Category Archives: Nashville Predators
Predators must make Weber big offer, deal him if he declines
Ray Shero has undoubtedly used knowledge and strategy he learned serving for eight years as David Poile‘s assistant in Nashville to become the tour de force general manager he is now in Pittsburgh.
Today, however, it might be time for mentor Poile to follow the lead of his former pupil.
Poile needs to handle the Shea Weber situation the way that Shero dealt with the Jordan Staal situation: You offer the player the best contract extension you can afford. If he doesn’t accept, you trade him, preferably to a place he wants to play.
The Predators probably don’t want to believe this, but it’s the best strategy for the organization and for the player. It’s the respectful approach. It’s the dignified approach. It’s the forward-thinking approach.
It certainly isn’t difficult to determine what to offer Weber: It’s the Sidney Crosby contract of $104.4 million over 12 years.
We know the Predators can go that high, because they were at least in the neighborhood in their bidding for Ryan Suter.
If the Predators make that offer, they are telling Weber they value him as much the Penguins value Crosby. And that’s the truth. They would be paying him more than Ryan Suter received when he left the Predators to sign with the Minnesota Wild this week. And that’s important. That offer also would tell their fans that the Predators are willing to do whatever it takes to build a winning organization.
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P.A. DONE IN NY?
Parise not tipping hand as free agency nears
Source: Suter doesn’t want to come to Philly
While there are a number of logical reasons why the Flyers would want to pursue Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter, who is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer, the question remains: Is Suter interested in them?
Recall the Flyers had serious interest in Jay Bouwmeester several summer ago, but it wasn’t reciprocal. As such, they turned their attentions elsewhere by going after Chris Pronger.
According to a well-placed source, Suter has a potential list of clubs he would be willing to talk to even if his rights were traded before July 1. Suter is represented by Neil Sheehy.
Alas, the Flyers are not one of them.
In fact, the source said, all of Suter’s preferred destinations, should he leave the Predators, are in the Western Conference – not the East.
Detroit is generally conceded to be his top choice.
It’s no secret the Flyers have some work ahead of them in the coming weeks to solidify their defense, especially given it appears Pronger’s status as “out indefinitely” with post-concussion syndrome will continue into next season.
Nashville general manager David Poile, the source said, has thus far refused to talk with any clubs about moving Suter or even restricted free agent Shea Weber’s rights right now.
Red Wings likely won’t pursue Predators forward Alexander Radulov
News out of Nashville this week has the Predators looking to trade the rights to forward Alexander Radulov. Would he be a fit for the Red Wings?
Radulov is a pending restricted free agent, but according to the Tennessean, the Predators no longer see him as part of their future and want to move him.
Radulov will be 26 next month. He’s just entering what’s considered a hockey player’s prime age. He’s got nice size at 6-feet-1, 200 pounds. He was the Predators’ first-round pick, 15th overall, in 2004, and the organization brought him along believing he’d be an impact player, especially after he produced 152 points in 62 games in his last season of junior hockey in 2005-06. He had 18 goals and 19 assists as an NHL rookie, and reached 26 goals and 32 assists in ’07-08.
Then he bolted for more money in his native Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, where he played for three seasons only to return this past spring. He was able to burn off the last year of his entry-level contract by suiting up for the Predators in late March, and accumulated seven points in nine regular-season games.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120608/SPORTS05/206080466/Helene-St-James-Red-Wings-likely-won-t-pursue-Predators-forward-Alexander-Radulov?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|s
Fedorov and filthy rich CSKA team are after Radulov, Semin
Now that Rosneft, one of Russia’s oil giants, has taken over full
sponsorship of CSKA Moscow, it gave general manager Sergei Fedorov a
carte blanche to go after the best talent available.
According to Russian sources, Fedorov has expressed serious interest in
the services of Alexander Radulov and Alexander Semin.
So far as Radulov is concerned, Nashville Predators’ general manager
David Poille has already announced he’s perfectly willing to trade
Radulov’s NHL rights to anyone who presents him the best offer, but it
was obvious from his statements that he has no control (and neither does
the potential future NHL club) to answer a simple question: will Radulov
stay or return to Russia?
Semin will be a free agent as of July 1. His agent, Mark Gandler, has
repeatedly shot down news of Semin’s return to Russia but I wouldn’t take that to the bank if I were an NHL team.
The issue is simple: most European players employ different agents to
handle their European affairs. More often than not, they choose not to
share the details of the European dealings with their North American
representatives.
Gandler has repeatedly said Semin would
like to have better guarantees of regular playing time in all
situations, something, he contends, the player has never got from the
Washington Capitals. Gandler has gone so far as to suggest Semin will
not be returning to the Capitals, period.
REPORT: PREDS TO TRADE RADULOV OR RELEASE HIM BACK TO KHL
It appears ‘s days with the Nashville Predators are over.
According to the Nashville Tennessean, Predators general manager David Poile will try to trade the Russian forward’s rights or allow him to return to the Kontinental Hockey League.
“The best way to characterize it is it’s time to not pursue Rad anymore,” Poile told the Tennessean. “If he wants to play in the KHL that’s fine, if he wants to play with another NHL team I’d be willing to trade his rights.
“We feel the fit right now is not with Nashville,” Poile added.
Radulov just completed an eventful season in which he returned to the NHL for the first time since leaving for Russia in 2008. He played 50 games for Ufa in the KHL before returning to Nashville in March and playing nine regular season games for the Predators. He contributed six points in eight playoff games, but was suspended by the team during the second round after he and were cited for violating team rules while the team was in Phoenix.
Rangers contact Predators about Radulov
Acting with deliberate speed in the wake of the news 41-goal scorer Marian Gaborik will require right shoulder surgery that could sideline the sniper into December of next season, Rangers general manager Glen Sather has been in touch with Predators GM David Poile regarding impending Group II free agent winger Alexander Radulov, The Post has learned.
Radulov, who will turn 26 next month, has a lucrative contract offer on the table from CKSA of the KHL, the league in which he played the last four seasons before returning to the Predators for the stretch run and the playoffs, but a well-placed source has told The Post the winger would prefer to continue his career in the NHL.
The 6-1, 190-pounder scored 18 goals as a rookie in 2005-06 and 26 goals the following season before defecting to the KHL with one year remaining on his Entry Level contract.
The degree to which these discussions between Sather and Poile have advanced is unknown, but The Post has learned this is more than the GM “kicking the tires.” The Blueshirts, of course, would have to be given a window in which to conduct contract negotiations with Radulov before agreeing to trade for his rights.
It is unlikely Poile will play hardball, given the alternative is losing him for nothing to the KHL.
That offer from CKSA, whose GM is Sergei Fedorov, adds a degree of urgency to the Blueshirts’ pursuit of Radulov, who recorded seven points (3-4) in nine-regular season games for the Predators before getting six points (1-5) in eight playoff games.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/blueshirts_eye_radulov_k93X44fZ6vNSLiFF0nH9nK#ixzz1wtGxkhgr
Sale in Nashville to fall through once again
Reports on tsn.ca are speculating that the sale to a local group in Nashville is about to fall apart. Of interest is that the local group was going to keep the team in Nashville and that they were looking for tax breaks to do so.
Preds sign Perreault to one year deal
The competition for the Predators’ second-line center has come to an end.