Kukla's Korner Hockey
Category: Nashville-Predators
The Expansion Draft Did Not Help The Nashville Predators
by Paul on 07/22/21 at 08:19 AM ET
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from Gentry Estes of The Tennessean,
The Seattle Kraken didn’t take the bait. They didn’t reach a sweetened deal or voluntarily pay up for Matt Duchene or Ryan Johansen in the NHL’s expansion draft.
Instead, they took a bargain in Calle Järnkrok.
And the Nashville Predators winced and took a loss.
Strange as it might sound, retaining their two top centers – given their long-term deals and overpriced salaries – was the worst thing that could have happened to the Preds on Wednesday night. They’d have much rather lost Duchene or Johansen than Järnkrok.
Which speaks to how complicated things have become.
A pivotal offseason for the Preds has accelerated into an eventful flurry of recent activity, and it has done so without a decipherable direction from general manager David Poile.
He’s not gearing up. He’s not rebuilding.
Really, what he’s doing is trying to erase his own mistakes.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Statement From Gary Bettman On Luke Prokop
by Paul on 07/19/21 at 09:57 AM ET
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added 10:02am, Statement from NHLPA below.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
A Battle May Be In The Future Between The NHL And NHLPA Regarding Shea Weber
by Paul on 07/15/21 at 01:00 PM ET
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from TSN,
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports that it's leaning towards unlikely that Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber will play again, and his contract status could end in a dispute between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association.
Dreger notes that the league has not yet commented on Weber's status, but if its stance does not soften, Weber's case "will likely end in dispute with the PA."
Weber is one of the last active players in the league playing on a deal that would include a cap recapture penalty from the front-loaded 14-year, $110 million contract he signed with the Nashville Predators in 2012. He is due just $12 million in actual salary over the next five seasons.
If Weber were to retire, as opposed to landing on long-term injured reserve, the Predators would face a cap charge in each of the next five seasons, starting with a $4.9 million charge in the upcoming season and building to a charge of $24.57 million in 2025-26, the final year of Weber's deal.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Pekka Rinne Announces His Retirement
by Paul on 07/13/21 at 09:05 AM ET
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Nashville, Tenn. (July 13, 2021) - Nashville Predators goaltender and franchise icon Pekka Rinne announced his retirement from the NHL today following a decorated 15-year career.
Rinne, 38 (11/3/82), retired after spending his entire 683-game NHL career with the Predators. He is etched in Nashville's record books as the franchise leader in nearly every goaltending category, including games played, wins (369), goals-against average (2.43), total TOI (39,413:29), shutouts (60) and saves (17,627), and in NHL history, he sits 19th in shutouts and tied for 19th in victories. He finished his career with a record of 369-213-75.
"For more than 15 years, I've been on an incredible, life-changing journey with the Nashville Predators that has taken me to more places than I could have ever imagined and given me more than I could ever hope to give back," Rinne said. "This decision wasn't easy, but I know this is the right one at the right time. As I announce my retirement, I'm thankful for my parents, sisters, fiancé Erika, everyone in the Predators organization - management, coaches and trainers - my teammates and my youth coaches back in Finland. Last but not least, I'm thankful for the people of Nashville. Each of you helped me grow into the man, father and person I am today."
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
LA Kings Acquire Viktor Arvidsson From The Nashville Predators
by Paul on 07/01/21 at 12:12 PM ET
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LOS ANGELES (July 1, 2021) – The LA Kings have acquired forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Nashville Predators in exchange for their second-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft and third-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, according to Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Video- Quick Recap Of Game 2 Of The Stanley Cup Final
by Paul on 07/01/21 at 10:17 AM ET
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Less than 3 minutes to watch.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, | KK Hockey | Permalink
The Bottom Line In Nashville
by Paul on 05/28/21 at 09:29 AM ET
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from Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean,
Hynes hasn't had time to reflect on the ride to the postseason, but he was sure of a couple of things before Game 6.
One was that his team, after a lot of soul searching, had found its identity, that it had become "hard to play against.
"The confidence comes from the process ... that we've done it numerous times throughout the year. That's what the recipe is now," he said.
Except the recipe calls for more. Some changes and decisions will be made in the coming months of the offseason.
Will Rinne return to Nashville or go home to play in Finland or retire?
Will Mikael Granlund be back?
What to do with Duchene and/or Johansen?
Is Viktor Arvidsson, who missed the final four games of the series with an injury, part of the plans for the future?
These questions will have answers sooner or later.
"We're close," Johansen said. "We're very close."
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
The Carolina Hurricanes Take A 3-2 Series Lead Over The Nashville Predators
by Paul on 05/26/21 at 05:39 AM ET
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from Kurt Dusterberg at NHL.com,
Jordan Staal scored 2:03 into overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup First Round at PNC Arena on Tuesday.
Staal batted the puck out of the air after goalie Juuse Saros stopped a shot from the point by Brett Pesce. The goal came 20 seconds after Alexandre Carrier was called for interference, which ended a Predators power play.
"I was fortunate enough, I easily could have whiffed on that one," Staal said. "I think I got my shaft on it. I was just swinging at it and I got a good bounce."
Martin Necas scored twice, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 23 saves for Carolina, which is the No. 1 seed from the Discover Central Division and leads the series.
"I think we got rewarded tonight," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We finally got a bounce, something that went our way that we really haven't had this series. It's that kind of goal you have to have every night."
Game highlights are below.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
The New York Rangers Could Use Pekka Rinne
by Paul on 05/15/21 at 06:30 PM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
So I watched as Pekka Rinne, the estimable 38-year-old Nashville goaltender, took a victory lap around his home ice to a standing ovation following the May 10 shutout of Carolina in his 683rd — and perhaps, last — game for the franchise.
And all I was thinking was: This is the way Henrik Lundqvist deserved to go out as a Ranger — with cheers and gratitude ringing in his ears from the adoring Garden faithful, and not with the anticlimactic buyout that followed The King’s slide into near obscurity those final months of 2019-20.
But that’s not all. Because it is my belief general manager Chris Drury and the Blueshirts should target the impending free agent Rinne to fill the role as backup goaltender to Igor Shesterkin next season if he is on the market. Yes, of course, that would entail dealing Alexandar Georgiev, but that is a move that would serve the best interests of both parties.
The Rangers need an infusion of leadership in all corners of the room.
continued with more hockey topics...
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
A Big Win For The Nashville Predators
by Paul on 05/02/21 at 08:28 AM ET
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from Robby Stanley at NHL.com,
Erik Haula scored at 3:32 of overtime, and the Nashville Predators extended their lead over the Dallas Stars for fourth place in the Discover Central Division by defeating them 1-0 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.
Juuse Saros made 28 saves for Nashville (28-22-2), which has won three of its past four games and leads fifth-place Dallas by three points for the final Stanley Cup Playoff berth in the division.
"Well, what a game," Predators coach John Hynes said. "I think you knew both teams were going to come in and play as hard as they could. I thought it was a hard-fought battle by both teams. There wasn't a lot of room on the ice, lots of physicality. I thought both goaltenders played really well. A playoff-style game, playoff-style atmosphere. Our fans were fantastic. I just liked that we were able to find a way to win and stay with it against a really good team. It was a good night for us."
Anton Khudobin made 33 saves for Dallas (21-17-13), which has lost three in a row.
"We played our hearts out," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "We did. We did. We didn't give up much, and obviously we didn't score, and we need to score. But in terms of the effort and the commitment to the team, 100 percent satisfied."
continued and note Dallas has played one less game than Nashville.
Below, watch the OT goal from Haula.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
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