2007-08 Preseason Foreplay: Nashville Predators

Quick hits

• In the future, the undead will wears Predators jerseys. You heard it here first, folks.
• SI FanNation wants you to think that Steve Sullivan has aged horribly.
• Gnash is in your arena, controlling your mind with his wand.
• Jordin Tootoo is an uncontrollable machine of death that cannot be stopped.
• This will be the Predators’ tenth season in existence, and the franchise has never won a division title. They finished 2nd each of the last two seasons, and recorded a total of 216 points. That’s what happens when you share a room with the Red Wings.
• Last season, the team recorded 51 wins, 110 points and 272 goals, all of which were franchise records.

Odds for the folks at gambler’s anonymous

54 to 1: In the future, hockey will be the favorite pastime of the undead.

4 to 1: In the future, Resident Evil movies are still going to be a waste of time.

Obligatory serious analysis

You don’t need to be reminded, you’ve certainly heard an awful lot about it, but the Nashville Predators may have had one of the worst off-seasons in NHL history, or at least recent memory. The team almost jetted the Music City for Kitchener, Hamilton and Kansas City (did I miss any?) on many different occasions. The new ownership is still sketchy at best, and probably not-so-secretly set on closing up shop and moving to a new location.

To make matters worse, the Predators had a summer fire sale reminiscent of those classic mid-90s cost-cutting Islander teams. The list of casualties is long, starting with the departure of Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen to the Flyers for only draft picks in a trade that can only be described as “oh my god! Scandaloussss!”, because both players signed contracts with the Flyers almost immediately. Paul Kariya is gone after signing with the Blues, and deadline day acquisition Peter Forsberg is almost surely gone despite still being a free agent. Star net minder Tomas Vokoun is also gone, having been traded to the Florida Panthers for draft picks. The Preds have Chris Mason to fill the shoes of Vokoun, but other than that, the Predators will likely struggle to replace all of the aforementioned players this season.

You want to hear good news? There’s no good news, except that fan rallies sold a whole bunch of season tickets over the summer. Those will only stem tide, though as it seems increasingly likely that this Predators team will a wash on and off the ice.

The team recently announced that it still has about 9,000 tickets unsold for it’s first two home games, short of the average of 14,000 in paid admission necessary to ensure the team’s place in Nashville. To add to that, today TSN is reporting that a local group is pessimistic about it’s bid to buy the franchise.

It’s going to be a long winter in Nashville. It’s a shame.

Prediction: I the Predators will like be simply a shell of their former selves, and will probably not challenge for a playoff spot this season. I’m pegging them for the 11th spot in the Western Conference.

The best looking ice girls in Nashville
It’s twice the ice girl fun in the Music City, the Preds have Goal Girls and Dancers.

Both images (C) Nashville Predators

Ballhype – 2007-08 Preseason Foreplay: Nashville Predators
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Previous Editions of Preseason Foreplay

• Atlanta Thrashers – August 15th
• Boston Bruins – August 27th
• Buffalo Sabres – September 21st
• Calgary Flames – September 2nd
• Carolina Hurricanes – September 26th
• Chicago Blackhawks – August 24th
• Colorado Avalanche – September 13th
• Columbus Blue Jackets – August 22nd
• Dallas Stars – August 13th
• Detroit Red Wings – September 25th
• Edmonton Oilers – September 1st
• Florida Panthers – August 26th
• Los Angeles Kings – September 8th
• Minnesota Wild – September 1st
• Montreal Canadiens – August 29th
• New Jersey Devils – August 19th
• New York Islanders – September 20th
• New York Rangers – September 16th
• Ottawa Senators – September 18th
• Philadelphia Flyers – September 6th
• Pittsburgh Penguins – September 6th
• Phoenix Coyotes – August 14th
• St. Louis Blues – September 9th
• San Jose Sharks – September 23rd
• Tampa Bay Lightning – August 18th
• Toronto Maple Leafs – September 11th
• Vancouver Canucks – September 25th
• Washington Capitals – September 12th