Nashville Predators Talk - 2024/2025 Season

[Kat Predator]

Listening to the broadcast and Willy brings up a top 9 and a 4th line that is the identity line. I start to think of who we're playing and I go, I have no clue who's on Colorado's 4th line, all I know is MacKinnon and Makar are the identity and set the tone for the rest of the team. I never see either of these guys take a shift off when we play them. I'm not saying our top guys aren't putting in the work but to rely on your 4th line to be the identity of your team is absolutely ridiculous.

Your best players set the tone. End of story. This narrative that our fourth line has to set the tone and be our identity is one of the biggest problems. I thought ROR was brought in to be a leader. Same with some of the other vets yet I don't see them setting any sort of tone. Forsberg's been about the only one all year who can set a tone.

In some sense, it has been the identity line.

Slow. Turnover prone. Poor passing. A fluke goal once every 10 games or so. Leaking goals against like a sieve.

That has largely been the identity the team has aspired to play like.

 

[glenngineer]

In some sense, it has been the identity line.

Slow. Turnover prone. Poor passing. A fluke goal once every 10 games or so. Leaking goals against like a sieve.

That has largely been the identity the team has aspired to play like.

This literally made me laugh out loud. This is the perfect response.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Wrong thread.

 

[Soundgarden]

Listening to the broadcast and Willy brings up a top 9 and a 4th line that is the identity line. I start to think of who we're playing and I go, I have no clue who's on Colorado's 4th line, all I know is MacKinnon and Makar are the identity and set the tone for the rest of the team. I never see either of these guys take a shift off when we play them. I'm not saying our top guys aren't putting in the work but to rely on your 4th line to be the identity of your team is absolutely ridiculous.

Your best players set the tone. End of story. This narrative that our fourth line has to set the tone and be our identity is one of the biggest problems. I thought ROR was brought in to be a leader. Same with some of the other vets yet I don't see them setting any sort of tone. Forsberg's been about the only one all year who can set a tone.

Were the lunch bucket teams of the expansion days but with triple the payroll and we still have a losing record.

 

[herzausstein]

If the bottom line keeps forcing the team to play from behind due to bad play, it is hard to argue that they dont set the tone. Yes, they arent paid to go out there and score. That is the top 6 (preferably top 9) but they also cant go out there and kneecap the team with piss poor defensive play.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Not sure if this got talked about at some point already, but I was pretty surprised by the game Del Gaizo put together this weekend. I liked his game a lot against Colorado. He was a little up and down against Edmonton but overall considering his partner I thought he's put together a couple solid games.

 

[herzausstein]

Del Gaizo is doing fine in a bottom pairing role. He has been on the ice for only 1 goal against. Some of that is due to matchups, TOI, etc but he hasnt been an issue yet and having him out there allows Bruno to run with his other preferred pairings Skjei/Josi and Carrier/Lauzon. I hate that Fabbro gets the short end here but Del Gaizo is the better option for the other pairings Bruno wants to run. Having Fabbro in means all sorts of juggling has to occur throughout the game in order for Bruno to limit both schenn and fabbros ice time

I think the better option is to jettison lauzon into the sun or run him 3rd pairing and jettison schenn but we dont really have a nhl ready rhd to replace schenn and bruno seems to love him some lauzon

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Del Gaizo is doing fine in a bottom pairing role. He has been on the ice for only 1 goal against. Some of that is due to matchups, TOI, etc but he hasnt been an issue yet and having him out there allows Bruno to run with his other preferred pairings Skjei/Josi and Carrier/Lauzon. I hate that Fabbro gets the short end here but Del Gaizo is the better option for the other pairings Bruno wants to run. Having Fabbro in means all sorts of juggling has to occur throughout the game in order for Bruno to limit both schenn and fabbros ice time

I think the better option is to jettison lauzon into the sun or run him 3rd pairing and jettison schenn but we dont really have a nhl ready rhd to replace schenn and bruno seems to love him some lauzon

The big slow guys are a problem with Lauzon and Schenn. I'm doubtful anything will change, but I wish they'd look to shake things up.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Imagine if we could actually play Stastney, Del Gaizo, and Fabbro nightly. I get it, we'd be too small for playoffs, but unless we change things up size for the playoffs isn't going to matter.

 

[glenngineer]

Imagine if we could actually play Stastney, Del Gaizo, and Fabbro nightly. I get it, we'd be too small for playoffs, but unless we change things up size for the playoffs isn't going to matter.

I hear ya and what the D lacks is balance and size. Unless you're a difference maker we shouldn't be dressing anyone who's under 200 pounds, at a bare minimum. I remember looking at the Boston dmen when we played them and their lightest guy would've been either our heaviest or second heaviest player on the back end.

I really wish we had gone after Zadorov. He's big, can skate and no one is going to mess with anyone on the ice when he's out there. If the only reason we're dressing Schenn is to protect our guys, we have severely mismanaged our roster. Puck mover with a stay at home guy. If you can find guys that do both well, it makes it easier to assemble a roster but if you can't, this is where you start.

As far as adding toughness to the roster, if I'm Trotz, I ask LA what they want for Jeannot and run with it. Move away from McCarron and Smith and then insert more talent up front, remove Schenn and either insert Fabbro or start revamping the back end. We're not going to win with guys like Carrier on D. Fabbro for that matter too.

 

[Adz]

So this is somewhat of a complaint about the ops part of the Preds. As a FSTH I am eligible for a free jersey (we all know it isn't really but okay) We got an email this week to get our free jersey. It isn't being handed out prior to a game like most of the freebies. Instead, they're having a special pick up on Thursday and will have a watch party for the game later on. There were forms to indicate your jersey size and if you wanted it personalized it allowed you to do that, pay in advance and have it mailed to you BUT you still have to go to this event, pick it up, and walk it across the corridor to the Pro Shop. And there's no parking available. I know it isn't really a cash grab for them per se (unless you count the concessions) but you'd think they could at least open up the arena parking lot for $5 or, even better, walk jerseys that are going to be personalized over to the Pro Shop and avoid a lot of the crowd. I know, first world problems but I'm hoping someone from the team takes a gander at this sort of stuff occasionally.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

It is genuinely depressing that we are the oldest team in the league and this season is probably the best we will be for the next three years.

 

[Soundgarden]

It is genuinely depressing that we are the oldest team in the league and this season is probably the best we will be for the next three years.

It's going to be a long long season, we're out before thanksgiving

 

[JR303]

It is genuinely depressing that we are the oldest team in the league and this season is probably the best we will be for the next three years.

And this is one of my main issues. The things that are happening, should not be happening with a veteran group. Turnover after turnover and whiffed passes, on top of turning into the opposing team's player and getting knocked off the puck, losing every single race to a puck....

Sorry, what I actually saw of tonight's game might be the most depressing display of hockey I've seen in a long time. Obviously we have to be the slowest damn team in the league, but you would think some of our old crafty guys would be able to use some of those years of hockey wisdom and turn the tables our way for a bit.

As much as I like forsberg, he is a turnover machine at the moment, put him out there with someone else who can carry the puck and let him get his mojo back because it's just not there right now. I know he's getting some points, but the eye test looks pretty bad.

In the long run, if this system is too difficult to play or pick up on, then damn man, simplify it. If you can't get that to happen, find someone else who can.