The Nashville Predators aren’t going to be buyers this year. That’s according to general manager David Poile, who joined Nashville radio this morning to explain his trade deadline plans.
I do not think we are a buyer, let’s start with that. If things don’t change more favorably and get into some kind of winning streak, we certainly could be a seller. But that’s not today.
The Predators sit fifth in the Central Division, and despite a 25-20-6 record, actually have a negative goal differential on the year. However, what they would sell isn’t clear, given the only pending UFAs on the roster are Mark Jankowski and Kevin Lankinen. Teams rarely target players with long-term contracts at the deadline, and the Predators have 10 of 23 roster spots inked through at least 2024-25.
- Devin Shore is back up for the Edmonton Oilers, meaning Kailer Yamamoto won’t be coming off injured reserve just yet. Klim Kostin was back on the ice with the team today, and Leon Draisatil was only missing for maintenance and is expected to play tomorrow. For Yamamoto to return, the Oilers need to clear a significant amount of cap space; most expect that to be the waiving or trade of Jesse Puljujarvi, though nothing has materialized to this point.
- Jonah Gadjovich will be out on a week-to-week basis, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Kevin Labanc will jump back into the San Jose Sharks lineup on the fourth line, potentially giving the team a chance to showcase the forward before the trade deadline. The 27-year-old Labanc still carries a $4.725MM cap hit through next season and has 25 points in 45 games.
Probably last chance for Laban to proof he can be a part of Sharks rebuild…
So Poile is saying that once again Preds fans are put in hockey purgatory. They’re not good enough because Poile’s roster isn’t good enough. But instead of improving it, he just lets it twist in the wind.
Fire Poile now!!!
@Gbear—I hear you. GMDP isn’t even trying the tried-and-failed Chiarelli-endorsed approach of building a slow, heavy team because that’s how he did it in Boston in the late 1800s (not a typo), so that’s what will work today. Poile is officially rudderless. Preds fans everywhere should be livid at this. Maybe he needs a trip to “Old Sow” to wake him up.
@Mac – It just has to stop. This has been the same song and dance for 4 seasons now. Either you build a team capable of being a contender or you retool for the future. What did he think this roster he built was going to do this season? They have mediocre talent and are playing mediocre hockey. This is all on GMDP.
@Gbear – You and I discussed this over the off season. The Forsberg and McDonagh deals both weren’t bad in a vacuum, but were both the wrong deals for the Preds. They did not get them closer to being cup contenders, but those deals get in the way of a rebuild. I usually try to avoid pretending that we on this site know more than professional GMs, but this was obvious back in July. There will be a new GM in Nashville once the season is over. The problem is whoever that is has a lot of long-term contracts to get out of before he can start the rebuild.
@Mattc68 – I sure hope you’re right about a new GM being in place after this season. Poile is clearly not seeing what everyone else is seeing of this team.
Forberg’s deal I can live with due to the teams lack of scoring ability, but adding another 6M Dman like McDonough made no sense. Good player for a team like Tampa who have plenty of offense, but the Preds needed that cap space for a Timo Meier type player.