There's a place at the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, in which kids all across North America dream about eventually playing. Y'know...the place by Rippy's and Tootsie's that was originally built for one reason, but now houses concerts through much of the year. It's that big stage, where people stand and cheer for talented people, playing together at the height of their professional careers.
Y'know...the Ryman.
Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter set fans buzzing on Twitter this afternoon with a statement echoed by multiple members of the media assembled in Ottawa for the All-Star Game:
Ryan Suter just said during his media availability that he doesn't think he'll sign before trade deadline... Feel it would be distraction.. But I would also say Suter sounded like a guy who loves it in Nashville and will give the Preds very much a fair chance before July 1
--- ESPN's Pierre LeBrun
Simply put, the notion that signing a contract extension now would be a "distraction" is absurd. Instead, we've got a pretty large distraction which won't go away any time soon.
Instead, we have Suter breaking this bit of news on a day with pretty much nothing else going on, in front of hockey reporters from all across North America. He could have said this last week, or last month to one of the local reporters. Instead, he does it in a setting which screams "showcase" (and let's be clear, I don't blame Suter one bit - he's worked his way into a dream scenario).
For general manager David Poile, the clock is ticking. Does he hold on to Suter and continue to hope that he'll agree to an extension before July 1, risking the loss of an All-Star defenseman for nothing in return? That's the direction his public statements have leaned toward most recently, presumably fueled by the team's 18-5-0 record of late.
The alternative would be to open the bidding and trade Suter to a contender over the next several weeks, extracting as much as possible in prospects and picks to keep the team on a long-term upward path. Recall Poile's words to Josh Cooper from January 9:
"Our first and foremost goal is to sign Ryan. We've been trying to do that all season long. I've not accomplished that to this point, but we're hoping to continue discussions and get that done at some point. We'll be prepared, if we feel that we weren't going to be able to sign Ryan, and if we thought we were in a position that we had to or should trade him. I'm certainly hoping that doesn't happen, I don't want that to happen, but I want to be prepared for that."
Based on what Suter is saying today, does that make you more or less confident that he'll re-sign with Nashville? Recall that Suter's statement comes just 2 days after all this discussion of the Preds "stepping up their efforts" to get Ryan signed. If Poile waits until after the season to come to a "no" decision on this point, anything he'll get back in trade will be paltry compared to what he could land in the next few weeks.
It's a tremendous gamble, and not one any of us would want to be in the position to make. Ponder that while surfing through your afternoon notes...
The NHL All-Star weekend is supposed to be a relaxed celebration of the game's great stars, and while there were some fun moments last night, the actions of one idiotic fan soured the atmosphere...
Mike Fisher's a lucky man.
No, not because he makes millions of dollars playing hockey (although that's pretty cool).
No, not because he's married to Carrie Underwood. Well, actually it turns out that does have something to do with it, but there's a hockey mom involved here, too...
Nashville Predators defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter were selected for opposite sides in the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft tonight, with Weber going to Daniel Alfredsson's squad, and Suter going with the very next pick to Team Chara. Weber was the last pick in the 8th round, while Suter was the first in the 9th round.
In an odd exchange during the 4th round which was picked up by the microphone, Alfredsson pointed to his list and said "what about Shea Weber", to which his assistant captain Henrik Lundqvist said "no", and pointed to a different name, which turned out to be Claude Giroux.
Weber & Suter were the 4th and 5th defensemen taken, after Erik Karlsson (chosen by his teammate Alfredsson), Kimmo Timonen (Team Chara) and Kris Letang (Team Alfredsson). The draft results can be found at NHL.com.
Craig Smith, as a rookie, will participate in the Skills Competition as a member of Team Alfredsson.
The Skills Competition takes place Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Central on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus), while the All-Star Game itself is on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Central, also on NBC Sports.
Who's ready to pick some All-Star teams? Will Nashville's dynamic duo get broken up? Will Bruins captain Zdeno Chara pick a Canuck for his team? Will Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson choose a Maple Leaf? Who goes last?
Let's tune in to NBC Sports starting at 7:00 p.m. Central and find out...
Our afternoon hockey notes get rolling with a little science lesson, as the "Science of Hockey" series hit the internet ahead of All-Star weekend. After the jump, we get a look at the physiological processes which allow NHL goaltenders to make those lightning-quick reactions for a game-saving stop...
The 2012 NHL All-Star weekend kicks off tonight at 7:00 p.m. Central (on NBC Sports) with the Fantasy Draft, as captains Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara fill out their rosters. Vegas has odds posted on who will get picked first, with Nashville Predators defensemen Shea Weber & Ryan Suter listed at 40/1 and 65/1 respectively to receive that honor.
We'll have an open thread this evening so we can follow the draft together, but for now, enjoy your morning hockey notes...
