'24-25 Former Predators Thread

Armourboy

Hey! We suck!
Jan 20, 2014
21,108
13,192
Shelbyville, TN
Look, I don't want to come across as a fair-weather fan. I know there's been even tougher times than these but the start of this season has to be up there - taking expectations into consideration.

I don't even want to account the fact that there's going to be pain ahead getting this team back into contention. That's the name of the game if you're in a rebuild.

It's just, I feel like this organization doesn't know itself what it's trying to do and they are mortgaging good chunks of the future while they're on this clueless quest. For me, there has to be a direction, a blueprint that you can confidently show and tell that this is the way to success. I just can't get behind this philosophy of spending +$100M in the off-season and jettisoning all the younger players out of the way while the highly-paid vets suck wind and just completely tank this team and its future.

The reason I spend time with this sport is for different purposes and if this team is continuously unable to provide me those purposes, I see no reason why I should continue to spend my time with this team.
It's my team, it's who I will always cheer for, good or bad. Does that mean I agree with the direction or what has transpired? Absolutely not.

Every team will have its high and lows, absolutely no team is going to be good forever. It's easy to be a fan when things are going well, the true test is whether you can hold on when things are bad. If you only care when they are good, then absolutely that qualifies as being a fair weather fan. Sorry if it hurts some feelings but that's kind of the definition.

As bad as this may seem, this is a fan base that came within inches of losing its team. We watched our players purposely be sold off, a solid team gone in an instant. So yeah as bad as this is, it pales in comparison.

People are allowed to take breaks, or heck even walk away, but when you come back I'll still be here bitching like always. Did i also mention I'm also an Arkansas fan? I have practice at this already. :banghead:
 

Scoresberg

Perpetual Mediocrity
May 28, 2015
10,571
5,610
Earth
It's my team, it's who I will always cheer for, good or bad. Does that mean I agree with the direction or what has transpired? Absolutely not.

Every team will have its high and lows, absolutely no team is going to be good forever. It's easy to be a fan when things are going well, the true test is whether you can hold on when things are bad. If you only care when they are good, then absolutely that qualifies as being a fair weather fan. Sorry if it hurts some feelings but that's kind of the definition.

As bad as this may seem, this is a fan base that came within inches of losing its team. We watched our players purposely be sold off, a solid team gone in an instant. So yeah as bad as this is, it pales in comparison.

People are allowed to take breaks, or heck even walk away, but when you come back I'll still be here bitching like always. Did i also mention I'm also an Arkansas fan? I have practice at this already. :banghead:
Fair enough. Thanks for your response.

Like I said, for me it's not even so much about that they are bad right now, it's the overall philosophy of the team I'm having a hard time rooting for. The mortgaging of the future for short-term (non-existing) gains. Also, I guess if I'd step away I'd still be "cheering" for the Preds, as I couldn't back any other team as strongly that much I know.

I guess, like with everything in life, you are allowed to change your position if the situation changes dramatically. For me, it has. I'm not saying I'm walking away right now but they're on thin ice as it is.
 

Armourboy

Hey! We suck!
Jan 20, 2014
21,108
13,192
Shelbyville, TN
Fair enough. Thanks for your response.

Like I said, for me it's not even so much about that they are bad right now, it's the overall philosophy of the team I'm having a hard time rooting for. The mortgaging of the future for short-term (non-existing) gains. Also, I guess if I'd step away I'd still be "cheering" for the Preds, as I couldn't back any other team as strongly that much I know.

I guess, like with everything in life, you are allowed to change your position if the situation changes dramatically. For me, it has. I'm not saying I'm walking away right now but they're on thin ice as it is.
Yeah I get it. I think for me its the fact that I have always been one to separate the team itself from the players and managers. I root for the team, that logo generally doesn't change, even if the owner, players, coaches and GM do. So when they do something that hurts that logo, then yeah I'm going to be ticked.

I think that's something I hope I get across, I may stick around and watch, but I'm sure as heck not happy with what they are doing with my team.

Generally speaking I tend to not care what happens with players once they leave the team, but since Tolvanen I've felt like its not a case of guys just needing to move on but the leaders of the team not giving guys the opportunity to really be Preds to start with. I'm sure with Fabbro and Tomasino they will eventually drift too, but right now I'm pretty ticked.
 

Kat Predator

Registered User
Nov 28, 2019
4,631
5,092
Fabbro is +14 which would be the best on our team by a huge margin.
Tolvanen has scored 7 goals on the season, which would make him tied for second on our team.
Tomasino has 3 points in 4 games for his new team which is a better PPG than any forward on the team.
Askarov has a .927 S% compared to Annunen's .872.

PS: Yeah, I know small sample sizes, but it does seem consistent that we're not getting rid of the right guy here.
 
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herzausstein

Registered User
Aug 31, 2014
8,189
6,543
West Virginia
Fabbro is +14 which would be the best on our team by a huge margin.
Tolvanen has scored 7 goals on the season, which would make him tied for second on our team.
Tomasino has 3 points in 4 games for his new team which is a better PPG than any forward on the team.
Askarov has a .927 S% compared to Annunen's .872.

PS: Yeah, I know small sample sizes, but it does seem consistent that we're not getting rid of the right guy here.
Tomasino was immediately put next to Malkin and given some big minutes. When he didnt produce in game one, the coach just let the line ride and it has been producing since. Tolvanen was treated much the same way as Tomasino. "We tried him in all sorts of bottom 6 roles but never really gave an honest attempt in a higher role". Evangelista, L'Heureux, and Parssinen are currently given that treatment.

Fabbro gets massive minutes that he hasnt gotten here in a long time. Sure he still does a dumb thing here or there but the coach isnt screwing him over the moment he does.

They are getting real opportunities in their new roles and a bit of stability. We refuse to do that here
 

Predsanddead24

Registered User
Mar 7, 2019
6,041
6,935
Tomasino was immediately put next to Malkin and given some big minutes. When he didnt produce in game one, the coach just let the line ride and it has been producing since. Tolvanen was treated much the same way as Tomasino. "We tried him in all sorts of bottom 6 roles but never really gave an honest attempt in a higher role". Evangelista, L'Heureux, and Parssinen are currently given that treatment.

Fabbro gets massive minutes that he hasnt gotten here in a long time. Sure he still does a dumb thing here or there but the coach isnt screwing him over the moment he does.

They are getting real opportunities in their new roles and a bit of stability. We refuse to do that here
What's crazy is that he already has more icetime playing with Malkin than he got with any of O'Reilly, Forsberg, Nyquist over the last two seasons or Stamkos and Marchessault this season.
 

Kat Predator

Registered User
Nov 28, 2019
4,631
5,092
What's crazy is that he already has more icetime playing with Malkin than he got with any of O'Reilly, Forsberg, Nyquist over the last two seasons or Stamkos and Marchessault this season.
Obviously, our scouting sucks. :sarcasm:

Seriously though, why draft guys with scoring skills if our plan is to make them prove they can be effective grinders on the 4th line and work their way up from the bottom.

Imagine if Dallas had poopooed Robertson's skill and told him he would only play if he could agitate, grind in the corners, lay people out with hits, and punch people's beaks. Then maybe they'd give him a shift or two with Jamie Benn or Joe Pavelski to see if he could score immediately.
 
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ILikeItILoveIt

Registered User
Apr 2, 2010
850
682
I'm a Day One STH. I stick with my teams, good or bad. I'm 66 years old and been a sports fan since I was 5. Grew up in NY and CT. Lifelong Mets and Jets fan, so when I say I stick with my team no matter what, I have the receipts. Was an Islander fan. Won 4 Cups in a row. My only really good team during those days.

Moved the Nashville in 1989 and became an original Pred fan in 1998. I love the organization (Barry Trotz is a friend), and my 3 kids grew up watching the Preds, and now their kids watch the Preds. I have 6 season tickets in the same section since 1998.

I sell tickets almost every game. It defrays the cost of all these tickets, but over the past few years, Ticketmaster has gotten greedy. 5 years ago, it would cost me 10% of the ticket sale price
 

ILikeItILoveIt

Registered User
Apr 2, 2010
850
682
.... sorry, hit enter too quick. Continuing -
(ex. if a ticket sold for $60, I received $54). Now, on top of the 10% hit, there's at least another 5% to sometimes 15% hit. If I say I want to list for $60, Ticketmaster will list if for $72. When it sells for $72, I get $54. Since I price tickets based on the final price of other tickets in the section, and I think $60 is the right sale price, I have to list it for $50 so it ends up being $60, and then I only get $45.

All this to say, the opportunity to resell tickets is not the hedge it used to be, especially with ticket demand being down.

My 3-year lock is up this year, and I have a decision to make. Do I re-up? It's never been tough decision but my interest and my patience with this team is at an all-time low. I hate to lose by Day One status but I'm getting hosed right now and watching bad hockey with little hope in sight.

I may drop a few tickets, although my extended family benefits when they do decide to go to games.

I'm just bummed in general and don't know what to do.

How about some "Board Therapy".
 

MrJoshua

Registered User
Mar 24, 2010
1,575
373
Decatur, AL
This is the absolute least interested I’ve ever been in this team. They have absolutely no identity. They aren’t hard working. They aren’t skilled. They aren’t fun to watch. They aren’t focusing on defense. They aren’t playing wide open to focus on offense. They’re just a big pile of blah and it’s compounded by the fact that there doesn’t even seem to be any point in trying to get excited about seeing any youth coming up because they won’t get to play and then they’ll get moved for nothing. I’m absolutely mystified at the treatment of Fabbro. And a 4th for Tomasino? Really? What are we even supposed to be enjoying this season?
 

Roman Yoshi

#164303
Aug 16, 2009
11,045
3,634
Franklin, TN
This is the absolute least interested I’ve ever been in this team. They have absolutely no identity. They aren’t hard working. They aren’t skilled. They aren’t fun to watch. They aren’t focusing on defense. They aren’t playing wide open to focus on offense. They’re just a big pile of blah and it’s compounded by the fact that there doesn’t even seem to be any point in trying to get excited about seeing any youth coming up because they won’t get to play and then they’ll get moved for nothing. I’m absolutely mystified at the treatment of Fabbro. And a 4th for Tomasino? Really? What are we even supposed to be enjoying this season?
Our identity is old.
 

Kat Predator

Registered User
Nov 28, 2019
4,631
5,092
Tomasino was immediately put next to Malkin and given some big minutes. When he didnt produce in game one, the coach just let the line ride and it has been producing since. Tolvanen was treated much the same way as Tomasino. "We tried him in all sorts of bottom 6 roles but never really gave an honest attempt in a higher role". Evangelista, L'Heureux, and Parssinen are currently given that treatment.

Fabbro gets massive minutes that he hasnt gotten here in a long time. Sure he still does a dumb thing here or there but the coach isnt screwing him over the moment he does.

They are getting real opportunities in their new roles and a bit of stability. We refuse to do that here
Preach it. I've been saying this for what feels like forever now.

By the way, there are scientific studies that the only way to master tasks is to perform them. There are graphs on how many hours it takes to be proficient, to attain mastery, etc. Somehow, I don't see the Preds organization really getting that. Skating around in the occasional practice and sitting eating popcorn isn't going to make a young player better. Performing tasks that are watered down aren't going to get you there. It takes a commitment of time and patience, which we haven't had since Lavi was here. Hynes seemed to be under pressure to send Poile out as a winner. Bruno has no plan other than being deeply uninterested in developing players at all.
 

Porter Stoutheart

Seen Stamkos?
Jun 14, 2017
16,234
12,856
Preach it. I've been saying this for what feels like forever now.

By the way, there are scientific studies that the only way to master tasks is to perform them. There are graphs on how many hours it takes to be proficient, to attain mastery, etc. Somehow, I don't see the Preds organization really getting that. Skating around in the occasional practice and sitting eating popcorn isn't going to make a young player better. Performing tasks that are watered down aren't going to get you there. It takes a commitment of time and patience, which we haven't had since Lavi was here. Hynes seemed to be under pressure to send Poile out as a winner. Bruno has no plan other than being deeply uninterested in developing players at all.
The craziest thing to me is that we ACTUALLY SAW those players do well here. Tomasino at 19 had a great Covid-short season in Milwaukee, followed it up at age 20 as a full-time NHLer with an impressive 32 pts in a limited role as a rookie. You'd think the logical next step is to BUILD on those early successes by bumping things up a notch for the player into a larger role. Instead, he got throttled back and told he needed to be better at some other things too. Well, if his upside niche as a hockey player is 50-60pt complementary skill winger, he's likely not EVER going to become a Cole Smith type and will never get better at those other things, but why not just keep progressing him instead in the areas he CAN contribute successfully in? It's a lot the same with Fabbro and how he was clearly very successful partnered with Josi (and helped Josi be more successful too which is probably an even bigger positive for our team). We actually saw those players do Good Things for us. We didn't even need to patiently wait and wonder if they ever could, because they already did it. Then the braintrust willfully ignored it. :help:
 

Kat Predator

Registered User
Nov 28, 2019
4,631
5,092
The craziest thing to me is that we ACTUALLY SAW those players do well here. Tomasino at 19 had a great Covid-short season in Milwaukee, followed it up at age 20 as a full-time NHLer with an impressive 32 pts in a limited role as a rookie. You'd think the logical next step is to BUILD on those early successes by bumping things up a notch for the player into a larger role. Instead, he got throttled back and told he needed to be better at some other things too. Well, if his upside niche as a hockey player is 50-60pt complementary skill winger, he's likely not EVER going to become a Cole Smith type and will never get better at those other things, but why not just keep progressing him instead in the areas he CAN contribute successfully in? It's a lot the same with Fabbro and how he was clearly very successful partnered with Josi (and helped Josi be more successful too which is probably an even bigger positive for our team). We actually saw those players do Good Things for us. We didn't even need to patiently wait and wonder if they ever could, because they already did it. Then the braintrust willfully ignored it. :help:
There are facets of the game that we can knock (nit pick) for both of them. But they weren't going to make strides improving those weaknesses by not playing at all and they couldn't contribute to their strengths if asked to play to their weaknesses because "the system". Asking Fabbro to crash the net like a power forward or else? It's dumb. Asking Tomasino to tone down his creativity and goal scoring skill because he needs to throw huge hip checks on bigger players? Lunacy.
 

nine_inch_fang

HFBoards Sponsor
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Oct 8, 2004
6,228
5,024
Nashville
Tomasino has always been a straight work ethic issue for me. I don't need the kid to throw hip checks anything of that sort, he's not a grinder. But, damn it, he has to "try" to get to pucks and win wall battles to retain possession.

The reason he did well in his rookie season was the "Master Blaster" effect. McC and Smith or whoever did all the grinding and he added the creativity against other forth lines. What didn't work his rookie season or the next two was when he had PP or top 6 shifts and he didn't want to do the work to get/keep possession against other teams better players. He was young and needed to learn that, I'm not sure "giving" a kid with poor work ethic ice time is a great way for him to learn anything. Evangelista is actually a good counter point to Tomasino in this category. Luke is never going to be a grinding hitting machine like L'Heureux but he does hound pucks and annoy the other team with being determined and present ever shift. And, that earns respect from the coaches.

That being said, I thought he was showing more maturity this season and was more determined to win possession but I guess there's no redemption in Brunette's mind.
 

Viqsi

"that chick from Ohio"
Oct 5, 2007
56,233
36,057
40N 83W (approx)
It's my team, it's who I will always cheer for, good or bad. Does that mean I agree with the direction or what has transpired? Absolutely not.

Every team will have its high and lows, absolutely no team is going to be good forever. It's easy to be a fan when things are going well, the true test is whether you can hold on when things are bad. If you only care when they are good, then absolutely that qualifies as being a fair weather fan. Sorry if it hurts some feelings but that's kind of the definition.
Hi. I'm also a Jackets fan. :)

At one point years ago there were folks here asking why I still bothered with them and why don't I just go with the Preds full-time. The answer was simple enough - they're my first love. They're literally why I'm a hockey fan at all. Even if I need my space sometimes that's not something I could ever give up.

So yeah, I totally get this; it makes perfect sense to me. It's part of why I'm here.
As bad as this may seem, this is a fan base that came within inches of losing its team. We watched our players purposely be sold off, a solid team gone in an instant. So yeah as bad as this is, it pales in comparison.
And this just happens to be the other part - it was the trigger that took this team from "that other team I occasionally peek at for friends' and family's sake every once in a while" to "team #2" for me.
People are allowed to take breaks, or heck even walk away, but when you come back I'll still be here bitching like always.
_fistbump__by_Rose_Rayne.gif
 
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glenngineer

Registered User
Jan 27, 2010
7,130
2,237
Franklin, TN
This is the absolute least interested I’ve ever been in this team. They have absolutely no identity. They aren’t hard working. They aren’t skilled. They aren’t fun to watch. They aren’t focusing on defense. They aren’t playing wide open to focus on offense. They’re just a big pile of blah and it’s compounded by the fact that there doesn’t even seem to be any point in trying to get excited about seeing any youth coming up because they won’t get to play and then they’ll get moved for nothing. I’m absolutely mystified at the treatment of Fabbro. And a 4th for Tomasino? Really? What are we even supposed to be enjoying this season?
This is the one that kills me. If I saw these guys busting their asses night in and night out, I can live with the results. The fact that we are disengaged most nights is what wears on me. No accountability.

Yet here we are about to start the same lineup that's gotten us 3 loser points in a row. The time where the line blender should be applied it's not. It's like we do the complete opposite of what we're supposed to do when things are good or bad.
 

wmupreds

Registered User
Dec 15, 2022
1,275
1,795
It's my team, it's who I will always cheer for, good or bad. Does that mean I agree with the direction or what has transpired? Absolutely not.

Every team will have its high and lows, absolutely no team is going to be good forever. It's easy to be a fan when things are going well, the true test is whether you can hold on when things are bad. If you only care when they are good, then absolutely that qualifies as being a fair weather fan. Sorry if it hurts some feelings but that's kind of the definition.

As bad as this may seem, this is a fan base that came within inches of losing its team. We watched our players purposely be sold off, a solid team gone in an instant. So yeah as bad as this is, it pales in comparison.

People are allowed to take breaks, or heck even walk away, but when you come back I'll still be here bitching like always. Did i also mention I'm also an Arkansas fan? I have practice at this already. :banghead:
I disagree. Kind of.

I think people should consume how they want. And I'm saying that as someone about to turn on tonight's game for reasons I can't really articulate. Being a loyal fan is great, but acknowledging that this is an entertainment product, and currently a bad/mismanaged one, is fine too. While I tend to stick by teams because I find the ups and downs fun to follow (and the highs more gratifying that way), I don't think it's a flaw for people to tune out.

That said, your point about the team nearly moving is good. Sports are a business.. but a bit different than other businesses in that way. There is still the legitimate point that regardless of the current struggles, it's a blessing that hockey at the highest level even exists in Nashville, and we've been reminded before that without proper support there's no guarantee it stays.
 
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