Friedman: Predators looking for a center

[Blitzkrug]

Isn’t Stamkos a centre?

He was but he hasn't really played center full time for a while now.

Both Tampa and now the Preds have been running him at LW presumably to take advantage of his one timer.

 

[Fatass]

He was but he hasn't really played center full time for a while now.

Both Tampa and now the Preds have been running him at LW presumably to take advantage of his one timer.

Sure in the o zone. But doesn’t he take draws and play the centre role without the puck? Forsberg and Stamkos aren’t the 1-2 centres?

 

[Soundgarden]

Sure in the o zone. But doesn’t he take draws and play the centre role without the puck? Forsberg and Stamkos aren’t the 1-2 centres?

Forsbergs has never played center in the NHL, strictly LW. O'Reilly is our no.1c followed by Novak/Sissons.

 

[Fatass]

Forsbergs has never played center in the NHL, strictly LW. O'Reilly is our no.1c followed by Novak/Sissons.

Press have ROR and Stamkos and want another centre? Sure, but isn’t it going to be a guy who is a third or fourth liner?

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Press have ROR and Stamkos and want another centre? Sure, but isn’t it going to be a guy who is a third or fourth liner?

No, our 3rd and 4th line centers are fine between Novak, Sissons, McCarron, depending on what type of lines we're rolling. Stamkos doesn't appear capable of playing as an ES center at this point and Novak doesn't seem capable of carrying a 2C role, so that's what we need (we actually need a 1C to push ROR down to 2C where he belongs, but that's not happening).

 

[Soundgarden]

Press have ROR and Stamkos and want another centre? Sure, but isn’t it going to be a guy who is a third or fourth liner?

Stamkos isn't really playing center either.

 

[Fatass]

Stamkos isn't really playing center either.

Maybe Trotz should have spent his UFA dollars on a centre then if Stamkos can’t do that anymore? Could just be poor team building by the GM if he’s in the market for a centre now after signing Stamkos? Maybe Trotz expected Stamkos to play centre?

 

[Soundgarden]

Maybe Trotz should have spent his UFA dollars on a centre then if Stamkos can’t do that anymore? Could just be poor team building by the GM if he’s in the market for a centre now after signing Stamkos? Maybe Trotz expected Stamkos to play centre?

I mean, we still needed power play help and scoring.

 

[CanadienShark]

Never understood why they traded Granlund away, looks a bit silly now with his resurgence with the Sharks, as a 1C even. Guess he's not the fastest player but that hockey IQ makes up for a lot.

He's pretty solid overall. He's good on the powerplay. Good on the PK. He's a good leader. He can pass. He can shoot. I'm just so pleased with how he's provided some stability for the Sharks and is a genuinely good player in a team filled with genuinely bad ones.

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

Thompson

For

Novak
Edstrom
Kemell

?

 

[centipede2233]

They've been trying since their inception. Check this link out, scroll to the drafted players and sort by position. C should appear first. It's dismal how bad we've drafted at the position you need to build your team around. Poile tried to build from the back end out and it's why he never won a Cup. Trotz, by signing Saros, decided to go down this same path, even though he stated when he took over that he knew they needed centers. We'll be stuck in the mushy middle for a long time.

I concur. The thing I don’t like about saros is he is small for a goalie. The goaltending position is more about just taking up as much net as possible because guys zip it so hard.

 

[DesertPenguin]

I can offer you Cody Glass for a 3rd.

 

[GeauxPreds1]

Thompson

For

Novak
Edstrom
Kemell

?

No way he would be available

 

[MNRube]

Yes, what Nashville needs is to get even older and end up where Calgary did.

Create a 1-2 year window with a flawed roster

That’s pretty much exactly what they’ve done. solid observation

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

Can I interest you in one Andrew Copp.

 

[elmaco]

we could always shop Stamkos at the TDL in 2026 and get a similar return, especially since we'll have the ability to retain at that time.

Could work but i still think retaining on Granny would bring even more assets.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I don't really see how the Preds get any better option than Novak, tbh. He's 0.63ppg in his career to date, makes a reasonable $3.5M, and is only 27. Maybe he's not as physical/gritty as the team ideally wants, but flip side he scores better than most of the table scraps being offered. It's ok to dream of having a better 1C/2C option one day, but the reality is there isn't one out there now, and very likely won't ever be during this season. So they just need to figure out how to make the most of what is already in place.

 

[kilowatt]

Something around Danault for Kemell + 1st

 

[Soundgarden]

Something around Danault for Kemell + 1st

lol no. If we're trading two firsts for a 40-50 point 30 year old we might as well add a few more firsts and go for Byfield or Clarke.

 

[Kat Predator]

Maybe they should've invested in a Center instead of dumping a huge amount into a pair of old RH goal-scoring wingers, when their best forward was already a RH goal scoring winger.


Trying to get Top-6 Centers is hard and expensive. Nobody wants to trade the ones they've got, 'cause if you've got a few of them, you've got realistic playoff ambitions.

The only things even close to consistent ways to get them are to either draft and develop them (which Nashville has historically been completely incapable of doing), or you have to go out and be willing to "overpay" by quite a bit to land outbid and land one who is too old/signed for too long in UFA. Where you're largely looking at guys with serious warts or major concerns about their age/health/footspeed/two way shortcomings/etc. If their previous team is willing to let them go, it's always going to be a major gamble.

But it still would've been better to gamble on something like that, rather than a winger/PP Specialist like Stamkos.

Reasonable points. But our management seems to be the farmer in Phineas and Ferb who buys the rabbit farm with no rabbits and perpetually hopes they'll fall out of the sky.

 

[Bizz]

Could work but i still think retaining on Granny would bring even more assets.

We can't, all of our slots are used up this season. Burns comes off in June next year.

 

[BB88]

I heard a few guys say it, yes and he’s paid to be one. I got someone mad before the signing saying he was a liability at even strength. I still think they make the playoffs but they aren’t winning anything. Good luck getting a 2C too.

That can easily be money for a winger as well, it’s not a superstar contract.

Just an absolute mistake by Nashville if they had him as a C, well anyways the Trotz era has been a failure. They created a small window with a roster that’s not good enough to win

 

[Hockeypete49]

Morgan Frost could be had. Young man has talent and a move could really help him.

 

[Leafshater67]

That can easily be money for a winger as well, it’s not a superstar contract.

Just an absolute mistake by Nashville if they had him as a C, well anyways the Trotz era has been a failure. They created a small window with a roster that’s not good enough to win

I mean, either way signing a 34 year old pp specialist with minimal even strength impact to an 8m x 4 while not having a 2C was pretty dumb. It’s especially dumb when they already had a superior (ATM) right shooting sniper in Forsberg.

I understood the hope was he could fill their giant hole at 2C. That seemed to be the consensus with all the stat watchers who argued that Stamkos is absolutely not washed and would fit great in Nashville. He will probably get better but his days of being a first liner are long gone.

But yeah, I’m with you 100%. Spending a bunch of money to try to buy a bubble team a cup was dumb.

 

[beardawg]

Sure in the o zone. But doesn’t he take draws and play the centre role without the puck? Forsberg and Stamkos aren’t the 1-2 centres?

He takes the draw and immediately goes to the left wing