I see some discussion about Duchene and what it mean for the team. I’m guessing for most people it’s denial, because the writing is on the wall and has been for some time. Don’t trust my word, here is Trotz himself:
https://www.nhl.com/news/barry-trotz-discusses-nashville-predators-future-plans/c-344825282
> Obviously, the trade deadline, you saw what we did. We moved four or five pretty big pieces including Mattias Ekholm, Nino Niederreiter, Tanner Jeannot, Mikael Granlund. We decided to reach our goal, we had to take a step back if we want to win a Stanley Cup. It’s hard to win if you’re in the mushy middle and that’s where we were.”
>Our eyes are on the Stanley Cup. That’s our goal, like every team. And we may have to take a step back for a year or two, just to take a bunch of steps forward.
> We’re aligned to take steps forward fairly quickly, but at the same time, you have to know the human element. We’re drafting 18-year-old kids. We have to remember that. I really think that players really take off in the ages of 22 to 24. And when they take off, I’m trying to build a roster where they all hit that window, you know, 22 to 26, where they have three years of really good picks where our kids are developing, training.
I’ve laid out my predictions about the near future in the comments.
by gabbys_burgersnthigh
10 Comments
All this makes me think the following:
1) Trotz is rebuilding with a 3 year window in mind. Poile has been skirting with a rebuild for a few seasons and hasn’t been a big buyer, so we actually have a good amount of prospects. However,
2.) Saros is being traded. Probably sooner rather than later. Trotz sees the competitive window opening when our draftees are 22-24. That’s 3-5 years from now. Saros has been propping this team up and there’s no point in maintaining this edge if he’s out of his prime by the time Trotz’ window re-opens. I don’t think he needs to “win” this trade because the inherent value of the trade is enabling our tank. The most valuable assets a tanking team has are their own picks.
3) Anyone who doesn’t fit Brunette’s system is gone. I could see Sissons and McDonagh also being shopped.
4) Trotz is going to weaponize the cap space to take salary dumps. He’s alluded to it several times. “We’ve got [NHL Salary] Cap space, which is very, very valuable” and he mentioned it when he was hired saying that there’s a lot of teams who are getting cap crunched who have already reached out. I don’t think he’s looking for good players here, I think he’s looking for return in the form of picks.
5) This is most important and what I’m the most excited by: Brunette is here to set the tone of the “Predators Way” and build our identity moving forward. He’s not being hired to be our Stanley Cup coach. I want to believe that Trotz is leaning in to the Tampa, Carolina, Vegas, Colorado, Boston system of establishing a Team Identity that will outlast any players or coaches.
Trotz is establishing the Team Identity through a specific coaching hire that will build the foundation, by drafting players who fit his profile that his coach can mold, and then finding the right coach and free agents who can put it all together once it’s time (if Brunette can’t).
This is how a cup is actually won in the NHL. You don’t just tank. You tank with purpose, while building to a goal. That’s what we’re doing.
Gotta move Saros or the buyout doesn’t make sense. Just absolutely have to.
Going tank and taking bad contracts like Chicago has will be worth it in the end but they have to trade Saros to go all in. You could put the Admirals in front of him and they’d draft like 10th overall
Can’t tank with Saros in net.
“BuT tHeY sTiLL hAvEn’t MoVeD SaRos YeT”
It takes weeks, if not months to analyze and execute a good trade, especially when it’s one of the best goalies in hockey. Patience.
If they trade Saros to Shittsburgh or Anaheim, I’m jumping off a bridge. In Minecraft, of course.
Making big moves always hurts but being a middle of the road team every year hurts more. I don’t have a full opinion on everything yet because it’s so soon still but I feel very good about a lot of our young players and it makes me feel hopeful that we’re organizing the team around them. Better that than another year of us limping towards that playoff cutoff with an older team of guys who aren’t gonna move us up any more than we are
This is a full-on tank.
Trying to get the first pick in the draft has a lot of competition and might be harder to get than it is to win the Stanley Cup. Look at what Chicago did and then they still had to get lucky in the lottery.
If you are doing this, winning games is the worst outcome possible.
As of today, I don’t see them as building an identity or anything else. They are still tearing stuff down and IMO have even more to tear down.
I personally was totally against this but if you are gonna do it, then do it right. Saros, Josi, Forsberg, McDonagh, Barrie, Sissons, Trenin … they all need to go.
I know we can’t tank with Saros but I am still going to throw a proper temper tantrum when he is traded.
I will reserve some judgement until puck drop opening night, but dangling Askarov as trade bait before/during the draft doesn’t give me a good feeling Saros will be traded.
And if he isn’t traded, this team could very well make the playoffs or not, but either way the record won’t be bad enough for a high pick. So it’s status quo and more of the same.