit a rough patch. He worked through that tough stretch and finished the season with 20 wins, including seven in his last nine decisions. That performance was good enough to earn him a new two-year, $1.45 million contract in the offseason.

“Coming into this year, just continue to be good when I am called upon, win my games,” Hutton said. “That’s what it’s about winning hockey games in this league. No matter who is going, me or Pekka, this team is going to give us a good chance to win.”

The Predators finished just three points out of eighth place in the Western Conference last season. With all of the changes made behind the bench and up front with the forwards, the team hopes to add some more scoring punch in 2014-15. Combine those changes with a healthy Rinne and a more experienced Hutton in goal, Nashville hopes to end their two-year playoff absence.

Weber: Josi has ‘a fire to win’

By Jim Diamond

After Monday’s surprise on-ice altercation between Craig Smith and Roman Josi, team captain Shea Weber was asked about his defensive partner uncharacteristically dropping his gloves and fighting.

“He’s a real thumping machine out there,” Weber joked.

But then Weber continued his thought, switching from humorous to serious.

“He’s competitive,” he said. “As much as he doesn’t take penalties or do anything stupid, he’s got a fire to win and he’s going to battle out there in any situation.”

Weber is right about Josi’s discipline. In 72 games played in 2013-14, the Swiss-born blueliner was whistled for just 18 penalty minutes. In 172 career NHL games, Josi has only 40 PIMs.

Josi, 24, missed 10 games last season but was still 22nd overall in the NHL in 2013-14 in total time on ice, playing just over 1,902 minutes. Josi was fifth in the NHL in average time on ice per game last season at 26:25, trailing Weber by 29 seconds.

Weber is the person most qualified to speak about Josi’s effectiveness since when one is on the ice, the other is almost always just a few feet away from him. Last season, when Josi was on the ice, Weber was right there with him 83.8% of the time.

With a lot of the other Predators defensemen playing sheltered minutes last season, Josi and Weber drew the tough assignments, often playing against opponents’ top-offensive lines as evidenced by being the only two Nashville defensemen with positive Quality of Competition numbers.

The team’s top defensive pairing also began a lot of their shifts in the shadow of their own goal. Josi started in the offensive zone just 44.2% of the time, while Weber was even lower at 43.7%.

As surprising as it was for Josi to drop the gloves with a teammate in practice, perhaps it was a sign that the still young defenseman is developing more of a physical edge to his game.

Craig Smith and Roman Josi drop the gloves and fight in Monday’s practice

By Jim Diamond

Quick, name two Nashville Predators you would least expect to drop the gloves and fight.

Were Roman Josi and Craig Smith on your list?

Well that’s exactly what happened Monday afternoon at Centennial Sportsplex as the Predators went through practice. During a battle drill, something the team has done a lot of in this training camp, emotions boiled over and Smith and Josi fought in front of the net.

That’s right, the Bern Brawler against the Madison Marauder mano a mano. According to hockeyfights.com, neither player has an NHL fight under their belts. It started out as one of those situations where everyone wondered if they were serious, and as it turns out, they were serious.

When asked about the fight, Smith channeled his inner Bill Belichick at the start of his media availability.

“It was a good practice,” Smith said. “We got some things accomplished and we are getting better.”

Pushed further, he opened up a little more.

“It’s our team,” he said. “Every day we are going to skate together and we’re going to be battling. We are battling hard. I thought we did a good job at getting as close to game-like as possible and ready to go Thursday.”

Training camp skirmishes between teammates are nothing new. In a not so long ago era, players would state their case for making the team based upon how tough they were, and in an attempt to showcase what they had, they would take on any and all teammates. There’s also the fact that after playing against one another for more than two weeks, one extra cross-check here or there could be the final straw in one player having enough of the other.

After the two went to the ice, several others stepped in to break up the fisticuffs.

“We battled and yeah, it was just intense, I guess intensity in practice,” Josi said.

Asked if they two had talked it out yet, Josi said, “We didn’t talk about it and I don’t know if we will, so we will see.”

It’s nothing to worry about according to the head coach.

“It was competitive,” Peter Laviolette said. “It happens. Guys are battling out there. We’re past it, over it.”

While they like to see the intensity that was displayed, some of the peacemakers were worried about two of the team’s star players going at it.

“You don’t want to hurt your own teammates,” Eric Nystrom said. “Sometimes you just have to go in there and calm some guys down, but this is not a lighthearted game. It’s intense and guys are competing hard and trying to impress the new coach and get ready for games. That stuff happens. I like the intensity, but I don’t like seeing those two guys doing that just because we need them. You’ve got to channel it and save it for the other team.”

They won’t see another team until the team’s season opener Thursday night when Ottawa comes to town.

No Predators placed on waiver wire Monday

By Jim Diamond

With no Nashville Predators placed on the waiver wire Monday, the team, barring any trades or waiver claims, will reduce its current roster of 25 to the opening night maximum of 23 or fewer through the use of Injured Reserve or by sending a waiver-exempt player or players to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.

The team’s current roster is as follows:

Forwards (16): Taylor Beck, Gabriel Bourque, Rich Clune, Matt Cullen, Mike Fisher, Filip Forsberg, Paul Gaustad, Calle Jarnkrok, Olli Jokinen, James Neal, Eric Nystrom, Mike Ribeiro, Derek Roy, Craig Smith, Viktor Stalberg, and Colin Wilson.

Defensemen (7): Victor Bartley, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, Seth Jones, Roman Josi, Anton Volchenkov and Shea Weber.

Goaltenders (2): Carter Hutton and Pekka Rinne.

The team appears set at defense and in goal, so the subtractions will come at forward.

Opening day rosters need to be set by 4:00 p.m. Central Time Tuesday. Since the waiver process takes 24 hours, a player can’t be placed on waivers after Monday in an effort to get the opening night roster to 23 or fewer players.

Fisher is still recovering from an Achilles injury sustained in offseason training, so he will be placed on Injured Reserve, leaving the Predators the need to make at least one more roster adjustment. Cullen and Stalberg have both missed significant time in training camp with injuries, making both candidates to join Fisher on IR to start the season.

Of the 25 players still in camp, only Forsberg, Jarnkrok, and Jones are exempt from waivers.

It is unlikely to occur, but should the Predators choose to claim a player or players who were placed on waivers Monday, they would need to factor the number of players claimed into getting their roster to 23.

The Predators play their first regular season game Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena against the visiting Ottawa Senators.

Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg host surprise street hockey game in Franklin

By Jim Diamond

As part of their annual community relations day, Nashville Predators players and staffers made many different stops at several area locations Thursday.

With a van load of street hockey gear and players Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg in tow, they turned a cul-de-sac in the Cheswicke Farm subdivision of Franklin into a street hockey rink for close to 50 young players. All equipment used at the visit was donated through the NHL Street program and the Nashville Predators Street Pride program.

Growing up in Sweden, the players said that they enjoyed playing road hockey when they had the chance.

“It feels like yesterday almost, (but) it’s probably been 15 years since I did it now,” Ekholm said. “Great times, awesome place here, a lot of kids, and it was a lot of fun.”

Ekholm sported a backwards Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap Thursday afternoon.

With unseasonably warm temperatures reaching the high 80s and wearing their Predators gold jerseys, the players got quite a workout running around with the kids for an hour.

“It was really hot out there, so I got really sweaty out there. It will be a good shower when I get back,” Forsberg said. “There are a lot of Preds fans all over the Nashville area. We really enjoy doing this.”

Just 20-years-old, Forsberg is not that far removed from his days of playing street hockey as a kid.

Even after a tough two-hour long practice with their teammates earlier in the day Thursday, Ekholm and Forsberg still had plenty of energy to run around and play with the large gathering of kids.

“You are fortunate to do what you do all day,” Ekholm said. “Spend an hour out here is great for us just giving back and being around kids and get the energy from them. It’s awesome.”

After the street hockey ended, the players sat down to sign autographs and pose for pictures with the kids and many of the parents as well, not stopping until all had their time with the pair of Swedes.

The Predators should be applauded for both the number and the frequency of the charitable and community appearances that they make all over the Nashville area each year. The Predators introduce their players to the community relations side of being a professional athlete from the start of their time in Nashville, which for many is the annual development camp held right after the NHL’s Entry Draft.

On the job training, one period as an NHL photographer

By Jim Diamond

Photographers who ply their trade shooting NHL games have incredibly difficult jobs. Just how difficult of a job it is was really impressed upon me Monday night.

For the first period of Monday’s preseason game against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets, Predators team photographer John Russell and the team’s PR staff allowed me the opportunity of trying to shoot the action from one of the photo holes in the glass rinkside in Bridgestone Arena.

Russell is a genius and he’s been to the mountain, as one of his pictures has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Before the game, Russell gave me my assigned location, on the glass at the bottom of Section 118, next to the new Lexus Lounge where the players enter the ice prior to the start of each period. The hole is close to the faceoff dot. I was able to sit on the last step of the stairwell, a perfect height to reach the photo hole.

More after the jump…

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Ryan Ellis sees first preseason game action in Predators loss

By Jim Diamond

After missing the start of training camp while waiting for his contract situation to settle, Predators defenseman Ryan saw his first game action Monday night when the Columbus Blue Jackets visited Nashville.

Ellis inked a five-year, $12.5 million contract with the Predators late Thursday and arrived in Nashville early Friday after a long drive south from Windsor, Ontario.

The Predators came out on the losing end of a 3-0 decision Monday night, but Ellis was encouraged by how he felt physically.

“I was actually really surprised,” Ellis said. “I didn’t know what to expect. The first shift we got extended a bit and I was kind of winded there, but after that I felt really good.”

Ellis posted four shots on goal along with two attempts blocked and one missed shot in 19:51 of ice time in the game. He played 4:12 on the power play.

Nashville came up empty in six opportunities with the man advantage, even surrendering a shorthanded goal against early in the second period.

Ellis played with Mattias Ekholm Monday. The team’s top defensive pairing of Shea Weber and Roman Josi appears set, but who will play in the other two pairings is still a work in progress. Along with Ellis and Ekholm, Seth Jones, Anton Volchenkov, and Victor Bartley appear to be in the mix for defensemen positions four through seven, but Joe Piskula and Johan Alm are still in camp looking to make the roster.

Peter Laviolette seemed encouraged by Ellis’ performance in his first preseason game.

“He was noticeable for me offensively,” Laviolette said. “I thought for jumping in, really just arriving a couple of days ago, I thought he did a nice job. He had a couple of looks where he could have scored a goal. He made some nice plays. He was active on the back end. I thought his game was okay.”

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With just a couple of practices and Monday’s game under his belt, Ellis thinks the new system put in place for this season suits his playing style well.

“The system has changed and it is a little more high-risk, which I like, and going forward hopefully it can be successful for our team,” Ellis said.

After playing four games in the span of five days, the Predators do not have any more games until the team plays their preseason finale Saturday in Columbus. While more of the expected opening night roster played Monday than in previous games, it is likely that Saturday’s game will feature more of the regulars in the last preseason tune-up.

Predators power play still evolving

By Jim Diamond

Two games into their six-game preseason schedule, the Nashville Predators have a 1-1-0 record after splitting a home-and-home series with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Through those two games, the Predators are a combined 0-10 on the power play after going 0-5 in both games.

With a new coach, new system, and some new players on the power play units, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the power play is still a work in progress. In Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Lightning, the Predators were credited with 11 shots on their five power plays. They had seven power play shots in Tuesday’s loss in Tampa.

“In the first game, I thought the power play seemed to move a little bit better but didn’t have the possession time,” Peter Laviolette said after Thursday’s game. “We had the possession time here but didn’t get the chances that we were looking for.”

In both preseason games, the Predators used a mix of veteran and younger players on their game roster, with more veterans in the lineup Thursday.

“All of that will come,” Laviolette continued. “We’ve got new pieces that we are trying to fit in. You talk about the first unit and James (Neal) is new to that unit, and Olli (Jokinen) is new to that unit, and I think those are the things that you have to work through in training camp. We can now go back and see maybe it was a little bit stale doing something this way here and look to maybe go in a different direction, not necessarily with players, but just the different mindset or a different approach on the power play to try and open up more shots, open up Shea’s (Weber) shot and James’ shot.”

During one third period power play, some of the fans in Bridgestone Arena became restless as the Predators worked the puck around the perimeter looking for that perfect shot that did not materialize.It was fun to hear the fans yell “Shoot” at the power play again. It feels more like hockey season now.

“On the power play, trying to find a goal there, I think we are thinking a little bit too much of where to be and what to do,” newcomer Mike Ribeiro said. “It’s a matter of keep practicing that.”

Weber led the team in shots on goal Thursday night with seven, four of which came on the power play. He was also credited with one missed shot on the man advantage.

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The captain led the team with 12 power-play goals last season, five better than Patric Hornqvist and Craig Smith who were tied for second with seven each. Nashville’s power play was 12th best in the NHL last season, clicking at a 19.2% success rate. The Predators also made history last season by not allowing a shorthanded goal against, which was the first time that happened in an 82-game regular season.

It remains to be seen, but losing Hornqvist in the trade that brought Neal to Nashville could have a significant impact on the team’s power play success, especially when it comes to the team’s biggest threat on the man advantage.

Of Weber’s 12 power-play goals last season, Hornqvist was on the ice for every single one of them – all of them. He isn’t the most skilled player in the league by any stretch, but the guy is absolutely fearless as evidenced by him placing himself squarely in harm’s way in front of the opponent’s net when Weber lines up his powerful shot.

Weber is known for shooting pucks through the net, breaking end boards, and breaking bones of those who happen to get in the way of his shot, which exceeds 100 mph.

Hornqvist plays the pest role well on the power play by hanging just outside the blue paint while the puck is in the offensive zone. He can irritate opposing defensemen and goaltenders with the best of them, taking away some of their focus and obscuring the goaltender’s eyes as well.

And in a striking bit of timing, this just in from a Pittsburgh practice.

Finding another Hornqvist-like player could certainly help Nashville’s power play come together more quickly this season.

Quick analysis: Ellis re-signing continues trend of locking up defensemen

By Jim Diamond

After missing the first few days of this season’s training camp as a restricted free agent, Ryan Ellis agreed to terms on a new deal with the Nashville Predators Thursday. According to Ellis’ agent Paul Krepelka, the deal will keep Ellis in Predators gold for five seasons and pay the blueliner a total of $12.5 million.

In a release, the team said that Ellis would be in Nashville Friday.

In locking up Ellis for five years, the Predators continued their recent trend of locking up their young group of defensemen. Long known for their prowess of drafting and developing young blueliners, Ellis’ contract signifies the organization’s belief that the 23-year-old will be a mainstay with the team for many years.

Last season, his first as a regular in the Nashville lineup, Ellis scored six goals and added 21 assists in 80 games played. He averaged 16:04 of ice time per game, with 1:45 of that on the power play. Ellis’ 123 shots on goal were good for seventh-best on the team.

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Ellis joins team captain Shea Weber and Roman Josi as members of Nashville’s blue line who are signed to long-term deals.

As a result of the 14-year, $110 million offer sheet that he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers and later matched by the Predators in the summer of 2012, Weber looks to be a Predator for the remainder of his career.

Last summer, the Swiss-born Josi inked his name on a seven-year, $28 million contract that will keep the Bern native in Nashville through the 2019-2020 season. The emerging star plays on Weber’s left side. The Predators took a slight gamble inking a young defenseman to a deal of that length, but right now, it looks like a steal.

In investing five more years into Ellis, Nashville hopes to capture the same kind of contract magic with the young Canadian.

Mattias Ekholm and Seth Jones, two of Nashville’s other young defensemen, are signed for this season plus one more before they become restricted free agents as well.