This one stings. No other way around it. This one is going to be on the minds of the Nashville Predators and all of Smashville for quite a while. While the Jets will likely go on to win the Stanley Cup, you cant help but think that it should be the Preds. You could stomach the Preds losing to the Jets if they had played up to their potential, but that wasn’t the case.
The Preds were plagued all playoffs by poor defensive play, a lack of intensity, average goal-tending, and little to no secondary scoring and it finally caught up to them. Even with all the miscues, the Predators still took Winnipeg to seven games. I would have loved to see the Preds put up a better effort, but we’ll never know. It will be an off-season of what ifs.
That’s not to say the Predators’ season was a complete waste. The team still accomplished a ton. Franchise record for wins. Franchise record for points. First ever Central Division Championship. And finally the first ever Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history. Those are all something to be proud of. This year’s team was one of the best we have ever seen take the ice in Bridgestone Arena. Unfortunately, the team will have to wait to add Stanley Cup Champions to their list of accomplishments.
This team is still set up for the next several years. The window is wide open, but there are a few questions to answer in the off-season. The biggest one to me is Pekka Rinne. While Pekka had a Vezina Trophy worthy regular season, he came back down to Earth in the playoffs. His defense never really helped him out, but Pekka never stole a game either. Let’s be honest, we all know the time is coming when Pekka is no longer manning the pipes for the Preds. The question is, when will the Predators hand the reins over to Juuse Saros? Personally, I think Pekka has one more year left in him, but I expect to see Juuse picking up more and more starts.
The Preds also have to figure out what to do with Ryan Ellis. With one year left in his contract, Ellis will be looking for an extension this summer. He won’t come cheap either. Ellis has stated his desire to spend his entire career in Nashville, but we all know this is a business. Does Poile try to sign the defensemen, trade him for assets, or let the season play out and work on it next summer? I’d love to see Ellis with an extension, but the numbers game may push him out.
The last big question I see facing the Preds this off-season, is how does Poile fill out the roster? Fisher has already retired (again) and Hartnell said he has considered retirement. Salomaki is likely gone, along with Emelin. Does Poile try to sign a couple free agents to fill the spots? Could those empty roster spots go to some prospects like Tolvanen, Gaudreau, Petterson, Fabbro, and Carrier? It will be up to David Poile and Peter Laviolette to figure out how to ice the best team.
So while there’s a few questions facing the Preds this off-season, the roster should look fairly similar to what we saw this year. That’s a good thing. The team is one of the most talented in the NHL. For some reason, it just didn’t happen in the playoffs. The Stanley Cup is the toughest trophy in the world to win, and the Preds are on the cusp of it. Yes, this season ultimately will be considered a disappointment, but let’s not forget all the good that came out of the season. Poile will use the off-season to make adjustments to the roster in order to give the Preds the best possible chance to lift the Cup. It’s still alright to be pissed off, but remember, the Preds’ future is very bright.
Herbie Brooks is the Lead Hockey Analyst for SoBros Network. He knows three things: beating Commies, winning Gold Medals, and having great hair. Follow him on Twitter: @SoBroHerbie_B
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