Predators Hockey Discussion 22-23

[Flgatorguy87]

And speaking of the Cup run year, it is kind of mind blowing and a little depressing that it has almost been SIX years since that happened. Crazy. Although in some ways for me it feels like 20 years ago.

I can't recall a more enjoyable month than that cup run.

 

[predfan24]

You can go back and read the threads from 16-17 and it doesn't seem like anyone thought that team was capable of going on a run either. In fact, there are a lot of posts that you could pretty much copy and paste into threads nowadays and change a couple names and get a lot of agreement. Specifically, a lot of people questioning Lavi as a coach and putting him on the hot seat. A lot of posts questioning if Pekka is on his way out and we should turn to Saros more. The thing is I think those were perfectly reasonable takes at the time, but things can change really quickly in the NHL. I don't particularly have confidence we could go on a run in the playoffs, but I think our roster is definitely capable of it. Similarly, I'm not crazy about Hynes but we've had runs under him where we've been as good as anyone in the league too.

The issue is you can always look at one aberration to justify irrational confidence in a team. Lots of fans think if only this, this, this, this, this, and this, and oh yeah, this go right than we can compete for the cup!

The 16-17 team was an example of a team catching fire at the exact right moment. I would argue the momentum they built in the first two wins in Chicago carried them to the Cup finals that year. Pekka stole the first game and the Preds came into game 2 with confidence and swagger and womped the Hawks that second game. Everything snowballed from there.

Another key factor was, in hindsight, that was a relatively easy path to the Cup. We can now see that the Hawks were not that great. They were top-heavy and at the very end of their cup window. That was a really flawed team. STL was a solid team. I would compare them favorably that year to the Preds. Preds just had lots of momentum and chemistry at that moment and used it to ride past them. Anahiem: the way they were constructed the Preds always played them well. None of those teams were what I would define as elite or even great.

Pittsburgh was a great team, and while Preds played them well in Nashville, they got steamrolled in Pitt.

This year's Pred's team does not inspire me to believe they could make a run, however, looking at the Western conference, it is not super strong this year. If the Preds could suddenly click it's not outside the realm of possibility. I wouldn't bet on it though,

 

[drwpreds]

Pittsburgh was a great team, and while Preds played them well in Nashville, they got steamrolled in Pitt.

Penguins obviously were a good team, but I will believe to the day I die that was our year, our turn, to win the Cup. That Penguins team was not as good (at least in my opinion) as some of their other top teams, and also did not have Letang.

They were definitely beatable, and had we not had the injuries we did I think we would have won that series. And even WITH the injuries, had we won that game 1 like we should have (we completely dominated that game the last two periods) I think we would have won in 6. It could have followed the exact script we used in the other series. Steal game 1 on the road then win series at home in game 6. (Game 4 for the Hawks series)

I know we lost game 6 at home, but the entire vibe around that game would have changed if we had been up 3-2 at that time instead of down 3-2.

Oh, what might have been..........

 

[LCPreds]

Don’t forget that waived off goal and then the refs seemingly going out of their way to do the best they could to make it up via power plays and we just couldn’t capitalize. I do in some small way regret leaving and not watching all of the post game stuff but at the same time I was so mad I didn’t want to sit there any longer.

 

[Armourboy]

I'm definitely a half empty kind of guy when it comes to the Preds and based on my comments above I'm super pessimistic, apparently to the opposition of many here, about the current roster.

So here's my question, and this is kind of addressed to all but using your post as the kick off:

If the roster is legit 'pretty close' then why are the results so terrible relatively speaking? It has to be Hynes, right? Because if we're establishing the rosters are comparable at a base level I don't know what else it could be. Other than an extreme amount of bad puck luck.

I think Hynes is a lot of it but keep in mind that Cup run roster just barely made it into the playoffs, it's not like we set the world on fire that season.

The President's Cup year was a good year, but a year and experience older from the younger guys and I think coming off that run they were hungry out of the gate. Looking back I think both the run and the next season there was some things we just didn't realize at the time.

The Pacific was basically at the end of their run. LA, San Jose, and Anaheim were basically on fumes and coming apart. Then in the Central Chicago was done, St. Louis and Minnesota were mediocre, tbh the only really good team out of the Central was Winnipeg who won despite their coach. The rest of the teams were basically still working their way up or down depending on the team, oh and no Vegas or Seattle yet.

I think we just got hot in a weak year. I think the west is still weak, we just haven't been hot.

 

[jumb0]

Don’t forget that waived off goal and then the refs seemingly going out of their way to do the best they could to make it up via power plays and we just couldn’t capitalize. I do in some small way regret leaving and not watching all of the post game stuff but at the same time I was so mad I didn’t want to sit there any longer.

If we're rehashing all the bulls&*% don't forget Crosby's water bottle "slip" and Crosby slamming Subban's face into the ice repeatedly, both of which were totally legal.

 

[drwpreds]

If we're rehashing all the bulls&*% don't forget Crosby's water bottle "slip" and Crosby slamming Subban's face into the ice repeatedly, both of which were totally legal.

I will never get over the Crosby/Subban thing. Absolute insanity he got nothing for that- should have been suspended

 

[drwpreds]

I still think people forget just how much we dominated that game 1 for a long stretch

Penguins had 12 SOG for the entire game
0 shots in the 2nd period
4 shots in the 3rd period

They had about a 38 minute stretch with ZERO shots on goal. Almost 2 full periods. I mean, how is that even possible??

And then after all of that they scored the game winning goal on the first shot in 38 minutes

Unreal that with all that we still lost the game

 

[GeauxPreds1]

If we're rehashing all the bulls&*% don't forget Crosby's water bottle "slip" and Crosby slamming Subban's face into the ice repeatedly, both of which were totally legal.

Or the call for offsides on forsberg even though there was no refutable evidence that should of overturned that first goal. The penguins had so many calls go their way that series it made me sick.

 

[triggrman]

Or the call for offsides on forsberg even those there was no refutable evidence that should have overturned that first goal. The penguins had so many calls go their way that series it made me sick.

The intent to blow the whistle goal too

 

[Armourboy]

I will never get over the Crosby/Subban thing. Absolute insanity he got nothing for that- should have been suspended

NHL wasn't going to suspend their golden boy. We lost that series due to injuries, the Refs just made sure it was going to happen.

 

[predfan24]

Don’t forget that waived off goal and then the refs seemingly going out of their way to do the best they could to make it up via power plays and we just couldn’t capitalize. I do in some small way regret leaving and not watching all of the post game stuff but at the same time I was so mad I didn’t want to sit there any longer.

I'm a frugal person but for that game I went all-in due to the rarity of the situation. I paid 1000$ for a lower bowl ticket that was behind, but a little bit to the side of the goal that had the infamous waived off goal. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited for a split second and then was flabbergasted and angry. Then I saw Horny score with less than two minutes to go on that same goal. It was like living in a dream. A bad dream lol. I stayed and watched the cup presentation and celebration because I knew this would be a once in a life time event. However, it felt really hollow.

 

[PredsV82]

Don’t forget that waived off goal and then the refs seemingly going out of their way to do the best they could to make it up via power plays and we just couldn’t capitalize. I do in some small way regret leaving and not watching all of the post game stuff but at the same time I was so mad I didn’t want to sit there any longer.

This was me exactly

 

[hockey diva]

To bring this thread back to this season…

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Cole Smith re-signed for 1yr/$775k. That's a good signing IMO. He was slated to be a UFA, and that's the league minimum value, which is exactly what he should be making as a #12/13 forward for us next season.

 

[KaraLupin]

McRibs didnt play a single playoff game because he was waived in Feb of that year and cleared. His nhl career was effectively over due to his off ice personal life.

So what you are saying is if Ribs had managed to deal with his demons in the off-season and played a full year, that he could have provided the needed scoring bump in the post-season--- nevermind I looked at his playoff stats the year prior.

 

[LCPreds]

Finding this little gem at the midway point doesn’t surprise me. It really sums up how I feel and why I just have minimal excitement for the team right now. Tomorrow night will be the first game I’ve attended since December and really hope it’s as good as some that my wife told me I missed in Jan.

Weekend NHL rankings: How worried should the Golden Knights be?

Could the Golden Knights actually miss the playoffs? With All-Star Weekend done, Sean McIndoe sets the stage for the stretch run.

theathletic.com

3. One team stands above all others in terms of mediocrity —

We’ll use the middle spot on this list to highlight one team that’s done an amazing job of staying in the league’s mushy middle. The Nashville Predators haven’t appeared on either list this season. They didn’t appear on either list last season. And they made just one lone appearance in 2020-21, showing up in the bottom five for one week. One appearance on either list in the last three seasons is absolutely … OK.

The lists he’s talking about are his top 5 and bottom 5.

 

[ShagDaddy]

Cole Smith re-signed for 1yr/$775k. That's a good signing IMO. He was slated to be a UFA, and that's the league minimum value, which is exactly what he should be making as a #12/13 forward for us next season.

The reign of Poile and Hynes will come to an end at some point in the future. Just keep smiling until then

 

[triggrman]

Cole Smith re-signed for 1yr/$775k. That's a good signing IMO. He was slated to be a UFA, and that's the league minimum value, which is exactly what he should be making as a #12/13 forward for us next season.

Disagree. He's not a NHL level player.

 

[Armourboy]

Cole Smith re-signed for 1yr/$775k. That's a good signing IMO. He was slated to be a UFA, and that's the league minimum value, which is exactly what he should be making as a #12/13 forward for us next season.

Only thing about it that makes me happy is it wasn't for more than one year and it was league min. I'd be just as happy if they didn't sign him at all.

 

[herzausstein]

C. Smith - At worst, he can play 13th forward and ride the pressbox. I think he is suitable for a 4th line grindfest. Decent contract that can be completely buried without a 2nd thought.

Now as to should our bottom 6 look the way it does being modeled after a seemingly by-gone era of grind hockey is another question

 

[Predsanddead24]

No real problem with re-signing him as I think he's good enough to have in the system as a 12th/13th forward type or premier AHLer. He's a replacement level player on a replacement level contract so no big deal. Might be nice to have if we have to move on from Jeannot/Trenin due to cap issues in the offseason too. Unfortunately, I think our management/coaching see him as more than that so we may see him with a permanent lineup spot again next year.

Anyways Smith seems like a good guy and definitely has had to work his ass off to make it to the NHL as an undrafted free agent so happy for him to get a solid payday too.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Finding this little gem at the midway point doesn’t surprise me. It really sums up how I feel and why I just have minimal excitement for the team right now. Tomorrow night will be the first game I’ve attended since December and really hope it’s as good as some that my wife told me I missed in Jan.

Weekend NHL rankings: How worried should the Golden Knights be?

Could the Golden Knights actually miss the playoffs? With All-Star Weekend done, Sean McIndoe sets the stage for the stretch run.

theathletic.com

The lists he’s talking about are his top 5 and bottom 5.

For me, the only thing "exciting" that has happened is Parssinen jumping into the lineup. Well, and to a much lesser extent the mini-emergences of Glass and Novak.

Otherwise it has just felt like biding time waiting for Hynes to be fired, the team doesn't seem to have any intention of being proactive about making the playoffs. It's kind of weird to me, because if your philosophy is that you do basically have a general default goal of being "mediocre"... the Preds haven't really gone very hard after even that.

Maybe that is all just needs a "yet" stuck on the end of it.

 

[101st_fan]

Disagree. He's not a NHL level player.

He is a NHL level player in the 11th/12th/13th player role. His 5on5 numbers this season compare well with Granlund who makes 6x the salary. He is FAR from a top 6, scoring winger but he is a serviceable banger, grinder, PKer.

 

[triggrman]

He is a NHL level player in the 11th/12th/13th player role. His 5on5 numbers this season compare well with Granlund who makes 6x the salary. He is FAR from a top 6, scoring winger but he is a serviceable banger, grinder, PKer.

Sure bud