Nashville or Something: Predators Preview

So, here we are. Some people, after a hard week of work, like to kick back on Friday and relax. Go to the movies. If you're Forklift you might take in some exhibition hockey. If you're Slaky, you're probably drunkenly brainstorming hilarious new Norwegian swear words.

But if you're me, you put the kids to bed, crack open some grain alcohol and write up the Nashville Predators.

I don't want to preview the Predators. Hell, nobody on this website does. The only reason it's happening is because if we don't do it, the internet will take away all those Cable Ace Awards we won.

Let's face it, the Preds are one of those teams. We hate seeing them on the schedule because a game with Nashville means you'll see tight, defensive hockey and as a result it'll be damn close. That's been Nashville's MO for years, and it doesn't look to be changing in 2011. In fact, very little will be changing about the Preds this year.

Nashville's forward corps looks to be depressingly similar to last year's group. Sure, Joel Ward was allowed to walk after his Dave Lowry-like playoff run (and Dave Lowry-like regular season) and Marcel Goc's awesomeness will now be on display for 1400 retirees in Miami this year, but the rest of the forwards look the same, which is extremely depressing. You would think a team that is spending $12 million on Mike Fisher, Martin Erat and David Legwand would be in all sorts of cap trouble, but the Preds make up for it by not spending money on any forward who might be a difference maker. Nashville is probably hoping for a big contract drive from Sergei Kostitsyn, who might actually give the Preds a 25 goal scorer this year. Apparently big things are expected from Hobey Baker Award winner Blake Geoffrion, which seems strange to me because in 30 years there have been three HBA winners who were worth a shit in the NHL.

The good news for Nashville is that the lack of roster changes extends to their defensemen and goaltenders. Shea Weber will earn every penny of his $7.5 million this year and Ryan Suter will continue to be an underrated beast until some team gives him a huge UFA contract next year. Rounding out the top 4 are Kevin Klein and Francis Bouillon who are pretty damn good in their own right. And if anybody manages to get through those guys, they still have to go through Pekka Rinne, who was arguably one of the top 5 goaltenders in the NHL last year.

So, you've got an excellent goalie, a couple of stud defensemen and a bunch of nearly interchangeable forwards? This team sounds like Jacques Lemaire's wet dream. Instead, they are led by the mighty Barry Trotz, whose geniusness is surpassed only by his handsomeness. I kid, of course, for as much as we like to mock the neckless one here at Hockeenight, we respect Trotz for being a helluva a coach. I'm guessing that Barry will get his usual results out of this crew - a 5th or 6th seed in the playoffs and a elimination in the first or second round. Book it.