NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Nashville talked about making the playoffs last year, so someone there was possessed by terrible delusions. But a new season brings a new plan: the proverbial youth movement, with its promise of a distant but glorious future. Off-season pruning left the Predators with just half a dozen players over the age of 30.
David Legwand was the best news in a Predators' uniform in 2002-03, finally looking like the second-overall draft pick he was five years ago. Trouble loomed when starting goaltender Mike Dunham was traded, but Tomas Vokoun surprised everyone by stepping in and playing much better than Dunham. Legwand and Vokoun will be relied upon heavily to do it again.
Vokoun, in particular, will need a stout heart, because the young and innocent are taking over on defense. Most of them had to buy a ticket to get in an NHL rink last year. The group will no doubt show some promise, but on-the-job training is a costly strategy in pro hockey.
On offense, it’s another season of wait and hope. Predators’ fans know all about Scott Hartnell, Adam Hall, Denis Arkhipov and Martin Erat. Everyone has heard how talented they are, how speedy and creative and ripe-to-bursting with potential. But, as the saying goes, potential is just a nice way of saying you haven’t done anything yet. Nashville has always struggled to find goals, and that won’t change unless more players mature the way Legwand did last year.
On a good night, the Predators should still be a tough opponent, the relentless underdog. But they’ve been stuck in that role since the franchise debuted in 1998.
Trouble: Exactly two defensemen, Kimmo Timonen and Jason York, have proven themselves deserving of a regular NHL job.
On the Spot: Vokoun, 27, seems to have the makeup of a starting goaltender: the more he plays, the better he plays. But let’s see another stellar year before we start calling him The Answer.
The Forecast: If they stay healthy, if they play “the system,” if this guy breaks through, if that guy plays a full season the way he played that 12-game stretch last winter... you get the idea.
The Call: 13th in the Western Conference.
Who's in:
Defenseman Curtis Murphy (trade from Minnesota)
Defenseman Ray Schultz (free agent from New York Islanders)
Defenseman Jamie Allison (free agent from Columbus)
Right winger Mike Farrell (trade from Washington)
Forward Ben Simon (free agent from Atlanta)
Left winger Jim McKenzie (free agent from New Jersey)
Assistant coach Peter Hornachek
Who’s Out:
Defenseman Karlis Skrastins (free agent to Colorado)
Defenseman Andy Delmore (trade to Buffalo)
Defenseman Cale Hulse (free agent to Phoenix)
Defenseman Bill Houlder (unsigned free agent)
Forward Brent Gilchrist (unsigned free agent)
Forward Todd Warriner (unsigned free agent)
Forward Vitali Yachmenev (unsigned free agent)
Center Clarke Wilm (unsigned free agent)
Center Denis Pederson (unsigned free agent)
Left winger Reid Simpson (free agent to Pittsburgh)
2002-03 Regular Season Numbers:
Payroll:
$25,242,500, 29th overall
(Hockey News, November 15/02. Bonuses not included.)
- Record: 27-35-13-7 for 74 points.
- At home: 18-17-5-1.
- On the road: 9-18-8-6.
- Finish: Tied for 24th overall, 13th in the Western Conference, 4th in the Central Division.
- Goals for: 183 (2.23 per game), 28th overall.
- Goals against: 206 (2.51 per game), 9th overall.
- Goal differential: Minus-23, 20th overall.
- Power play: 13.9 percent, 26th overall.
- Penalty kill: 82.7 percent, tied for 17th overall.
Goaltending:
- Tomas Vokoun, 69-25-31-11, 2.20 GAA, .918 SV PCT, 3 SO.
- Mike Dunham 15-2-9-2, 3.15 GAA, .892 SV PCT, 0 SO.
- Jan Lasak, 3-0-1-0, 3.33 GAA, .872 SV PCT, 0 SO.
Leaders:
- Scoring: Center David Legwand, 64-17-31-48.
- Power play points: Defenseman Andy Delmore, 71-14-10-24.
- Game-winning goals: Andy Delmore, 6.
- Ice time: Defenseman Kimmo Timonen, 22:24 per game.
- Plus/minus: Defenseman Jason York, plus-13.
