Photo Credit: Sarah Fuqua
Mike Fisher is the epitome of a natural leader and by example he became an exemplary assistant captain for the Predators this season. Although he missed some time due to injuries (as many Nashville players did), Fisher was able to provide some much needed scoring with a strong defensive effort.
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Third time wasn’t a charm when it came to the addition of Chris Mason to the Predators roster. The first player to grace Nashville on three different occasions was less than stellar as a back-up for Pekka Rinne. Anders Lindback was sorely missed, especially in light of the news of Rinne playing on an injured hip for most of the year.
Small move today as Bob McKenzie tweeted moments ago, but Nashville trades the rights of Bobby Butler to Florida for the rights of defenseman T.J. Brennan.
Photo Credit: NHL.com
With the news of the Roman Josi contract, the Nashville Predators have locked up more of their core players for the next several years. This news comes a summer after the team’s two franchise defensemen earned themselves a nice hefty payday; one signed his lifetime contract in Minnesota and the other signed an even more impressive offer sheet that was matched by Nashville. The inability to sign a pro-active contract was due to a few factors, including instability with the franchise with an ownership change and business savvy from a generational player. Whatever the reason, the previous two summers in Nashville have been laden with contract stress, and anxiety.
This off-season has been a departure from duct taping the roster together from year to year and more pro-active building. Over the course of the previous two years, Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber, Patric Hornqvist, Kevin Klein, and now Roman Josi have pledged to play in Nashville for the next 5 seasons or longer. Couple this fact with the acquisition of Fillip Forsberg, and the development of Colin Wilson, Craig Smith, Gabriel Bourque, and Taylor Beck (along with draft picks such as Austin Watson), the roster is now formed for years to come. Something the fans in Nashville haven’t been used to is stability, and it may be finally coming together.
Photo Credit: Sarah Fuqua
Last July, Predators fans waited with bated breath as the team decided if it would match Shea Weber’s offer sheet from Philadelphia. Ultimately, management decided the captain was worth paying $110 million over 14 years. Some fans felt betrayed that Weber would put the organization in that position to begin with, but most would agree that matching the offer was in the best interest of the organization. Would he live up to the expectations as the highest paid player in the NHL?
