November 10, 2008 Predators doing the little
things right Thanks to quality drafting, TFP Columnist
Paul Ladewski explains how the Nashville Predators continue to perform
well.
[Chicago, IL] -- Think your team has
broken more hearts than Kate Hudson? Has worse luck than a 401K plan?
Been hosed more times than an Augusta green?
Sorry, but you haven't heard of the Nashville Predators then.
If you haven't noticed, the Predators are the team with ownership
that's tighter than lockjaw and a starless roster of Who's Dats that
ranks somewhere between The Debbie and Doyle Show and Cooter's Garage
on the list of biggest Nashville attractions. Somehow, they're also
the team that entered the season with the sixth-most victories in the
NHL since the 2005-06 campaign.
When I mentioned this fact to Rich
Peverly the other night, you would have thought that I shouted out his
credit card number at Nordstrom's or something.
"We
don't want the attention," the center practically begged me to shut my
piehole. "We would rather stay in the weeds. It's better for us that
way."
Well, it is until April, anyway.
You see, no matter what obstacles are in their way, the Predators
managed to find their way to the playoffs. That's when the problem
starts. In 10 seasons of existence, they have yet to win a post-season
series.
Heading into this season, the Predators were looking better, despite
some early troubles.
First, Alexander Radulov bolted to his native Russia and took his 26
goals of a season ago with him. Veteran center Steve Sullivan hasn't
played a shift since February, 2007, and at 34, him and his bum back
may have hit the ice for the final time. Grinder Jed Ortmeyer has yet
to play a game because of complications after knee surgery, and the
penalty-kill unit has suffered with him. Team captain Jason Arnott was
sidelined for three games because of a broken finger. Even assistant
coach Peter Horachek took 14 stitches across his forehead after a puck
off the stick of forward Martin Erat conked him on the head recently.
Sure enough, there the Predators were, smack dab in the middle of the
pack one month into the season.
"Yeah, it could have been a lot worse," defenseman Shea Weber said.
"We're doing some good things right now. Obviously, there is some
stuff we can improve on, but we'll continue to work and hopefully get
some more wins."
Work and wins. Pretty simple formula, huh?
Well, it is if your team is located in a major market and packs the
place every game and shops 'til it drops in the free agent market at
least. But what if it resides in the 30th market in the United States?
And struggles to put 14,000 fannies in the seats on a given night? And
is nearly $13 million below the salary cap maximum?
"When teams look at us, I don't think they say, 'Well, this is a No. 1
line,'" head coach Barry Trotz conceded. "We probably have two twos
and two threes."
That the Predators seem to be oblivious to all this says a lot about
their leadership and know-how off the ice. As shaky as the franchise
has been in other ways, none has been more stable at head coach and
general manager, positions that Trotz and David Poile have held since
they were hired one month apart 11 years ago. If you want to know how
the Predators are able to compete without as much as single $6 million
player on their roster, then look no further than them.
It takes a lot of money to stockpile talented offensive players, and
that's something that the cost-conscious Predators have never had in
their history. So Poile has done the next best thing -- used the draft
to assemble a more affordable nucleus in young defensemen Dan Hamhuis,
Kevin Klein, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, first- or second-round picks
around whom the team can build for years to come.
Klein, Suter and Weber are 23 years old, while at 25, Hamhuis is the
old man of the bunch. If the foursome fails to live up to their
collective promise, then it won't be because of a lack of quality
instruction, as Trotz ranks among the best teachers around.
If you're not familiar with Weber and his game, then chances are you
will be soon. A rare combination of size and agility, the 6-foot-3,
213-pounder already is good for about one point, a couple or three
hits and three or four shots on goal per game.
The kid appears to be on the fast track to stardom -- Columbus Blue
Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock has compared him to a young Al
MacInnis already -- and only the knee and leg problems that he
encountered last season can prevent it, it seems. Better yet, the
British Columbia native seems to be sold on the team and the city,
which means that he's not likely to do something totally Rad any time
soon.
On most nights, the Predators have a margin for error that can fit
inside a thimble. If ever a team has to bring its A or A-minus game to
the arena, then this is the one, because as Trotz is the first to
admit, anything less than that probably won't get 'er done.
"We just have to play a real team game," he said. "We can't rely on
one or two players to carry us. It has to be a group effort."
Group
effort? Heck, everyone except Miley Cyrus scored a goal for the
Predators in the first month of the season, no fewer than 18 different
ones in the first nine games alone. Problem was, the Predators got so
caught up in the o-zone that they forgot what had made them successful
all these years. This is a group that thrives on teamwork, not
individual efforts, one that's best suited for 2-1 and 3-2
white-knucklers, not 4-3 and 5-4 shootouts. If the Predators become
Cybil and forget who they really are, then they're toast and they know
it.
As veteran forward J.P. Dumont put it, "We work well together, and
that's how we have success. We're going to need everybody. We're going
to need some big saves by our goaltenders. We're going to need some
big plays by our defensemen. We're going to need casual plays, the
things that seem to be kind of boring from the outside, shooting the
puck out of our end and stuff like that. That's the way it has been
with this team in the past. If you want to watch and not concentrate,
then you'll watch from the stands."
Still, the Predators are only as good as goaltenders Dan Ellis and
Pekka Rinne on most nights. That's a lot to expect of two guys who
entered the season with 48 games of NHL experience between them.
Ellis was a considerable surprise last season, when his .924 save
percentage led the league, a performance that warranted a two-year
contract extension last summer. Now he has to prove that his 6-foot,
185-pound frame can withstand the rigors of the regular season not to
mention increased expectations.
The back-up is rookie Rinne, who is green as the Graceland Mansion
lawn. In his debut, the 6-foot-5, 207-pounder came down with a severe
case of the yips and was pulled after 14 minutes, but he has settled
down since then. The turnaround didn't come a minute too soon, either,
because the Predators could be in a Pekka trouble without a dependable
No. 2 guy.
The bigger question is, how much longer the Predators survive like
this?
In the regular season, they can steal points on chemistry, discipline
and fresh legs alone. When talent wins out in the postseason, though,
Nashville sings one of those sad country-and-western songs. At some
point, the Predators will have to advance to the second round of the
playoffs and beyond in order to be heard in Opryland, one would think.
As Trotz would tell you, there are more urgent matters at the moment,
specifically, a six-game western swing that started with back-to-back
losses. The trip is sure to test the fragile confidence of the young
team even if its head coach is careful not to call it a make-or-break
proposition.
"There's a lot of parity in the league, and it will be the survival of
the fittest, really," Trotz said. "The teams that can survive the
peaks and valleys of a long season will be the ones that make the
playoffs."
Better brace yourself, Nashville. Looks like the Predators are gonna
take your heart and rip that sucker out.
Based in
Chicago,
Paul
Ladewski is
a Columnist with TheFourthPeriod.com, covering the NHL.
"We
don't want the attention," the center practically begged me to shut my
piehole. "We would rather stay in the weeds. It's better for us that
way."
Group
effort? Heck, everyone except Miley Cyrus scored a goal for the
Predators in the first month of the season, no fewer than 18 different
ones in the first nine games alone. Problem was, the Predators got so
caught up in the o-zone that they forgot what had made them successful
all these years. This is a group that thrives on teamwork, not
individual efforts, one that's best suited for 2-1 and 3-2
white-knucklers, not 4-3 and 5-4 shootouts. If the Predators become
Cybil and forget who they really are, then they're toast and they know
it.