Your Nashville Predators Master Plan
 

If you were Poile, what would be your Master Plan for the roster coming into next year? For the future a few years down the road? What trades would you make? I'm not just talking about the deadline ( we alreayd have a thread for that), but im looking bigger picture here. Try to make trades at least somewhat realistic, though not everyone will agree on what that means obviously. For mine:

(assuming Suter won't resign, Weber will)

Trade #1: At this deadline: Blum + Lindback + Latta + 1st for Carter + Sanford

Trade #2: At this deadline: Austin Watson + 3rd for Bryan Allen

Offseason- Convince Radulov to come back at all costs. Sign him for 5x5

Resign Weber, Allen, SK, Wilson, Tootoo. Let Yip, Frankie, Hillen, and Kraken walk.

Trade #3: At the draft: Hornqvist + 2nd for Tobias Enstrom (to replace Suter)

Trade #4: At the draft: Suter's rights for whatever picks/prospects we can get

For next Season:

Wilson-Carter-SK
Radulov-Legwand-Smith
Erat-Fisher-Borque
Tootoo-Spailing-Halischuk
Smithson

Weber-Enstrom
Josi-Allen
Ellis-Klein
Laakso/Ekholm

Rinne
Sanford

What would you do?

Ill keep it simple and just list a roster without specifying how it happens(note: these arent projected lines just forwards grouped in threes and defensemen in pairs)

2012-13 Roster

Parise-Legwand-Radulov
Wilson-Fisher-Erat
Hornqvist-Smith-Halischuk
Borque-Spaling-Tootoo
Smithson +/-McG

Weber/Suter
Klein/Josi
Ellis/Blum/whatever cheap veteran UFA is available

Rinne
Lindback(who isnt traded in this scenario because we got parise in the summer)



(kostitsyn's rights traded for something to make room for parise and rads)

Blum + latta/budish + lindback + 1st for carter + sanford

tell suter I will try my hardest to get rads back and if not, go after parise this summer. If he says he won't resign no matter what/not resigned by the draft, trade him for max assets. Get a list from him of which teams he would like to ensure he doesn't go to detroit or chicago.

Make a trade for a physical defenseman, like our fourth round pick for O brien back.

If Suter isn't coming back, sign enstrom.

If Weber won't sign, trade him at the draft for max assets. Start the rebuild if weber and suter won't sign

Won't get Carter and don't expect anything big at the deadline.

Offseason:
Suter's gone.
Land Parise, go after him hard.
Rads is Rads, who knows with him. (Work on it though)
Keep Big Ern.
Pick up 2 vet D-men.

If Suter is gone, I will believe that weber needs to be traded before the start of next season

Agreed. No way he sticks around to sign a long term deal.

In my mind, no Suter, no Parise. I got a feeling these two are going to pull a lebron

The thought of having Parise and Radulov on the same line temporarily makes me forget about all things Weber and Suter related. I don't think it will happen, but fun to think about. I think just getting Weber or Suter to sign is a challenge at this point. Maybe thats the antagonist in me.

I don't think it's as black and white as that. If Suter leaves, it depends who we get to replace him. We're supposedly spending more next season, so the money has to be spent somewhere.

Yeah, just not in Nashville. Suter and Parise joining in Nashville together to be Preds would be the equivalent to LeBron and Wade joining in Sacramento together to be Kings. I mean yeah we're better than the Kings are in the NBA but stars aren't going to join in one of the leagues smallest markets.

We're either going to Suter, Weber, and at least one top 3 forward

OR

None of the above.

Meaning, we're going to be an elite team or just scraping to get by.

Trade with whoever Trades with the Toronto Maple Leafs and take the picks they acquired from Toronto

:help:

The 4th round pick in the 2007 San Jose - Toronto Deal was used in 2009 to select Craig Smith.

The 38th overall pick Toronto owned was traded to Phoenix which Nashville ended up with to select Roman Josi.

): sorry I foudn this out today and I just hate Toronto now.

It is turning into Parise comes Suter leaves again. People just can't put it aside for a moment.

For me Parise will stay with Devils.
Suter idk. But 66 to 33 he is with us.

Now Predators 12-13

AK - Smith - Radulov
Erat - Fisher - SK
C.Wilson - Legwand - Hornqvist
Halischuk - Spaling - Tootoo

Bourque, K. Wilson

Weber - Suter
Klein - Josi
Ellis - Allen

Ekholm

Rinne
Smith

I think Suter's gone, no Parise (he'll sign for some rediculous frontloaded amount). I don't see Nashville being a destination for someone like Carter, Nash, etc.

1. Convince Rads to come back, at just about any cost.

2. Sign or trade for AK - he's that buy low with massive potential guy that we usually do well with. Some guys blossom outside of the pressure cooker markets.

That forward corps could be deadly.

3. Sign a vet D-men that can play on at least the 2nd pairing. Perusing the FA list - maybe someone like Barrett Jackman (always liked him), Colaiacovo, heck even a Greg Zanon. Pick your own favorite guy - I'm not suggesting anyone in particular.

4. Dump Smithson - should be able to get a nominal pick. Drop Hillen, don't bother with Boullion, Yip only as a depth/Milwaukee forward (i.e. cheap)

5. I've really come to like Tootoo, but I have a feeling he'll get a bigger offer than he's worth. Buh-bye.

5. Resign McG

Not lines, but sort of a depth chart (we jumble up lines here and there anyway):


SK - Fisher - Radulov
AK - Legwand - Erat
Smith - Spaling - Wilson
Halischuk - Bourque - Hornqvist

McG

Weber - Josi
Ellis - Jackman (or whomever)
Klein - Blum

Rinne
Lindback

I haven't played with the $$$'s, but I'm assuming we'll be spending quite a bit more than the near cap floor team we have now. Rads and the D-man would account for the 7 mil or so we would offer Suter. AK and raises to SK, Wilson would be the increase in bucks needed. We could peddle Hornqvist if we needed to clear some room - he might return a cheap piece or pretty decent pick and he'd be expendable in that forward corps.

Hard to fathom how some people have Smith on 3rd and 4th lines after what he has already shown this year..:pullhair:

if he plays center he will be on what is technically the 3rd line because of Legwand and Fisher. The kid has had a nice year for a rookie but he isnt better than either of them yet.

what you have to remember is we are now rolling 3 lines with almost equal potential so its not a big negative for him, especially if he also gets PP time.

now, if he is gonna play wing, he could wind up in the "top 6" depending on what moves we make in the offseason

Have you watched the Preds for very long? If so, you know that Trotz's "lines" have also been sort of loose definition of the term. Guys go from "line 1" to the bottom and then back and over and over again. Been that way for years.

That's why I said it was sort of a depth chart - not really lines.

I was not refering to you i saw your disclaimer. If it is your depth chart he still deserves to be higher than 3rd grouping. IMO Wilson should be higher to.

Trotz is a defensive minded coach and defense comes first and then when we get desperate for a goal then it's Tootoo and any combination Trotz can think of

Also need to be careful for sophomore slump.