2008-09 Team?????????????????

[echlfreak]

With Ellis still unsigned and Hlavac not returning (one of our top 6 fwds), how do you feel about next years team? It seems that the only way this team is planning on improving is by adding 2 rookies and then everyone who played last season gets a year of experience. Just by signing the RFA's of last season and adding the new contracts of Legwand, Dumont and Mason the SAME team goes from being a $38M team to a $46M team. And that is without ANY upgrades. It is actually a little weaker after losing a top 6 fed and your starting goalie???

Thoughts???

[OurGocIsAnAwesomeGoc]

Originally Posted by echlfreak

With Ellis still unsigned and Hlavac not returning (one of our top 6 fwds), how do you feel about next years team? It seems that the only way this team is planning on improving is by adding 2 rookies and then everyone who played last season gets a year of experience. Just by signing the RFA's of last season and adding the new contracts of Legwand, Dumont and Mason the SAME team goes from being a $38M team to a $46M team. And that is without ANY upgrades. It is actually a little weaker after losing a top 6 fed and your starting goalie???

Thoughts???

I'd hardly call Hlavac a true top six forward. I'm confident that Hornqvist would be an upgrade, and that's assuming no trade or signing is made..which I still think there will be one. We're trying to re-sign Ellis, and I still believe he will be back...but if not, we'll make due.

[worstfaceoffmanever]

Originally Posted by barrytrotzsneck

I'd hardly call Hlavac a true top six forward. I'm confident that Hornqvist would be an upgrade, and that's assuming no trade or signing is made..which I still think there will be one. We're trying to re-sign Ellis, and I still believe he will be back...but if not, we'll make due.

Ellis is going to test the market, so I doubt he'll be back. But I agree that we will try to acquire a top six winger and not put all our eggs in the Hornqvist "basket."

Dumont-Arnott-Radulov
Hornqvist/FA-Legwand-Erat
Pihlstrom-Nichol-Tootoo
Fiddler-Bonk-Smithson
Hordichuk*/McKenzie/Wilson, Ortmeyer/Peverley*

The defense is a little less solidified. With Weber and Suter not yet under contract, along with Klein and Koistinen, it's hard to really get a feel for what the defense corps could look like. But here's what I'm hoping for:

Weber-Suter
Hamhuis-Klein/FA
Zidlicky-Koistinen
Zanon

I would be more than happy with those pairings. I think Klein is good enough in his own end to play with Hamhuis on a "shut-down" pairing, and Zanon is avialbe 7th who can jump in and contribute on the PK, likely replacing Koistinen in the lineup (at which point you pair Zanon with Klein and Zidlicky with Hamhuis). You have 6 defensemen capable of logging power play time and 4 capable of logging penalty kill time (this excludes Weber, who can't clear the zone to save his life, but he could be there as well). I think it would be safe to say that this would be one of the better defense corps in the entire NHL.

In goal, expect Mason and Rinne to vie for the starting job (I expect Rinne to get it). Don't rule out Dekanich and the possible signing of a free agent goaltender to compete with both of them and be a "mentor" to Dekanich in Milwaukee. Maybe Goehring or Wade Flaherty, if either is available, though we may want someone more capable of playing NHL time. If that's the case, you go with Hedberg, Auld, or Sabourin.

[jstreet]

Originally Posted by worstfaceoffmanever

, you go with Hedberg, Auld, or Sabourin.

I could handle Hedberg, but Id be terrified with either of those other two as a backup.

[OurGocIsAnAwesomeGoc]

the city paper, YESTERDAY, said that the team still wants to sign ellis and feels they can...and ellis wants to re-sign. i don't know where you're getting that he's planning on testing the market.

[worstfaceoffmanever]

Originally Posted by burnlikestars

I could handle Hedberg, but Id be terrified with either of those other two as a backup.

Let me clarify:

Any goaltender we sign is going to be our #3 unless they SEVERELY outplay Mason.

[worstfaceoffmanever]

Originally Posted by barrytrotzsneck

the city paper, YESTERDAY, said that the team still wants to sign ellis and feels they can...and ellis wants to re-sign. i don't know where you're getting that he's planning on testing the market.

Tennessean article on Preds' payroll situation

Basically, what Liut says (if you read under "At a standstill?") is that if Dan signs a deal with Nashville, he would prefer to stay IN Nashville, and we can't give him that guarantee with Mason and Rinne already on one-way deals. So he wants Mason or Rinne gone before he signs or he'll test the market.

It also says that Poile has told them "what we can and will do contractually," which one would take to mean that he's given a take-or-leave offer. Ellis is either mulling it over right now or has resolved to test the market. If Dan is smart, he's going for the latter, at which point I expect him to sign elsewhere that can give him better job security, like Dallas (as Turco's backup and possibly his successor) or Colorado (if they don't re-sign Theodore, he'll tandem with Budaj).