Our Sunday hockey notes touch once again on the issue of concussions, which have been the scourge of the NHL this season. The Jets and Flyers both now have stars on the shelf after suffering brain injuries, while updates from around the league show how slowly other big-name players are recovering from theirs...
Where to buy Nashville Predators jerseys online | Hockey Gear HQ
We can help you find the best price, widest variety, and high-quality service for a new Nashville Predators jersey.
Smashville 24/7: One more thing: Top line stays hot
The hot line of the moment is Erat-Fisher-Kostitsyn.
Paul McCann - Sunday Shots - A New Definition of Southern Hospitality
Paul shares a photo gallery of fans in attendance last night.
Preds On The Glass: Sergei Kostitsyn Comments on His Highlight Reel Goal in Preds' Win
SK74 gives an assist to Mitch Korn for his goal last night.
Barry Trotz chirps Chicago fans following victory - Nashville Predators Examiner
Coach made sure to send the Blackhawks fans home with a little something extra.
Nashville Predators' Brandon Yip goes scoreless in his debut - The Tennessean
Assorted notes from last night include Lane Lambert speaking in tongues.
Postgame ponderings - Predators Insider
Josh notes that remarkable play of post-flu Kevin Klein.
Defensemen | Admirals Roundtable
Ryan asks which blueliner should get recalled if Nashville needs a hand.
Western conference - Edmonton Journal
"Would the Nashville Predators give the Oilers defenceman Ryan Ellis for Hemsky?" Jeez, I'd hope not.
CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Banning booze big boost for Flames' Jokinen
Add Olli Jokinen to the ranks of the NHL's recovering alcoholics. Congratulations to him on 6 years of sobriety.
After a Year on the Bench, Savard Discusses His Concussions - NYTimes.com
It's easy to forget about the guys like Marc Savard who are so far away from returning to hockey that we don't follow their concussion recovery closely.
Danny Briere Out Indefinitely With a Concussion - Broad Street Hockey
Add another big-time name to the NHL's All-Concussion Team.
Sidney Crosby visits neurological specialist who got Jennifer Grey dancing again | Puck Daddy
Can a new doctor help Sidney Crosby recover from his injuries?
Sunday's Injury Updates - Toews, Briere, E.Kane... - Fantasy Hockey Scouts
And the Jets' Evander Kane is out with a concussion, too.
Escrow fight could pit player vs. player in NHL labor negotiations - NYPOST.com
Larry Brooks chips in with an observation on how the recent settlement between the NHL & NHLPA over hockey related revenues might calm tensions over one crucial area of negotiation for the next CBA.
Why Shane O'Brien won't be traded - Mile High Hockey
Because he's a beauty, naturally!
Lowetide.ca | Red Sky At Morning
The best indicator that Taylor Hall will make a great NHL player? He's getting frustrated with Edmonton's era of suckiness, which has entered another year.
KHL seeks games vs. NHL; Vyacheslav Fetisov quits KHL, CSKA; Vityaz’s Mikhail Anisin sings | Puck Daddy
Huge news here as Slava Fetisov resigns his position with the KHL and the CSKA team.
No title for Nicholls, but a regular role " LA Kings Insider
The L.A. Kings are bringing back scoring sensation Bernie Nicholls as a consultant, specifically helping out with their power play.
The Right Men For The Job? - The Cannon
With another round of rebuilding about to take place in Columbus, do they need new engineers?
Numbers Indicate That Skill Usually Packs a Bigger Punch Than Fists - NYTimes.com
Another argument against the notion that having a pure fighter on your team is a waste of a roster spot.
Leafs fortunes rise while Canadiens decline-WHY? | The Hockey Writers
There's a sea change going on in this ancient rivalry.
Zidlicky scratched for first time as a Wild; Chad Rau to make NHL debut | StarTribune.com
Marek Zidlicky's fortunes are spiraling just as the Wild are as a team.
Credit where it’s due: Roberto Luongo makes history - Backhand Shelf
Luongo now has the most victories for any goaltender in Canucks history. But can he ever get the fans off his back?
Young Defensemen Carry the Load for Blues | The Hockey Writers
The Preds don't have a monopoly on quality young blueliners.
The Record Man Shoots You Down: Preds 5 - Hawks 2 - Second City Hockey
The Chicago take on last night's game seems to think it was closer than the scoreboard indicated, but the main reason the shots ended up close was because the Preds had a big lead in the 3rd period. After two, shots were 18-11 for Nashville.
Keep banking points: Blues beat Sabres - St. Louis Game Time
St. Louis keeps on chugging along, with a home win over the slumping Sabres.
No Fancy Words, Just 2 Points: Red Wings 3 - Blue Jackets 2 (SO) - Winging It In Motown
The notable incident here was a boarding penalty on Henrik Zetterberg, which resulted in a nasty fall into the boards for Nikita Nikitin.
Sharks At Canucks Recap ; Same Old, Same Old (4-3W) - Nucks Misconduct
The Vancouver Canucks defending home ice against the Sharks, extending their recent record against San Jose to 10-1-2.
Islanders 2, Hurricanes 1 (OT): John Tavares Easily in the Top 26 - Lighthouse Hockey
For a night, Islanders fans were able to celebrate and rub it in the nose of an ESPN.com writer who left Tavares off a "best 25 players under 25" list.
Game 49 Recap: Flames Drill Oilers - Matchsticks and Gasoline
Calgary put the boots to Edmonton in the latest edition of the Battle of Alberta.
Tired Panthers top Jets in shootout - Litter Box Cats
The Panthers managed to keep a step ahead of Washington with a road win at Winnipeg.
New York Rangers Break Losing Streak With Massive Victory Over Boston Bruins - Blueshirt Banter
Marian Gaborik scored twice, including the OT game-winner, to lead the Rangers to victory.
Playoff Hopes Live as Habs Defeat Leafs - Habs Eyes On The Prize
Montreal topped Toronto 3-1.
0 recs | 63 comments
Sergei Kostitsyn, where have you been dude?
SK has been FIRE lately. Going to be a very interesting contract negotiation come july…
JBoogie22 - January 22, 2012
and Ellis for Hemksy????
What are they smoking over there in Edmonton???
JBoogie22 - January 22, 2012
I wish they were smoking Ellis for Eberle.
wrandsw - January 22, 2012 via mobile
I’ll light up that doobie! :D
Blum for Hemsky might work, but as we do here sometimes, fans of other teams tend to overrate their own talent. Whatever skill Hemsky may have is blunted by his inability to stay healthy long enough to show off that alleged talent.
Grizzledbear - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Hemsky AND a draft pick, then let's start talking!
JBoogie22 - January 22, 2012
pun intended, I hope
Sam Page - January 22, 2012
Yeah……..of course it was. :D
Grizzledbear - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Nice article on SOB too. He hasn’t changed. I just wish his uniform hadn’t.
Catwoman - January 22, 2012
Same here!
Creeping Death - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Man, that’s a lot of around the world links. Might be a record.
cisar - January 22, 2012
Commenting on trade rumor mongering
Pred’s trading for Blake, Ruutu, or Hemsky would be dumb. None of those guys brings us anything better than what we already possess with the current line-up.
And some advice for the Oiler faithful floating what kind of return Hemsky might bring back in trade, please put down the crack pipe. Yall are smokin some heavy shh.t. I’ve seen Suter for Hemsky and a 1st, Ellis for Hemsky. Is this real life?
Shawn Kehoe - January 22, 2012
Agree about Blake and Hemsky, but Ruutu is a good player. Versatile with some good hands and grit to his game as well. I could see the Hawks prying him out of Carolina, offering up one of their many good forward prospects they have for him.
Grizzledbear - January 22, 2012 via mobile
Ruutu is ok
but he reminds me of another Legwand, Erat type. oft injured, not really a 25+ goal scorer. I’d like to see us make an aggressive push for a 25-35g guy. Stasny, like you mentioned, is a good name. contract be damned. Or the other brother Kostitsyn.
Ruutu isn’t going to keep either $hea or $uter around.
Shawn Kehoe - January 22, 2012
Nothing wrong with having 2 Erats
Sam Page - January 22, 2012
As long as we don’t pay the 2nd Erat $6 mil.
shoot the puck - January 23, 2012
True, it wouldn’t be the type of move that would get either of the big two to grab a pen and sign a new contract, but I don’t expect Poile to do anything of significance anyway. It’s getting late in the game for Poile to do something that would effect the Suter/Weber situation and I’m not sensing that he really gets the urgency of the situation at hand. Yip may well be the extent of what he does.
But Ruutu has 15 goals this season, so he’d be a decent rental at least.
Grizzledbear - January 22, 2012 via mobile
call me crazy
but I really am holding out hope Poile pulls another stunner at forward. Fisher was a serious coup last season, and I think it’s totally plausible B.Ryan may be moving this year. It’s still a few weeks too soon to really gauge though imho.
On a side note, for Gleason on D I think his price is going up daily. It’d be nice to have him instead of Hillen and Boullion.
Shawn Kehoe - January 22, 2012
The Ottawa Sun has this article:
http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/01/21/selanne-should-duck-out-join-a-contender
Would be nice to get Selanne as a rental for a Cup run!
DonBorvio - January 22, 2012
Selanne would be awesome, but what would we have to give up? Is trading Blum worth it for a rental?
wrandsw - January 22, 2012
If it means a Cup, yes.
DonBorvio - January 22, 2012
GMDP could work some magic and get Selanne plus a conditional pick for Blum and Thang. The deeper we go in the playoffs the lower the round of the pick?
wrandsw - January 22, 2012
Yeeeees he is.
davisca - January 22, 2012
Selanne would be great for this season, but it doesn’t address the longer term issue of having an improved roster past this season. That doesn’t help in making this a place either Suter or Weber will think is a perennial Cup contender.
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
I’m not convinced that Anaheim has given up on this season just yet. They’ve played well of late and the teams ahead of them in the 8th spot and lower have been pretty mediocre. If the Ducks go on a 5 or 6 game winning streak, which they’re capable of if healthy, they may get themselves right back into things.
Gleason will net the Canes a nice return. I’d prefer we save our assets for a forward, but again, I’m not holding my breath for that either.
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
I saw the stats somewhere… wouldn’t they have to win like 85% of the rest of their games to even THINK about making the playoffs at the CURRENT point standings? Never mind the future point standings closer to the actual playoffs…
davisca - January 23, 2012
Well, the Ducks are 11pts behind 8th place Colorado but have 3 games in hand on them. Win those 3 and their just 5pts out. Not an impossible mission.
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
Oh, that’s true I guess. I didn’t actually do any research before I posted that haha. Makes sense though! Who knows… weirder stuff has happened.
davisca - January 23, 2012
Poile doesn’t get the urgency of the situation at hand?
The situation is IN his hand. It is HIS situation.
He gets it.
cisar - January 23, 2012
And what has he done with this situation in HIS hand? Nothing as far as I can see.
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
You aren’t in the front office. You aren’t privy to offers made.
Neither am I. My point is someone who says ‘Poile is doing everything he can to get people to sign here but they are still not signing’ has as much validity to their argument as yours.
cisar - January 23, 2012
Who says they don't?
It’s a difference of opinion. That is what a discussion forum is for, is it not?
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
Thanks for agreeing with me.
cisar - January 23, 2012
wouldn't mind ruutu or blake, not sold on hemsky, he's disappointing...
JBoogie22 - January 22, 2012
If Hemsky could stay healthy I’d take him in a minute, he’d easily be the most dangerous offensive player on the team. Those shoulders, however, are a real concern.
Nice meeting you on our way into the parking garage last night!
Dirk Hoag - January 22, 2012
same! I hope yall had better seats than we did and weren’t subject to all the Blackhawk fans being Aholes.
Shawn Kehoe - January 22, 2012
we were up in 323 last night (this year we have a 12-pack and are in different spots for every game). There were lots of Blackhawks fans around, but they were pretty civil, actually.
Dirk Hoag - January 22, 2012
With all these concussions this season, there are gonna be even more teams looking for that top 6 forward than just a few weeks ago. The few sellers there are right now should be able to extract a big return on their available players. If the Coyotes keep falling down the standings, I’d be in regular contact with them about Doan. Talk about a guy who fits our system here perfectly!
Doan has horses and a lil horse farm in AZ……….where better to move his horse operation than TN? :)
Grizzledbear - January 22, 2012 via mobile
i’d love to see Doan in a Preds uni. Good call, but I don’t think they’d move him. Not only his he their captain, he’s the heart and soul of that team.
Shawn Kehoe - January 22, 2012
That he is, but if the ’Yotes fall out of contention, they may look to move some players. But they may not do so for the reasons you list, would be unpopular with the fans there for sure.
Grizzledbear - January 22, 2012 via mobile
What fans?
jld6j - January 22, 2012 via mobile
good thinking on Yotes, i wouldn't mind getting Doan or Vrbata...
JBoogie22 - January 22, 2012
Doan
Not a player who would transform the Preds into a serious Cup contender. He’s 35 and his contract expires at the end of this season. Strictly a rental. Vrbata is the one you want from the Coyotes. Way more bang for the buck, five years younger, salary/cap hit of only $3 mil, and under contract through 2014.
shoot the puck - January 23, 2012
It’s for that reason that I doubt the Coyotes would part with Vrbata. I honestly don’t think Poile will do more than a rental, if even that, so a Doan would exceed my expectations.
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
The problem I have is that I don’t think the price of obtaining Doan would be worth it. Not only would we have to give up some propects and/or draft picks, his limited production, to me, is not enough to upset the chemistry the team is displaying right now. No, the Predators have to go for the gold, and imho Doan or similar players just ain’t it.
shoot the puck - January 23, 2012
From your keyboard to Poile’s ears. :)
It’s interesting that when Poile does do something, like the Fisher deal, you usually don’t here much from him before the trade is made. On the other hand, when he couches his statements in terms like “we’re calling around to see what’s out there”, that usually means nothing is really on the burner. Hopefully we’ll get a surprise this time.
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
Paul McCann getting snarky. Love it.
cisar - January 22, 2012
and
cisar - January 22, 2012
there were some really nice Blackhawks fans
right in front of us. Mature, polite, good natured… but then there were the 21 year old idiots behind us, spilling their beer on my back. Telling the people next to them how awesome of a city Chicago is and how they’ll never ever leave… and the 30somethings to my right cussing out Predator fans and trying to start fights.
My Aunt & Uncle live in Chicago. I saw them a few years ago (before they won the Cup) and tried to talk hockey. Their comment, “what’s hockey?”. Stopped by again last year during the playoffs on my way home from Ireland. Watched one of the Preds/Vancouver games at their house. Guess who all wanted to talk about how much they hate Vancouver? My cousins.
I saw more <30 year olds at the game yesterday who I’m sure have been huge Blackhawk fans for longer than we’ve had a team. (as they put it anyway) /sarcasm off.
Shawn Kehoe - January 22, 2012
I ran into a few BH fans that were pleasant. Talked to a few. One, before the game said “Good Luck! Hope it’s a good game!”
They aren’t all bad. There are a few assholes on our side, too. Probably some sort of Bell curve to describe it.
cisar - January 22, 2012
Yeah, about Chicago…. one of the things that really annoyed me during my 4 years there was the attitude about sports. I felt like there was this bizarre polarization between the people who didn’t give a flying crap about sports, and the people who got SO OFFENDED if you didn’t like a team they liked (i.e., NOT the Cubs/Sox, or Bulls, or Hawks). I can’t even tell you how many times I had to defend myself against people who couldn’t BELIEVE (seriously, I think it was the end of the world) that I didn’t have a Cubs/Sox preference. I’m all for being a sports fan, but holy crap. Those people need to calm down.
davisca - January 22, 2012
Realizing it is Ek and all that entails
but an interesting premise got brought up by him. What would you take for Weber or Suter?
He mentioned Schenn, Coburn, and Gustaffson “from a source.”
Personally I would listen to Couturier, Coburn, Gustafson, and JVR for Weber, Blum, and Smithson (or Spaling)..
Forget that it was Ek who brought it up, is this enough? Does it get Suter to sign an extension?
wrandsw - January 22, 2012
Trading Weber may have the reverse effect on Suter. We need to add to what we have, not just shift pieces. Long term it may be beneficial to get a Couturier type player, but it doesn’t help us now if Weber is going the other way. Besides, if the Flyers think they could get Suter this off-season, why part with a stud like Couturier for Weber now?
Grizzledbear - January 22, 2012 via mobile
I see your rationale but Nashville is one of only a handful of places that Suter can play next year that Weber can be his partner. Or do you believe that Suter won’t stay without Weber plus Poile adding?
Again I realize the hatred for Ek’s site, but he does have a point that with Pronger out, already having a Suter type guy in Kimmo, and the Flyers organization not wanting to make an offer on July 1 hoping that it is the one picked that they may overpay now to get Weber.
wrandsw - January 22, 2012
Yep, I think trading Weber would make Suter less inclined to stay…….unless it were for his bud, Parise. But that deal would never take place for a number of reasons. No decision has to be made on Weber right now, so there’s no need to move him, provided going for the Cup is the teams prime motive this season.
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
I can’t imagine why the Preds would want Gustavsson. They already have Lindback, along with Smith, Engren and Hellberg in the pipeline.
Dirk Hoag - January 22, 2012
I assume he means this guy
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/4861
not the goalie from Toronto
Sam Page - January 22, 2012
Duh!
I was thinking Luke Schenn from Toronto (hence Gustavsson).
Dirk Hoag - January 22, 2012
Sorry for not using the first initial for clarification purposes.
Speaking of Lindback, does he get moved?
If the Wild continue to free fall, what about bringing Zanon back as a 3rd pair and PK guy? He is UFA this summer so no long term committment.
wrandsw - January 22, 2012
I think the asking price for $uter
would be more like Couturier, Schenn, and a 1st.
The Flyers adore Couturier though, so I doubt he’ll be on the move.
Shawn Kehoe - January 22, 2012
I could see that being the asking price for Weber but why Suter when he is UFA on July 1? I agree the Flyers think that Couturier is Mike Richards 2.0, but they have Giroux, Briere (a little more scrambled in the head now), and Schenn as their potential top 3 centers.
wrandsw - January 22, 2012
because:
1. Poile doesn’t really want to trade him.
2. Flyers really want to win the cup this season. They feel like this is their year.
Shawn Kehoe - January 22, 2012
I’d have to disagree a bit that the Flyers think this is thee time for them to win the Cup. Not that they don’t think they might be in the running for it, but they made the deals they did this summer with the future in mind as well, which is why I doubt they will part with either Couturier or Schenn. If they could add Suter to their mix this summer, then they’ll be set for a long time to come.
Grizzledbear - January 23, 2012 via mobile
ESPN’s top 25 players under 25 has SK74 on there and left Tavares off. They really don’t watch hockey. Love that the Islanders’ announcers ripped the guy who wrote it.
Preds Fanatic - January 22, 2012
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