What's funny is, they love to try Smith in those roles whenever they can, yet ZLH is stuck with McCarron.
Nashville Predators Talk - 2024/2025 Season II
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Armourboy
Hey! We suck!
That's what they should be doing being we are in the position we are in, but Trotz and Brunette are going to Trotz and Brunette. I'm just happy they finally put Evangelista in the top 6. It's at least a start.
Also on Stamkos retiring, I seriously doubt it unless he has had some life thing pop up suddenly. The talk all season long is how he wants to play until 40 or longer.
Porter Stoutheart
Ineptly Tanking
- Jun 14, 2017
- 15,021
- 11,449
I can't see any issue with picking Tolvanen over Robertson. I mean, you can congratulate Dallas for "not being dumb".... like most other NHL teams were... possibly even for being extra-smart... if you happened to know they had Robertson ranked CONSIDERABLY higher on their list than everybody else did.
But they got Robertson at #39. That's.... quite the draft from #14 to #39...
Norris and Thomas were good picks. Dallas absolutely struck gold with Oettinger then Robertson.
But who's asking all those other teams why they didn't take Robertson? Out of 25 picks in a row there, Tolvanen might be what, 5th or 6th best or so?
Then if you want to stack the pre-draft rankings on top of that, Robertson STILL fell relative to being ranked around #27...
As did Tolvanen, but he was ranked a lot higher than Robertson was...
Anyway, I think these are the kinds of things where you can't exactly fault us for at least getting Tolvanen in that draft. You can
for Dallas. But we did better than most teams. We subsequently threw that modest success straight into the trash bin, mind you. But it wasn't the scouting/drafting that messed up.
herzausstein
Registered User
I understand not wanting to put two raw rookies on a line together like svechkov and L’Heureux but it really kills me that we can't elevated one of them to the top 6 and spread the vet depth around.
Forsberg ror Evangelista
L’Heureux Stamkos March
Bunting svech sissons
Smith McCarron extras
Let Bunting get some extra shifts in with stamkos and call it a day.
101st_fan
I taught Yoda
2024-25 is the first year below 50% of possible points not coached by Barry Trotz.
I can't believe this news for multiple reasons. One is the source, not that Timonen might not have connections here, but someone closer would have been talking about it already, or confirmed it within the past 24 hours since it broke. Second is Timonen himself was always an exemplary professional. I really, really doubt that if he did have this news that he wouldn't respect Stamkos enough not to leak it before Stammer officially announced it.
Then of course there's the $22.5M that he'd be leaving on the table, yes he's made a lot of money in his career but that's still 18% of his total career earnings. Plus he's an elite professional athlete, those guys aren't known for just giving up in a difficult situation. I could see him asking for a trade before just outright retiring, even with his scoring being down there has to be plenty of teams that would love to have him just for the PR and jersey sales.
The problem I have with this kind of post (not the poster) but with the Preds Org is that we could have say picked one of those other players but the GM/HC have not shown that they will play the young players like the teams that actually chose those players.
Tomasino for Pitt has played 45 games with 10/10/20. Was that not good enough for the Preds? They (Preds) played him like a yo-yo and messed with him constantly.
Not a young player and many did not want but Kiefer Sherwood is another player who left and is playing better away from Nashville than when he was with Nashville. Van stats 68 games 17/15/32 AND just set a new NHL hits record.
Fabbro is having an excellent year in CBJ 51 games 5/12/17 playing 21:57 a game.
Jankowski is another that fans wanted gone but with Car 8 games 6/0/6.
My point is why are these players excelling away from Nashville and ALL of these great players brought in struggling? (Stamkos, March, Skjei) As well as pretty much the whole team is struggling. For two years now! How long can GMBT keep blaming the players before the owners see it is not the players?
I'm not saying it's true or not, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that Stamkos hangs them up. He is an older guy who has played what 16-17 years already in this league. He has made over 125 million dollars. He has won the Cup. There is almost nothing left for him to prove or accomplish.
I can easily see him as a guy who spent his entire career (up till now) as the face of a franchise. He loved the city and the city loved him. I can't imagine the amount of relationships he and his family have made there in that community. I can promise if Tampa had offered anything remotely competitive to what Trotz did he would have never left. But they didn't so in truth he didn't come here to win; he came here to retire. But now he looks at this roster and its bleak future, and maybe he is thinking he can call it a career a couple of years early, take his millions in the bank and his Cup rings and go back home. Do I think he retires after the end of the season? No. But I can certainly understand if he did.
herzausstein
Registered User
Lol is that why we kept Bruno? So Trotz wouldn't hold that record anymore
101st_fan
I taught Yoda
Worst points percentage for the franchise is safely in Trotz's hands ... 98-99. The rest are in play.
herzausstein
Registered User
Porter Stoutheart
Ineptly Tanking
- Jun 14, 2017
- 15,021
- 11,449
Porter Stoutheart
Ineptly Tanking
- Jun 14, 2017
- 15,021
- 11,449
Maybe the exit interviews this year will open Trotz's mind a little? He went out and hand-picked all these character/culture veterans. If they sit down with him in a few weeks and tell him they think Bruno sucks, what does that do? Does it blow Trotz's mind? Will it be too big a cognitive dissonance for him to handle?
Marchessault already kind of alluded to it. What if all the others echo him? Trotz wants to fully support his coach. He also believes strongly in the character/culture veteran players. Who wins?
Marchessault already kind of alluded to it. What if all the others echo him? Trotz wants to fully support his coach. He also believes strongly in the character/culture veteran players. Who wins?
Porter Stoutheart
Ineptly Tanking
- Jun 14, 2017
- 15,021
- 11,449
BTW, with the latest surge, Evangelista has snuck into the top-9 for icetime. He's finally at least a 3rd liner! 
Assuming Nyquist/Bunting are essentially the same player, our top-9 forwards still include Sissons, McCarron, and Smith, btw.
Assuming Nyquist/Bunting are essentially the same player, our top-9 forwards still include Sissons, McCarron, and Smith, btw.
PredAlert
Registered User
- Mar 21, 2010
- 124
- 14
It bothers me that Trotz and Brunette think McCarron is a better 4th line C than Jankowski despite the underlying numbers and results being ridiculously lopsided in Jank's favor. Sure, you can say "it's just Jankowski, it doesn't matter", but it's a symptom of a way bigger issue. They are set in their ways no matter what the numbers say, they're not interested, they know better. In fact, signing Stamkos to that contract is the proof they don't.Their player evaluation is atrocious. They let Sherwood, who made the 4th line work retrieving pucks, walk, and they just keep doubling down on these bad hockey players that produce bad results because of "sandpaper". I bet they think Cole Smith is better than Sherwood for the same reason. "Sandpaper". Won't be at all shocking if Bunting's another Trotz flop. Sissons is another player that gets overutilized constantly season after season.
When he comes out and starts talking about "just a couple of small tweaks but mostly keep things as they are" it already makes me depressed and unexcited for next season and we're not even done with this one yet. What are we gonna get? Bunting getting his undeserved 17 minutes a night over any young player just like Nyquist did right up until he was gone? Depressing.
When he comes out and starts talking about "just a couple of small tweaks but mostly keep things as they are" it already makes me depressed and unexcited for next season and we're not even done with this one yet. What are we gonna get? Bunting getting his undeserved 17 minutes a night over any young player just like Nyquist did right up until he was gone? Depressing.
glenngineer
Registered User
I think everyone missed my point about Tolvanen. I said we could over analyze this pick to death, which has been done over and over. That was the pick, I'm fine with it.
The problem I have with this org is every team seems to find a gem outside the first round when it comes to forwards, except us. Outside of Arvy, Erat, Sissons, Smith and Tootoo, who was a regular that we picked outside of round 1? Then on top of it, who have we picked in the first round who turned into a great top 6 player? Hartnell, Fiala, Radulov are the only three I can think of. Legwand was solid too but none of these guys were superstars.
We suck at drafting and developing forwards, plain and simple. Change needs to happen for it to improve. The problem is when you're looking thru the same lens year in and year out, you don't get a different perspective.
The problem I have with this org is every team seems to find a gem outside the first round when it comes to forwards, except us. Outside of Arvy, Erat, Sissons, Smith and Tootoo, who was a regular that we picked outside of round 1? Then on top of it, who have we picked in the first round who turned into a great top 6 player? Hartnell, Fiala, Radulov are the only three I can think of. Legwand was solid too but none of these guys were superstars.
We suck at drafting and developing forwards, plain and simple. Change needs to happen for it to improve. The problem is when you're looking thru the same lens year in and year out, you don't get a different perspective.
Porter Stoutheart
Ineptly Tanking
- Jun 14, 2017
- 15,021
- 11,449
I think Sissons had his role down pat in previous seasons, but aside from that I agree.
I don't think anybody here would ever disagree that Jankowski was the superior player between him and McCarron. I'd take it a step further and say that he's better than Smith also. The problem again comes down to us having 3 or 4 of these guys in our lineup every night, when instead we should only ever have 1.
The Preds braintrust will say that McCarron (aka "Big Sexy") has great off-ice intangibles and value in terms of keeping things loose in the dressing room or whatever. Or that Smith hits the gym hard and piles up 20 miles on the bike after every game and shows up looking gung-ho at every team meeting. Etc. Ok. I also get rewarding a #13F who isn't strictly an NHL player on talent but who brings something to the room which serves as an example. Just... you don't need 4 of those guys. You don't need to promote the surplus in that area over your young players who have actual NHL-level talent. Stop at 1. Carry 1 of these guys. Just 1. Not 4.
I agree. But is it who they are drafting or what type of player are they drafting THEN is player development even working in Nashville. Who has the Preds drafted and developed? The ONLY players they have developed have been D and G's. NO offensive players. Then players they drafted were a specific mold, not the best offensive player. And if they were offensive, how long did they stay? Ala Fiala, Tolvanen, Radulov, to name a few.
glenngineer
Registered User
McCarron is soft. If you want a cheerleader sign him to a non NHL contract and keep him around the team. Otherwise, cut him loose. It might be a good wake-up call.I think Sissons had his role down pat in previous seasons, but aside from that I agree.
I don't think anybody here would ever disagree that Jankowski was the superior player between him and McCarron. I'd take it a step further and say that he's better than Smith also. The problem again comes down to us having 3 or 4 of these guys in our lineup every night, when instead we should only ever have 1.
The Preds braintrust will say that McCarron (aka "Big Sexy") has great off-ice intangibles and value in terms of keeping things loose in the dressing room or whatever. Or that Smith hits the gym hard and piles up 20 miles on the bike after every game and shows up looking gung-ho at every team meeting. Etc. Ok. I also get rewarding a #13F who isn't strictly an NHL player on talent but who brings something to the room which serves as an example. Just... you don't need 4 of those guys. You don't need to promote the surplus in that area over your young players who have actual NHL-level talent. Stop at 1. Carry 1 of these guys. Just 1. Not 4.
Porter Stoutheart
Ineptly Tanking
- Jun 14, 2017
- 15,021
- 11,449
That's just it. At some point you have to give your young forwards legitimate opportunity. If you don't, they are going to sail away. That's our roadblock. I don't know why. Why do we value some 28-30 year old AHL tweeners above our 22-23 year olds who actually have upside?
Maybe it's one thing when you're a bubble team and the coach thinks (still probably wrongly) that the veteran player will make the safer play and help you make that Wildcard playoff spot?
But now when we're a basement trash team? It absolutely should not be the same mindset. And yet it is...
Porter Stoutheart
Ineptly Tanking
- Jun 14, 2017
- 15,021
- 11,449
He's not exactly soft. He has 100pim. To lead our team. Not like he's very effective with either his physicality or fighting. But he's willing. He knows what it will take for him to stick in the NHL, and he punches the clock on that requirement.
But end of the day, he still has 11 pts and is -18. He's just not an NHL level player, on skills/on-ice contribution alone.
So okay, if his "intangibles" raise the bar and you want to keep him around despite his lack of NHL talent... you can do that. Just... he should be the ONLY player on the entire roster you give that pass to. Carry 1 of these guys. Cut loose Smith, Lauzon, whoever else is not really an NHL player.
Preds had chaos at start of the season. Ok, it’s now over. Preds have chaos at the end of the season. Changing a lot of things has resulted in remaining the same. Just “Wait till next year”; Why? I point out Preds have changed a lot of players. GM, Coaches and Scouts are virtually the same. Haslam, this is a hint!
The organization needs a major overhaul in the scouting and player development department. Doubt it will happen because of the nepotism and “predators way” though. Depending on how the GM wants to rebuild the roster, they should be poaching the scouting department from Dallas or Carolina and Vegas.
People love bringing up Sherwood all the time as a Trotz problem but never stop to think that maybe he just didn't want to play in Nashville anymore
Agree that Sherwood may have decided to leave but why he did may also be a Trotz problem. There may be others who would like to leave but can’t. They make too much but that may also be a Trotz problem
0k, ok; I think Trotz is a problem and I really respect the good man he is. But when he left coaching here it was time and he probably should have stayed gone. Preds knew what his philosophy was. And that is yesterday’s philosophy.
