By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

The devastating news was reported early Thursday evening by Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos via Twitter, and confirmed by the team later during the first period of last night’s Philadelphia Flyers contest in Montreal — the club’s top defenseman and team captain, Chris Pronger, will miss the remainder of the regular season and playoffs due to severe post-concussion symptoms.

(Photo credit: Paul Bereswill / Getty Images)

It’s just another hard dose of adversity for the Eastern Conference-leaders, especially for their beleaguered blueline.

Already missing Erik Gustafsson (wrist surgery) and Andreas Lilja (high ankle sprain) for several weeks, Peter Laviolette has had to juggle defensive pairings for some time. The big four of Matt Carle (Pronger’s usual defensive partner), Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, and Andrej Meszaros have been eating up a ton of minutes, with AHL call ups Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall also seeing time.

Philadelphia’s injury predicament is becoming more worrisome with each passing game, and concussions are at the top of the list. In addition to Pronger, Claude Giroux, the NHL’s leading scorer, and youngster Brayden Schenn, acquired from Los Angeles in the Mike Richards deal, remain out indefinitely with head injuries.

While only time will tell how these players fare in hopes of a return, the question for now becomes what will Paul Holmgren do now that Pronger is officially done until at least next fall, if he is able to return at all.

The Flyers are buying their GM some extra time because they simply refuse to lose. Even with all of their injury woes, the team defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3 at Bell Centre last night, running their current winning streak to seven games. This is a huge development, because there is no reason for Holmgren to get sucked into making any type of a panic move.

There’s no doubt that the excellent results in recent games are helping in the club’s decision-making process as to exactly what to do with their next move. With both Gustafsson and Lilja set to return sometime early in the New Year, and Matt Walker another option as a healthy body, Philadelphia could make do with their current roster.

Burning The Candle At Both Ends

The exhorbitant amount of ice time being logged by the big four has to eventually become a concern for team management.

• Timonen played a game-high 26:36 last night, with 8:03 of that time on ice in shorthanded situations. The other three ranged from 22:53 (Meszaros) to 24:21 (Coburn). Conversely, Bourdon was on for 10:48, and Marshall just 4:42.
• Tuesday night in Washington, Carle logged a game-high 25:27, while the three played between 21:39 (Meszaros), and 23:14 (Coburn). Carle’s TOI in the first period alone that night was 10:13, or better than half the frame. Lucky for the Flyers that they had a big lead and were able to give Bourdon (16:29) and Marshall (10:17) more minutes when the outcome was no longer in doubt, allowing the fab four to rest down the stretch.
• Carle also played 26:27 last Thursday at home against Pittsburgh, and 27:44 the previous night in Buffalo. Coburn also churned out a gruelling 25:48 against the Sabres that night.
• Coburn logged 28:03 against the New York Rangers at MSG in late-November. Timonen saw 24:28, and Carle had the least amount of TOI at 22:14.

That’s a ton of ice time for all four, especially Timonen, who is constantly banged up. The physical pounding is definitely taking a toll, and Philly will need the soon to be 37-year-old Finn to be fresh when the postseason commences if they want to have any kind of shot at a deep run.

Looking at the numbers Laviolette seems to be, for the most part, rotating the member of the group that will log the most ice time, thereby avoiding a complete burn out of any one defenseman.

So far, it’s working pretty well, but the long-term affects could prove costly down the road.

(Photo credit: Photo by Jim McIsaac / Getty Images North America)

Other Possibilities At Home

Gustafsson’s return should help to lighten the load somewhat, and will signal Marshall’s departure to Adirondack. Bourdon has been solid since his recall from the Phantoms, but his ice time ranges anywhere from 10-16 minutes, dependant upon how close of a contest the Flyers find themselves. Lilja was just starting to become more reliable when he was hurt, so Bourdon may stick around a bit when both Gustafsson and Lilja are back. Just in case.

Walker remains an enigma in Philadelphia. Having to bring him back through re-entry waivers and taking the risk of another club claiming him and leaving the Flyers footing $875,000 (pro-rated) of his contract, it’s strange that he hasn’t dressed for a game since clearing.

Oskars Bartulis played well when he got into the lineup last season before a shoulder injury, and looked to be in the team’s plan for this year. But after being sent to Adirondack before the end of training camp, the 24-year-old native of Latvia would have to clear re-entry waivers. With the probability of another club claiming him, Bartulis will almost certainly be relegated to the Phantoms all year long.

Who Will Holmgren Consider in Trade?

If Holmgren decides to go the trade route, let the Shea Weber-to-the-Flyers rumors begin. Having won an unprecedented $7.5 million arbitration award this past summer and set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end, Nashville may not be able to afford their captain and he may end up on the trading block.

He’s one of the most complete defenders in the entire League, and would most certainly attract interest from Philadelphia – especially with the uncertainty of Pronger’s situation. He’s a right-handed shot, something (other than Walker) the Flyers’ defense does not possess at this time. Weber also plays a physical game, and brings a booming, heavy shot that would aid the power play.

In other words, he could be the perfect fit.

While fitting his contract within the club’s salary cap limit this season may be within the realm of possibility (depending on who goes the other way), his asking price moving forward will likely be the killing point for the Flyers. With what will end up being Nashville’s asking price — young players off the current roster as a starter, no doubt — and the likelihood that he could end up being a rental player, Weber isn’t a probable candidate. But you can still prepare yourself for the barrage of never-ending rumors sure to be attached to this storyline.

(Photo credit: Frederick Breedon / Getty Images North America)

Another Predator’s blueliner could be a possibility. Ryan Suter stands to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, and if GM David Poile decides to make sure Weber stays, he likely will not have enough money left to sign Suter.

That’s not to say that the Preds are at the cap ceiling, because they’re not even close. At $48.6 million — or just above the mandatory $48.3 million cap floor – Nashville owns the lowest payroll in the NHL. Their restrictions are related to the club’s budget, and Suter is in the last year of a $3.5 million deal.  He will be expecting a hefty raise and with the recent contract inked to keep goaltender Pekka Rinne from testing free agency (his current $3.4 million deal becomes a $7 million salary next year), Suter will probably be dealt prior to the trade deadline.

Stop Gaps

Both Weber and Suter are more on the high-end of the line of defenders, and another of Holmgren’s options would be to get a stop gap guy — likely a veteran presence, a la Sean O’Donnell last season — to be able to log a decent amount of ice time.

Teams that are falling well below the eighth spot in each conference may well be looking to deal a blueliner at some point. Depending on how Ottawa fares over the next two months, Sergei Gonchar (signed through next year at $5.5 million annually) may be available. Many remember how effective he was playing with a group of offensive players in Pittsburgh — especially on the power play – but he also has a tremendous amount of downside. He will turn 38 years old by the time the playoffs begin, has a gigantic contract, and has missed a significant amount of games over the last four years due to his body breaking down. Holmgren would be wise to stay away from Gonchar.

The same rings true for Tampa Bay (Brett Clark — $1.5 million, UFA after this year), Carolina (Jaroslav Spacek — $3.833 million, UFA after this year), Calgary (Scott Hannan — $1 million, UFA after this year), and Anaheim (Toni Lydman — signed through next year at $3 million annually). All may be looking to make changes in the next couple of months, and Holmgren could end up finding a trade partner.

Of this group, only Hannan should be a consideration. He is strictly a defensive defenseman, but he blocks a lot of shots and would help in shutdown situations.

Built More For the Longer Haul

The Flyers would be wise to proceed as if they know Pronger will not return at all, and pick up a defender who will not only be around the rest of this season and next, but for the next several years, as well — especially considering Carle is scheduled to become an UFA next summer, with Timonen’s contract expiring the following year.

Some players of interest that may become available if their respective teams fall out of the playoff hunt:

• Marc-Andre Bergeron (TB — signed through next year at $1 million annually) is a smaller option but is decent in the defensive end, and has a heavy point shot that would help take away the sting of Pronger’s absence on the power play.
• Travis Hamonic (NYI — signed through next year to entry level deal at $875,000 annually) is just 21 years old and plays a robust style of game. He plays the PP, hits, and gets involved physically. He racked up over 100 PIMs as a rookie last year and after a slow start this season, has been playing better of late. With his age and potential, Hamonic probably won’t be available, but this is the Islanders we’re taling about. Anything is possible.
• Milan Jurcina (NYI — $1.6 million, UFA after this year) is an interesting case. Though he didn’t find a home in Boston or Washington and is on a sometimes very bad New York club, the 28-year-old could be attractive to Holmgren. He has great size (6′ 4″, 253 pounds) and tools to excel in the League. His motivation is often in question, but much the same was said about another native of Slovakia currently on the Flyers’ roster — Meszaros — and he’s working out pretty well right now.

Bergeron and Jurcina would come much cheaper than the Weber and Suter options. Hamonic would, also, but would cost Holmgren at least a young roster player.

There is no reason to say anything will actually happen in the trade arena in Philadelphia, at least not for the time being. The team continues to win, so there is nothing even close to an air of panic within the Flyers’ organization.

Over the next couple of seasons, there is the possibility that a Brandon Manning or Colin Suellentrop or another prosepect in the system will be ready to make the big club.

It never hurts to plan ahead. So maybe the best course of action at the moment would be to not count on Pronger coming back at all, and maybe make a couple of deals for the future, as long as the young assets and current team chemistry are not compromised.

If Pronger does eventually come back next season, it would just be icing on the cake.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

Let’s leave the “What’s wrong with the Detroit Red Wings?” question at the door right now before we even start. That’s another article completely.

Many Red Wings fans were given good news on Halloween when the turned on their computers and went online and/or opened up the sports section of a newspaper and saw that Ken Holland worked his magic again:

Niklas Kronwall remains a Red Wings defenseman for seven more years.

And why wouldn’t he? He was given the title of “Alternate Captain” this season, swapping out with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings need that physical kind of force on their ranks, and keeping Kronwall around is a smart move. Plus, with Nicklas Lidstrom on his way out at some point in the future, the team needs some defensemen on which they can rely and not have to worry about re-signing every other year.

Kronwall signed for seven years, $33.25 million; at thirty years of age, this lengthy contract pretty much guarantees he’ll be wearing a Winged Wheel for his entire career, unless otherwise traded. His contract gets a little tricky. The salary cap hit will be $4.75 million, but the breakdown is more intricate than that (naturally).

2012-13 sees him making $4.25 million. The following three seasons, he ears $6 million, then $5.5 million in 2016-17, and the last two years of his contract will be $3.5 million and $1.75million.

Kronwall will earn $4.25 million in 2012-13 and $6 million in each of the next three seasons. He’ll make $5.5 million in 2016-17 and $3.5 million and $1.75 million, respectively, the final two years of the deal.

With a cap hit of $4.25 million, it puts him in the same ranks as Chris Pronger, Kevin Bieksa, Mike Komisarek, Dan Hamhuis, Jack Johnson, and Tomas Kaberle, to name only a handful.

So how does Niklas Kronwall compare statistically with these other defensemen?

Firstly, he’s always been fairly prone to lengthy injuries (one to two months of the season); the 2008-2009 season only saw him missing two games and getting 51 points and 50 PIMs. 2010-11, he only missed five games and hit 47 points and 36 PIMs. Twelve games into the season, he has two goals and two assists, though let’s not forget the Red Wings went through a six-game slump of only scoring six goals total.

Now let’s compare these stats to some of the previously mentioned defensemen. Kronwall’s stats are fairly similar to Pronger’s, if you can believe it. However, Pronger has come close in several recent seasons to hitting sixty points whereas Kronwall still struggles to hit fifty. Last season, Pronger only played fifty games, but still scraped up 25 points, almost identical to Kronwall’s 48 game, 22-point season.

Against a player like Bieksa, Kronwall has more offensive output (and a lot fewer penalties), with Bieksa’s highest offensive season coming in 2008-9 with 43 points. The same goes with comparing him to Komisarek and Hamhuis.

Kronwall is also pretty identical to Jack Johnson, both in offensive output and penalties. They both get around 35 to 45 points per season and hit somewhere around 40 PIMS.

His comparison to Kaberle is very similar to that of Pronger. Kaberle hits anywhere between forty and sixty points per season while keeping his penalties to a minumum. One thing is for sure, Kaberle really hasn’t missed a majority of a season like Kronwall has in the past. But if the Swede can stay healthy and aggressive, anything is possible.

Now after comparing all of these stats, would you find it strange to compare Kronwall’s output to Pronger’s output? People usually rank Pronger up there with Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, and Shea Weber, but Kronwall gets lost in the mix, and is usually only known for his bone-crunching hits. Well, it all started from the scouting level…

As Hakan Andersson, the director of European scouting for the Red Wings, once said, “I know one scout who tried to bring up Niklas Kronwall’s name with his team. They just laughed at him. They never even had a serious dialogue. They just stopped him. They said ‘a 5-11 Swedish defenceman?’ [The Red Wings] organization is more open-minded than that.”

But the Red Wings like their players to be under the radar and overlooked.

Christina Roberts
NHLHS Detroit Red Wings Correspondent
Twitter: @franzenmuth
Email: christina.roberts@nhlhotstove.com

By Michael Wifall from Tucson, USA (Kyle Turris getting stick-lifted by Taylor Pyatt) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Courtesy of Elliotte Friedman’s ’30 Thoughts’ column, we now can confirm that Kyle Turris has no interest in playing for the Phoenix Coyotesand may forgo playing this season just to not play in the desert. The New Westminster, BC native baffled the hockey world with his contract demands during the preseason, making it well known that if his organization wants him back, he wants to be paid like a first liner. Some people look for information about a list of online colleges when they want to take sports management classes.

With 19 goals and 46 points through his first 131 games, asking for in excess of $4 million is certainly outrageous. However, Friedman explains that he would sign a decent contract with another club, effectively eliminating any form of offer sheet. GM Don Maloney has a very strategic way of dealing with RFAs, which usually includes signing a reasonable two-year deal north of $2 million. in keeping the second contract low effectively keeps the third contract lower and more reasonable — a must for a cash-strapped, under-budget organization like the Coyotes.

If Turris won’t play for the Coyotes, they can call his bluff and allow him to sit out the entire season which would certainly hinder his development and his unfortunately for the ‘Yotes, his trade value. Turris, in turn, could then lend his talents to some overseas team (against team orders) or just continue to play chicken with the team in hopes of eventually playing in a more hockey-friendly market.

Perhaps he prefers a more-populated arena. Maybe he clashes with coach Dave Tippett. Quite possibly he just doesn’t like his current developmental track. At this point, we really don’t know his thoughts while the mainstream media in Arizona haven’t necessarily aided in finding out; we can only assume with his disdain for Phoenix, he isn’t local to the team or available to the team’s media.

While we remain unsure of his motives, we can take a gander at the teams who might need his services.

The Calgary Flames top the list as they could certainly use a blue-chip center like Turris, but as Friedman notes, they probably don’t have the necessary players to complete a deal. Mikael Backlund would almost certainly be required while both sides likely fail to make such a lateral move. To get a player with the potential of Turris — former 3rd overall pick, right-handed center with size — most teams will need to give up a center prospect of their own. Who has the depth to withstand such a move?

One team that jumps out is the New Jersey Devils, who are short in NHL-caliber centers but long on prospects. Adam Henrique could be a starting point in the Turris sweepstakes coupled with controversial prospect Jon Merrill or even a lesser d-man like Eric Gelinas, Matt Taormina or current-NHLer Mark Fayne. Nevertheless, the Coyotes likely turn that down — especially if they would turn down Backlund — countering with a package that probably includes current third-line center Jacob Josefson plus a first rounder. In other words, the Devils, despite their plethora of prospects, would not be a fit for Turris unless they overpay; in a rebuilding year, they probably pass.

Another option could be the Nashville Predators, who have a history of making early moves in the regular season. Considering they already roster a young core, they could have prospects to spare. Austin Watson along with Charles-Olivier Roussel, Roman Josi or Mattias Ekblom could get the job done. However, due to the uncertainty of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, the Preds likely continue to stockpile their youngsters as a contingency plan. Similar to the Calgary proposal, we’re not sure the Yotes would accept such a deal in any event.

Although we only listed a few organizations who could have interest in Turris, the majority either don’t have enough to offer or probably would pass on trading for an enigma like Turris.

The Coyotes feature solid depth in both goalie and defense prospects, which limits them to wanting high-end forwards in the same mold as Turris. Furthermore, Tippett rarely uses blue-chip offensive prospects, letting Brett MacLean and Viktor Tikhonov go through waivers this past preseason in favor of Kyle Chipchura, Petteri Nokelainen and Patrick O’Sullivan. The team’s brightest offensive chip, Mikkel Boedker, currently centers the team’s fourth line. In other words, if you have a flaw on the defensive side of the puck, you will not play with any regularity in Phoenix.

Which comes back to Turris. Last season, he averaged a whopping 11:16 of ice time despite scoring 11 goals and 25 points over 65 games. While the team didn’t necessarily struggle to score in 2010-2011, they did hold a goal differential of only six. Playing Turris more could have helped that in a positive way provided he didn’t struggle in his own end. Nevertheless, his ice time ranked 22nd on the team with Petr Prucha even seeing more ice time than him — a less-than-ideal spot for a budding forward.

In a very quiet trade market, this pivot stands out as one of the few things to discuss. One thing is almost certain: his holdout will be infamous and may even become it’s own hockey-related verb. Ie. Hope the Leafs sign X before his Turrist his way out of the NHL. As of this writing, that very well could happen.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Creative Editor

As each of the 24 scheduled NHL salary arbitration hearings slowly fell off the docket with settlements prior to any gruelling proceedings, one big date loomed large in how another star’s contract negoatiations will likely play out.

That day was today, August 2nd.

Photo Credit: Sarah Fuqua

The Nashville Predators and restricted free agent defenseman Shea Weber – along with his agent from Titan Sports Management, Inc., Jarrett Bousquet - somehow could not reach an agreement, and instead ended up going through the process of a hearing this morning in Toronto.

There is no doubt that it would have been in the Preds’ best interest to have settled this matter prior to the hearing – the first arbitration to actually go through the hearing stage – as they had no leverage with the independent arbitrator.

Weber earned $4.5 million in each of the last three seasons and is about to turn 26 years of age (August 14th).  He’s an excellent skater with a booming shot who can hit and will even fight, whatever it takes to win.

He is the Predators captain.  He is their best and most-recognizable player, possibly in Nashville’s NHL existence.  He is the very face of their franchise.

During the 2010-11 campaign Weber scored 16 goals for a second-consecutive season, while recording a career-high 32 assists.  He was a first-time Norris Trophy finalist, appeared in every regular season game, and played the third-most minutes in the entire league.

In his first season as team captain, the Predators won their first playoff series since their inception in 1998.

Nashville currently has the league’s lowest payroll at just over $41.2 million, which leaves them with more than $23 million in cap space.  But GM David Poile also faces the prospect of having to re-sign two key pieces to the success of his squad moving forward.  Both goaltender Pekka Rinne and defenseman Ryan Suter are set to become unrestricted free agents following the upcoming season.

Prior to the hearing today – in which both sides were able to present their respective cases for 90 minutes each - Weber was to opt for either a one or two year deal.

The arbitrator has up to 48 hours in which to render their decision, one in which the Predators will have to accept.  They relinquished their “walk-away” rights because they were the ones that opted for arbitration.  By doing so, they kept other clubs at bay from being able to submit any offer sheets to Weber.

There is little doubt that Weber will end up with a contract in the $7.5-$8 million range when the award is announced.

While Nashville and the Weber camp can still attempt to hammer out a long-term pact after the award, the arbitration process is a bitter one that often leads to the demise in the player-team relationship.

Dirk Hoag of On the Forecheck posted the following this morning:

“Teams and players that go through this process tend not to stick together long-term. In Preds history, Denny Lambert was traded just days after his hearing, and Ville Koistinen was gone a year after his. Daniel Winnik was traded by Phoenix within a year of his award in 2009, as was Milan Jurcina in Washington and Blake Wheeler (2010) in Boston. By my count, 11 players have gone through arbitration in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and 10 of those players had moved to a new team within a year.

The uncomfortable, but natural question coming out of all this is whether the Shea Weber era in Nashville might end before it even got rolling.

Given the point that’s been reached, is this the guy the Preds really want wearing the “C”? Does he even want it? And what does this mean for the prospect of locking up Ryan Suter and Pekka Rinne as well?”

I’m not trying to be alarmist, but arbitration most often signals the beginning of the end of a player-team relationship, and it’s stunning to see the Predators and their captain get to this point.

Those are some very real concerns, as it could not have been a good situation for Weber to hear Nashville’s representatives go on for an hour and a half as to why their captain isn’t worth the money he is requesting.

As this scene plays out, it’s obvious that there are some very curious parties on the West coast that are keeping close tabs on the eventual outcome.

While the Weber award won’t be the ultimate comparator in Doughty’s negotiations – this will be Weber’s third deal as compared to Doughty’s second – you can bet that those looking out for the London, Ontario-native will use it as some sort of measuring stick.

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen / Getty Images

The contract negotiations between the Los Angeles Kings and another RFA star defenseman, Drew Doughty, has languished for some time.  Many believe Doughty’s camp is awaiting the Weber – Predators standoff to reach its finality to see where their demands can be taken.

Doughty’s agents from Newport Sports Management Inc., Don Meehan and Mark Guy, are looking for a huge upgrade on their client’s recently completed $3.475 million entry-level deal.

According to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times in a story on July 12th, GM Dean Lombardi and the Kings reportedly offered Doughty a 9-year deal worth in excess of $6.5 million per season.

At just 21 years old, Doughty has shown the potential to be a franchise defenseman.  After his rookie season of 2008-09, the young rear guard broke out in his sophomore year with a 16-goal, 59-point campaign in 2009-10.

Doughty also helped lead Team Canada to a Gold Medal victory in the Olympic Games in Vancouver in February of 2010 (a squad that just so happened to also boast the talents of Weber on the blue line).  Just when it looked as though he was on his way to becoming a superstar, Doughty experienced a bit of a hiccup early on last year.

He showed up to training camp out of shape, reportedly finishing last overall in conditioning scores for all Kings players.  After an understandable slow start, he came on as the year progressed to end the season with 11 goals and 40 points.

There is no reason to doubt that Doughty will return to top form come October when the regular season commences.  The smooth-skating, hard-shooting right hander is still the NHL’s top young defenseman.  The sky is the limit, and Meehan and Guy want to make sure that he’s not under-compensated as he progresses.

One of the sticking points in negotiations may very well be when Doughty is able to become an UFA.  He is eligible in four years, so that may be more the length of a deal that his representation is willing to explore.

According to CapGeek.com, the top 25 highest salaried defensemen (led by Christian Ehrhoff’s $10 million, and soon to be joined by Weber’s award) will each make $5 million heading into the 2011-12 season, so their concerns are within reason.

But from Lombardi’s point of view, the youngest among the top 25 is Mike Green of the Washington Capitals.  Green turns 26 in October and has been in the league since the latter part of the 2005-06 campaign.  Los Angeles may want Doughty to either lock into the long-term deal reportedly offered last month, or take a lesser amount annually if he insists on signing a shorter-term pact.

At the epicenter of the moment right now – seemingly holding up both player’s contracts – is Weber’s arbitration decision.

The very fate of both defensemen – as well as their respective clubs – could very well hinge on the arbitrator’s upcoming award.  It stands to reason that once Weber’s award is announced, the talks between Doughty and the Kings will begin again in earnest.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

The Nashville Predators announced today that they have signed Cal O’Reilly, Nick Spaling, Matt Halischuk, and Chris Mueller;  four of the RFA’s that were set to be a part of the hearing set for tomorrow, July 8th.

Spaling’s deal comes in at 2 years $2.1 million.  Spaling, as well as Halischuk who signed a 2 year $1.425 million deal were both vital to the Predators success in the playoffs.  Mueller signed a 1 year 2-way deal worth $550,000 and will return to Milwaukee where he led the Admirals in scoring.  O’Reilly’s deal of 1 year $1.05 million could be considered his last chance to prove himself worthy as an NHL center after several rocky seasons bouncing between Nashville and Milwaukee.

With Linus Klasen moving to Europe to play next season, and Andreas Thuresson being traded to the New York Rangers, the lone RFA left to sign is winger and leading scorer for the Preds last season, Sergei Kostitsyn.  Kostitsyn filed for arbitration earlier this week, and has a hearing scheduled to start tomorrow July 8th, and will conclude on Wednesday July 13th.  Kostitsyn not only led the team in scoring, but was tied for team lead in points as well, all while making only $550,000.  He stands to make quite the payday if arbitration goes his way and makes him an UFA.  This would allow him to accept offers from other teams, and use it as a bargaining chip with the Predators.

So, for now Predators fans are breathing a sigh of relief with the new signings and renewed depth on offense.  But they anxiously await the outcome of the Kostitsyn arbitration, as well as waiting for the Predators to announce they have finished a deal with team captain Shea Weber.

After an eventful first weekend to the Free Agency period, many Nashville Predators fans are left scratching their heads and with many mixed emotions.

Early last week the Predators announced they would not be re-signing veteran winger Steve Sullivan to a new contract.  Only three days later, the Preds dropped another surprise when they announced they were going to buy out long time Predator J.P. Dumont.  But, due to nagging injury problems for both players, the move was a necessary one.  Dumont and Sullivan were both very loved and respected members of the Nashville community and are going to be greatly missed by the fans here.

When you couple these surprise departures with the allegations that arose last week of improperly submitted offer sheets to RFA’s, the future of the Preds has many fans worried.  Involved in this snag are RFA’s Sergei Kostitsyn, Matt Halischuk, Nick Spaling, and Cal O’Reilly.  Also involved are AHLers Linus Klasen who will be headed to Europe next season, Andreas Thuresson, and Chris Mueller.  Thuresson was traded on Saturday to the New York Rangers in exchange for AHLer Brodie Dupont.  For more on the RFA snag, read this story posted by Section303.

As July 1st rolled around, Predators fans wondered what was going to happen next to an already in question team.  It didn’t take long for the first domino in the Predators Free Agency pool to fall.  Center Marcel Goc left Nashville and signed a 3 year $5.19 million deal with the Florida Panthers.  Goc missed a portion of the season due to several shoulder injuries, but will be sorely missed at the center spot.  Not long after this news, Sullivan announced via Twitter that he was now a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sullivan signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.

That same afternoon, winger Joel Ward, who had really made a name for himself during this years playoffs notching 13 points in 12 games, inked a deal with the Washington Capitals for four-years worth $12 million.  Also departing from the Predators was depth goalie Mark Dekanich.  Dex as he is better known as, signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets after posting an AHL best .931 save percentage.  Dekanich will be battling with Steve Mason for the starting job in Columbus.

On Sunday, the Predators front office decided to drop another bomb on its fans.  They announced that they had traded center Matthew Lombardi and defenseman Cody Franson to the Toronto Maple Leafs in return for defenseman Brett Lebda and minor leaguer Robert Slaney.  Lombardi only skated in two games for the Predators last season after suffering a season ending concussion, making it the third of his career.  Losing Franson means losing experience on the blue line, but more importantly losing a very good power play specialist.  It remains to see how this trade will work out for the Preds due to the fact that Slaney has never seen any NHL ice time, and Lebda who is a third line d-man at best.

Later Sunday afternoon, Nashville announced it had signed forward and goal scorer Niclas Bergfors to a one-year contract worth $575,000.  It appears as though the Predators are beginning to add some scoring in the event that the RFA hearing set for July 8th does not go Nashville’s way.

After a quiet 4th of July, the Predators announced Tuesday afternoon that they had signed two forwards in Zach Stortini from the Edmonton Oilers, and free agent Kyle Wilson.  Stortini spent most of last season in the AHL after spending 2007-2010 with the Oilers.  This is most likely a depth move by the Preds, and will see Stortini end up in Milwaukee unless, once again, the Preds are bitten by the RFA snag.  Wilson however, is the most likely of the two to see NHL ice time this coming season.  After bouncing from the Wild to the Capitals, he finally landed with the Blue Jackets where he notched 11 points in just 32 games.

While Nashville has started shoring up its depth, fans are still waiting for the announcement that team captain Shea Weber has signed his new deal.  Along with this, fans are waiting for GM David Poile to announce a big offensive signing due to all of the salary dumping and space clearing he has been doing so far.  Until that announcement is made, many fans are anxiously shifting in their seats wondering what’s next for their beloved Preds.

Tyler Davis
NHLHS Nashville Predators Correspondent
Twitter: @Trebek14
Email: davis.tylerb@gmail.com

By Brandon Macdonald
NHL Hot Stove Editor

On paper it seems that the Toronto Maple Leafs should have an impenetrable back end. Boasting the likes of Dion Phaneuf, Luke Schenn, John-Michael Liles and with up and comer Keith Aulie, they are a force to be reckon with for the forseeable future. There were, however, some question marks when it came to veterans like Mike Komisarek, Brett Lebda and Jeff Finger.

Many Leaf fans will tell you Finger is the first Leaf that needs to be traded, but Lebda wasn’t far behind on the list. GM Brian Burke came through on that today, dealing the rear guard to the the Nashville Predators, along with forward Robert Slaney. In return the Leafs received highly touted defenceman Cody Franson and speedy center Matthew Lombardi. Although Lombardi is currently suffering with a concussion, the real gem in this deal is the 23-year-old Franson.

Cody Franson (BridgetDS/Flickr)

In his first two seasons in the NHL, Franson has put up 14 goals for 50 points and is a plus-25. Franson is known for being reliable in his own zone, but also possesses the skills to jump in the rush and provide that much needed outlet pass. Since it’s so early, there is no telling where Franson will fit on the depth chart, especially with newly acquired Liles. But it’s expected for him to be a top-four on the depth chart and will likely see time playing along side Schenn.

Also in the deal the Leafs picked up Lombardi, who is known for his blazing speed. After only playing in two games this past season, it’s unclear whether or not he will be ready for opening night. Lombardi was injured in the second game of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks and did not see any ice time after the concussion. If and when Lombardi is able to make his debut to the Leafs lineup, it’s yet to be seen where he fits with the club. With the recent signing of Tim Connolly, along with Mikhail Grabovski, Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri the Leafs are pretty set up the middle.

Another trade could be in the works for Burke, as he tries to find someone to play on the right wing.

After signing Lebda in the 2010 offseason it provided a lot of questions as to what exactly Burke was doing. Aside from his $2.9 million dollar contract, Lebda brought experience and that highly sought after Cup ring from 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings. He was never known for his offensive prowess — he scored a career high 18 points in 2007 — and he did not impress Leaf fans in his first campaign in the blue and white sweater only posting four points in 41 games.

On paper, it seems the Leafs fleeced the Predators. Nabbing one of their strong, young defenceman. It’s the contract of Lombardi that Preds GM David Poile was looking to rid the team of, needing all the cap room to sign Norris trophy finalist and all around beast, Shea Weber. Luckily for the Preds, they have fantastic scouts who have stock piled their defensive core with prospects Ryan Ellis, Jonathon Blum and Teemu Laakso who are nearly ready for full time NHL duties.

The Leafs back end is strong and it should help second year net minder James Reimer avoid the infamous sophomore slump. Being able to roll out six solid defensive lines will help when the team is having problems scoring on any given night. It’s just a question now of whether or not they can gel as a team.

Brandon Macdonald
NHLHS Editor
bmacdonald@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter @bMacdonald8

David Strehle – NHLHS Creative Editor

Hart Memorial Trophy – Corey Perry
Vezina Trophy – Tim Thomas
James Norris Memorial Trophy – Shea Weber
Calder Memorial Trophy – Jeff Skinner
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy – Martin St. Louis
Frank J. Selke Trophy – Ryan Kesler
Jack Adams Award – Dan Bylsma
Bill Masterton Memorial Tropy – Ian Laperriere
Ted Lindsay Award – Corey Perry
Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award – Nicklas Lidstrom
NHL Foundation Award – Dustin Brown
GM of the Year – Steve Yzerman

Jeff Quirin – NHLHS Associate Editor

Hart Memorial Trophy – Corey Perry
Vezina Trophy – Tim Thomas
James Norris Memorial Trophy – Shea Weber
Calder Memorial Trophy – Jeff Skinner
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy – Loui Eriksson
Frank J. Selke Trophy – Pavel Datsyuk
Jack Adams Award – Dan Bylsma
Bill Masterton Memorial Tropy – Ray Emery
Ted Lindsay Award – Daniel Sedin
Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award – Shane Doan
NHL Foundation Award – Dustin Brown
GM of the Year – Steve Yzerman

Alexander Monaghan – NHLHS President

Hart Memorial Trophy – Daniel Sedin
Vezina Trophy – Tim Thomas
James Norris Memorial Trophy – Shea Weber
Calder Memorial Trophy – Michael Grabner
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy – Nicklas Lidstrom
Frank J. Selke Trophy – Ryan Kesler
Jack Adams Award – Dan Bylsma
Bill Masterton Memorial Tropy – Ian Laperriere
Ted Lindsay Award – Corey Perry
Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award – Nicklas Lidstrom
NHL Foundation Award – Dustin Brown
GM of the Year – Steve Yzerman

Brandon Macdonald – NHLHS Copy Editor

Hart Memorial Trophy – Corey Perry
Vezina Trophy – Tim Thomas
James Norris Memorial Trophy – Zdeno Chara
Calder Memorial Trophy – Jeff Skinner
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy – Martin St. Louis
Frank J. Selke Trophy – Pavel Datysuk
Jack Adams Award – Alain Vigneault
Bill Masterton Memorial Tropy – Ray Emery
Ted Lindsay Award – Corey Perry
Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award – Nicklas Lidstrom
NHL Foundation Award – Dustin Brown
GM of the Year – Steve Yzerman

Agree? Disagree? Vote in the comments

Nicklas Lidstrom is amazing.

Don’t believe me? Then you’re not a hockey hockey fan. Even if you hate the Detroit Red Wings, can you really say anything bad about Nick Lidstrom? Don’t bring up the fact that he doesn’t fight; he doesn’t need to get in any fights.

Nicklas Lidstrom is the epitome of a classy hockey player. He’s one of the few players left in the league that has that unwritten “do not touch/check/destroy/harm” rule when you’re on the ice with him. He rarely – and I mean rarely – throws a fit over anything. (Although I suppose you get used to goals getting called off thanks to Tomas Holmstrom‘s butt being in the crease and realize it’s a fruitless effort to complain.)

He rarely takes unnecessary penalties. You know that when there’s a two-on-one and the one is Nick Lidstrom, ninety-nine-point-seven percent of the time you know the opposition isn’t going to even get a quality chance. You know that when an announcer for a game makes a comment about [insert player's name] being “the next Nick Lidstrom” or a “Nick Lidstrom-in-training,” that announcer should probably lose their job for not knowing what they’re talking about.

Okay, maybe you don’t think like that if you’re not a Red Wings fan or haven’t been watching Lidstrom play. But you at least know that he’s absolutely astounding at his job.

Nick Lidstrom is a defenseman that only took twenty penalty minutes this season. And he logged the most ice time of any Red Wings player. This is his sixth nomination for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, but the first time in eight seasons. And he’s never won it.

He’s up against Martin St. Louis, who won it over Pavel Datsyuk last year for the first time in six seasons, and Loui Eriksson.

My only question is why Datsyuk isn’t nominated. Then again, it’s not really a question, but more of a general wondering, because I do know the answer. He kind of destroyed his shot at this a few periods into the season when he took a five-minute fighting major in the season-opener. But since that fight, he only registered ten more penalty minutes. Come on, give us a Lady Byng winner with a fighting major for the first time in nearly three decades!

Can Lidstrom win the Lady Byng? Eriksson’s penalty minutes were in the single digits, and St. Louis has been nominated for the past ten-thousand seasons (or six seasons), finally winning it last year over Datsyuk. If Lidstrom does win, I will be genuinely surprised. My guess is that St. Louis will win it for the second year in a row, but we’ll see come the Awards in late June.

But now I turn my attention to Lidstrom’s other nomination. You know, the trophy that’s become synonymous with his name:

The James Norris Memorial Trophy.

He’s won six in his career, third-most of all defensemen in the history of the NHL, one behind Doug Harvey, and two behind Bobby Orr. He’s been nominated for the award ten times (now eleven), and hasn’t finished lower than sixth in voting in over thirteen seasons.

Last year was the first year in who knows how long (probably the lockout since there was no season) that Lidstrom didn’t make it into the top three (he finished fourth in voting).

This year, he’s up against Zdeno Chara, who won it two years ago, and Shea Weber, a first-time nominee.

The only way I can see Lidstrom losing this is because he finished a minus for the first time in his career. Chara could have him beat, +33 to -2. But should a fluky statistic like plus/minus really weigh so heavily on the results of this trophy? Was Lidstrom’s defensive play really that terrible, or is it all just a matter of timing and luck? That’s what the plus/minus stat is sometimes.

At forty-one years of age, would winning the trophy for a seventh time set some kind of age record? Could anyone have predicted nineteen years ago that Nicklas Lidstrom, a nobody Swedish defenseman playing for the Detroit Red Wings be measured as one of the greatest defenseman to ever grace the sport of hockey, let alone still be playing exceptional hockey into his forties?

There is only that one little doubt in my mind that Lidstrom won’t win this trophy. But overall, I think it is rightly his.

Christina Roberts
NHLHS Detroit Red Wings Correspondent
Twitter: @franzenmuth
Email: christina.roberts@nhlhotstove.com

Never before have the Predators held a 3-2 lead in a playoff series. With memories of Game 5 let downs all around, and last years Stanley Cup Playoff game 5 debacle as a season long motivator, the Predators looked to go into Anaheim and change history.

Nashville came out in the first period determined and showing high intensity.  The Predators were skating fast, hitting hard, and throwing pucks on net; something that was severely lacking in game 4.

Nashville struck first in the first period on a pass from Jordin Tootoo to Kevin Klein for his first career playoff goal on a 2-on-1 breakaway.  They maintained the lead until the 13:39 mark of the second period when Jason Blake capitalized on a Shane O’Brien penalty, netting a power play goal to tie the game at 1.

At just :40 into the third period, Bobby Ryan converted on a play that completely undressed David Legwand. The Predators center turned the puck over and, in an attempt to defend Ryan, lost his stick allowing Ryan to score and the Ducks to take the  2-1 lead.  After Ryan’s goal, momentum began to swing in favor of Anaheim until Joel Ward decided it was time to take it back for Nashville.  Ward then tied the game at 11:20 after getting his own rebound off of the end board, beating Emery on the glove side.

Just when Nashville thought things were turning their way, history began to rear its ugly head again when Teemu Selanne threw a no look pass to the front of the net to an uncovered Jason Blake.  Blake then netted the shot to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead with only 5:44 to play in regulation.  The Predators, however, decided it was time for history to change.  After an icing call with just over :40 left to play in regulation, center Mike Fisher won a crucial offensive zone face off back to defenseman Cody Franson, who quickly dumped the puck to captain Shea Weber.  Weber then blasted a shot through a host of Predators and Ducks and found the back of the net with just :36 left in regulation to tie the game at 3-3.

In what was just the first OT game of this series, the Predators decided to make even more history.  Jordin Tootoo broke into the Anaheim zone and blasted a shot on net.  Jonathan Blum was able to hold the puck in and send it to Nick Spaling, who found Tootoo behind the net.  Tootoo spotted Jerred Smithson drifting toward the net uncovered, and snapped a pass that Smithson flipped past Emery at 1:57 of OT to give the Predators their first ever playoff OT win in franchise history, and his first career playoff goal.

The attention now shifts back to Nashville for game 6 on Easter Sunday where, once again, for the first time in franchise history, the Predators have a chance to clinch a series in game 6.  They may not only win a series for the first time, but also have the opportunity to do it on home ice.

Tyler Davis
NHLHS Nashville Predators Correspondent
Twitter: @Trebek14
Email: davis.tylerb@gmail.com