Confirmed Signing with Link: [NSH] Mattias Ekholm re-signs with the Predators (4 years, $6.25M AAV)

[nbwingsfan]

I’d take a discount to stay in Nashville too. Great contract, although they probably should be trading these assets to get out of mediocrity

 

[nbwingsfan]

You said we won't be able to draft and develop a new core... But it's already happened/happening...

Tolvanen is here, just traded for Glass. Tomasino, Svechkov, Afanasyev, Parssinen, Evangelista coming along up front, Chistyakov, Farrance and Askarov on the back end. I'm probably forgetting someone there too, but those are all very promising players already in the fold with more picks coming every year.

The job that Poile has done rebuilding the prospect pool while still fielding a playoff team is pretty remarkable.

None of those players are expected to be true star players though. That’s pretty much always been the issue for Nashville

 

[nbwingsfan]

Sounds like you haven't been paying attention. We've already been drafting a new core the last three years

Askarov
Chistyakov
Farrance
Tomasino
Afanysev
Svechkov
L'heareux

If that’s your best players like Nashville probably won’t be a top team. Other than Askarov none of these guys project to be stars and most aren’t even top line forwards or top pair D.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Fair enough to both of you.
Think most would say the only star level guy as of now is Askarov in that group. Typically core guys/star players are drafted inside top 10.

Hopefully it works out for you, wouldn't mind the smaller market teams get their time to shine.

In saying this, the Ekholm deal is solid.

You said we won't be able to draft and develop a new core... But it's already happened/happening...

Tolvanen is here, just traded for Glass. Tomasino, Svechkov, Afanasyev, Parssinen, Evangelista coming along up front, Chistyakov, Farrance and Askarov on the back end. I'm probably forgetting someone there too, but those are all very promising players already in the fold with more picks coming every year.

The job that Poile has done rebuilding the prospect pool while still fielding a playoff team is pretty remarkable.

Sounds like you haven't been paying attention. We've already been drafting a new core the last three years

Askarov
Chistyakov
Farrance
Tomasino
Afanysev
Svechkov
L'heareux

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Sounds like you haven't been paying attention. We've already been drafting a new core the last three years

Askarov
Chistyakov
Farrance
Tomasino
Afanysev
Svechkov
L'heareux

Inb4 there's no franchise players there...doh, too late.

 

[Soundgarden]

If that’s your best players like Nashville probably won’t be a top team. Other than Askarov none of these guys project to be stars and most aren’t even top line forwards or top pair D.

Tomasino, Svechkov and Afanysev all project to be top line guys and Farrance has high potential.

L'Heareaux is more of a boom or bust guy and I think Chistyakov tops out as a good no.4, but everyone else has impressed. Maybe you just don't know enough about our prospect pool?

 

[Soundgarden]

Fair enough to both of you.
Think most would say the only star level guy as of now is Askarov in that group. Typically core guys/star players are drafted inside top 10.

Hopefully it works out for you, wouldn't mind the smaller market teams get their time to shine.

In saying this, the Ekholm deal is solid.

We don't have that luxury, our team needs to make the playoffs every year. We find our core guys in later rounds or trades, like Weber, Josi, Forsberg, etc.

Ekholm himself was a 4th rounder.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

We don't have that luxury, our team needs to make the playoffs every year. We find our core guys in later rounds or trades, like Weber, Josi, Forsberg, etc.

Ekholm himself was a 4th rounder.

For sure, but at some point, you're just defining insanity, the fanbase should demand more.

If you start now, you can catch the downfall of DAL, STL and possibly CHI.
ARI is still years away.
MIN is kinda in no man's land as well.

Don't want to derail the thread, Ekholm is a great player and good for NSH to keep him there.

 

[StreetHawk]

I’d take a discount to stay in Nashville too. Great contract, although they probably should be trading these assets to get out of mediocrity

I think it’s a fair deal not a great one. He is 32 when this deal starts next season. Plenty of Dmen when they were 28 got max term and their deals go til they are 28. Carlson and OEL for example.

clears up one major item for Nashville. Now they need to figure out Forsberg and what he wants.

 

[The Burdened]

Weird choice to take a discount and waste the last good years of his career on a treadmill team

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Tomasino, Svechkov and Afanysev all project to be top line guys and Farrance has high potential.

L'Heareaux is more of a boom or bust guy and I think Chistyakov tops out as a good no.4, but everyone else has impressed. Maybe you just don't know enough about our prospect pool?

We have a #3 overall, #4 overall, #6 overall, #9 overall, #11 overall in our forward group already... it won't surprise me if some of these guys in our current prospect group, despite being picked later, end up being as good or better.

 

[Legionnaire11]

I mean, Poile got this franchise within two wins of a Cup without drafting top-10 picks. Meanwhile the league is full of teams with drafted elite studs and less team success...

The Penguins and Hawks sucked into success, but how many teams have sucked into perpetual suck? I'll take the lottery ticket of just making the playoffs every year, it's better than having no chance of winning at all.

 

[Mass]

Weird choice to take a discount and waste the last good years of his career on a treadmill team

Post reads like someone who wanted Ekholm on their team for a C prospect plus a 2nd.

 

[Soundgarden]

For sure, but at some point, you're just defining insanity, the fanbase should demand more.

If you start now, you can catch the downfall of DAL, STL and possibly CHI.
ARI is still years away.
MIN is kinda in no man's land as well.

Don't want to derail the thread, Ekholm is a great player and good for NSH to keep him there.

Once you're in the playoffs anything can happen, you can't win the cup if you're not in the playoffs. We saw that the year we made the finals, and LA fans saw it when they won as an 8th seed.

We should be on par or at least in the thick of things with Dallas, St. Louis and Chicago, no need beat them to a tear down.

A lot of people are obsessed with scorched earth fire sales and rebuilds, but why risk ending up like Buffalo or Edmonton when you can have your best vets teach the young guys the ropes and foster a winning culture?

We'd rather have Josi and Ekholm teaching Fabbro, Carrier, Myers, Farrance and Chistyakov over the next few years than trade Josi and Ekholm for high returns and absolutely tank with a D core that has next to zero experience.

 

[triggrman]

None of those players are expected to be true star players though. That’s pretty much always been the issue for Nashville

Yet Poile has built the only team from our expansion era that has played in the SCF.

 

[glenbuis]

The contract he's playing under doesn't have a NMC or NTC. If Poile trades him after signing this deal that has a NMC that would be cold blooded. Like Paul Holmgren trading Jeff Carter + Mike Richards right before their NMCs kicked in.

there's a lot more to the carter/richards era in philly . veteran players were greatly concerned about the amount of partying / substance abuse with the young guns . holmgren was in a tough spot on that one

 

[StreetHawk]

The contract he's playing under doesn't have a NMC or NTC. If Poile trades him after signing this deal that has a NMC that would be cold blooded. Like Paul Holmgren trading Jeff Carter + Mike Richards right before their NMCs kicked in.

Different situation in that those 2 did play in those new deals with Philly before they got moved iirc. Similar to Subban.

But you are correct that it would be cold blooded to flip Ekholm now. Would also kill goodwill among players if he did that. Plus I recall that if a player signs a new contract with a ntc that the ntc could kick in immediately if their current deal does not contain one. From the Doughty deal is when I heard that.

 

[Bounces R Way]

No NTC is a plus for this deal. Should retain some trade value throughout it should the Preds decide on a different direction.

Great defenseman but I wouldn't call it a steal or anything. Brodie and Tanev are very comparable dmen that signed for significantly less AAV in UFA just last offseason. Always a concern how defensive defenseman age, but Swedes age well so maybe that counters that.

 

[ricky0034]

seems kinda dumb on his part to sign this deal without any sort of trade protection

 

[nbwingsfan]

Tomasino, Svechkov and Afanysev all project to be top line guys and Farrance has high potential.

L'Heareaux is more of a boom or bust guy and I think Chistyakov tops out as a good no.4, but everyone else has impressed. Maybe you just don't know enough about our prospect pool?

Every single team has players like the ones you just listed who “project” as top line guys but it’s fairly likely maybe only one actually does so.

True “top line” prospects are your Raymond, Byfield, Powers, Zegras, etc.

Nashville does not have a great prospect pool nor a very good team right now. Tough spot to be in, and I know how that feels being a Winga fan from 2010-2015.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Yet Poile has built the only team from our expansion era that has played in the SCF.

In 22 years:
Cup: 0
Finals: 1 (on a Cinderella run)
3rd round: 0
2nd round : 4
1st round: 9
No playoffs: 8

17 of 22 years you were max 1st round… 21 of 22 years you were max 2nd round…what exactly do you call that if not mediocre?

 

[triggrman]

In 22 years:
Cup: 0
Finals: 1 (on a Cinderella run)
3rd round: 0
2nd round : 4
1st round: 9
No playoffs: 8

17 of 22 years you were max 1st round… 21 of 22 years you were max 2nd round…what exactly do you call that if not mediocre?

Building

 

[Soundgarden]

Every single team has players like the ones you just listed who “project” as top line guys but it’s fairly likely maybe only one actually does so.

True “top line” prospects are your Raymond, Byfield, Powers, Zegras, etc.

Nashville does not have a great prospect pool nor a very good team right now. Tough spot to be in, and I know how that feels being a Winga fan from 2010-2015.

I'd argue that Nashville has a top 10 prospect pool after the last three drafts we had. Just because we didn't draft top of the draft doesn't mean guys like Tomasino or Svechkov can't be top line players, those guys are just more of an obvious choice.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

In 22 years:
Cup: 0
Finals: 1 (on a Cinderella run)
3rd round: 0
2nd round : 4
1st round: 9
No playoffs: 8

17 of 22 years you were max 1st round… 21 of 22 years you were max 2nd round…what exactly do you call that if not mediocre?

Tell us stories of the grand and great teams in Edmonton and Buffalo over the last 20 years. I'll wait.

 

[Soundgarden]

In 22 years:
Cup: 0
Finals: 1 (on a Cinderella run)
3rd round: 0
2nd round : 4
1st round: 9
No playoffs: 8

17 of 22 years you were max 1st round… 21 of 22 years you were max 2nd round…what exactly do you call that if not mediocre?

Anybody who uses this as proof Poile needs to go or Nashville has been a failure is missing massive amounts of context.