Maybe the third time will be a charm for the Nashville Predators.
The Predators could use some luck after missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons and having a goalie they know they can count on would probably qualify.
• Team preview | Depth ChartProblem is the last two goalies who became starters in the middle of a season couldn't sustain their level of play in the following one, so it is understandable for the Predators to wonder if Pekka Rinne is destined for the same fate.
Rinne, though, is a little younger than predecessors Dan Ellis and Chris Mason were when they were in his position, and Rinne is coming off an effort that was arguably more impressive than either his predecessors.
Rinne was too old at 27 to be a candidate last season for the top rookie award which went to Columbus' 20-year-old netminder Steve Mason, but Rinne's stats were very similar and he was the biggest reason the Predators were in contention for a playoff spot until the final week of the season.
Nashville ultimately fell short of its fifth consecutive postseason appearance because Rinne couldn't impact the offense. Rinne was nearly unbeatable when he had some support, going 18-1-2 when Nashville scored at least three times, but the Predators have traditionally been challenged to produce offense and that didn't change last season.
Things did improve when Steve Sullivan returned from a back problem that sidelined him for two years, but the Predators still ended up 24th in offense, though largely because their power play ranked even lower on the charts. And with a tight budget they haven't done anything to add some pop this summer.
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| Steve Sullivan provided 11 goals and 21 assists in 41 games last season. (Getty Images) |
1. The Predators seem to have their work cut out for them with 11 of their first 17 games on the road, but last season, Nashville had a lot of early travel too with 14 of their first 22 games away from home. Thing is Nashville handled the situation pretty well, going 11-9-2, but the Predators couldn't take advantage of the heavier home schedule the rest of the way and that ultimately cost them a playoff spot. "Going from the All-Star break in, when you are four or five games under .500, it is tough to make up those points," Trotz said.
2. Nashville has never gone beyond the second round of the playoffs, but one area of consistent success for the franchise has been its drafting, especially when it comes to defenseman. The Predators have a couple of recent first rounders -- Dan Hamhuis and Ryan Suter -- playing lead roles on their blue line, while Shea Weber, a 2003 second-rounder is considered by many to be the best young defenseman in the league. Kevin Klein is another recent second-rounder expected to have a top four spot this season, while 19-year-old Colin Wilson, the seventh pick in 2008 and a Hobey Baker finalist last season at Boston U., has a legitimate shot of making the team this season. And there are two more first-round picks -- Jonathan Blum from 2007 and Ryan Ellis from 2009 -- in the pipeline.
3. Three of Nashville's defensemen were invited to their country's Olympic orientation camp last month. Weber and Hamhuis were both in Calgary with Team Canada's orientation camp. Weber in particular is considered likely to be on the final roster. Meanwhile Suter was in Chicago for the Team USA camp and the sense there was that he is a lock to be in Vancouver next February.
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CBSSports.com's Wes Goldstein, Greg Cimilluca and Erin Brown preview the Central Division. 4. Another defenseman who was in Chicago with Suter, albeit in a different capacity, was Chris Chelios. The 47-year-old fitness freak was helping Team USA out in a non-descript coaching capacity, but says he still wants to play and hinted that Nashville could be a possible destination. The Predators lost veteran defensemen Greg De Vries, Greg Zanon and Ville Koistinen over the summer, so some experience in the back end couldn't hurt. But with Nashville committed to giving some of the young blue liners more playing time, it could be a while before they even think seriously about Chelios.
5. Steve Sullivan generally put up impressive numbers with New Jersey, Toronto and Chicago earlier in his 13 year NHL career, but after being traded to Nashville in February 2004, he became a point per game player. Sullivan nearly hit the same pace when he returned last season after being sidelined for two years with back problems, picking up 32 points in 41 games, but his impact on the Predators offense was clear with Nashville get 2.76 goals per game with him, as opposed to 2.44 without.
