GDT: 2016 Preseason Thread - Time for the real thing!

[drwpreds]

Hope you're right but I'm still skeptical.

There will always be games, especially in the fall, that are likely candidates for less than a sellout. Culprits this year may include:

- Tuesday 11/8 vs Ottawa
- Monday 11/21 vs Tampa Bay. Good and exciting team but later that week we have games the nights before and after Thanksgiving.
- Tuesday 1/10 vs Vancouver
- Tuesday 1/24 vs Buffalo. Possibly.
- Monday 3/13 vs Winnipeg
- Monday 3/20 vs Arizona. Unless we're lighting the league on fire this one will not be a sellout. I'm calling it.

One thing also makes me curious. I would think the answer is yes, but we have 3 different Saturday/Sunday back-to-back home game weekends. Would we sell out games both on Saturdays and Sundays? We know Saturdays will, but Sunday right after? Sunday against Edmonton in February after a Caps game 24 hours earlier? Which also happens to be the 3rd home game in 4 days. 4th home game in 6 days. Who knows.....I'm glad they're doing this I'm just not convinced those back-to-backs will be all sellouts..

I may have just dreamed this, but I think the Preds actually came out and said they expect every game to sell out this year. Now, whether that means it will be a few of those "manipulated sellouts", who knows? But it will be interesting to see what happens, because there is no doubt that there is more buzz this year than ever before.

As far as the weekend back to backs, I would think and hope that any weekend game will sell out. But I do know this- for out of town die hards like me, the Sat/Sun home games are AWESOME. We get to see two games while making only one trip up. Cannot wait for those weekends....

 

[Drake744]

They had enough pull to make sure Chicago didn't play on a Saturday before.

I just think they could've done what they done before and schedule an eastern team for the opener and Chicago on a different night.

I'm just curious to see the turn out for keeping the red out and people wanting to cover their season ticket costs. Nosebleeds are going for $150ish and lower bowl going for 350+

I think it'll be 85/15 preds.

Eh, no big deal to me. Our last six home openers before this year (I didn't bother to look before 2010) have been Anaheim, Arizona, Columbus, Minnesota, Ottawa, Carolina. Doesn't look like a huge trend to do something like what's happening this season with Chicago. It's also possible that the NHL wanted to fill a bad TV night with a space waster game with a good team opening its season on NBC Sports against a team that would get some ratings, which is exactly what's happening.

 

[King Weber]

 

[Mypetrobot]

Eh, no big deal to me. Our last six home openers before this year (I didn't bother to look before 2010) have been Anaheim, Arizona, Columbus, Minnesota, Ottawa, Carolina. Doesn't look like a huge trend to do something like what's happening this season with Chicago. It's also possible that the NHL wanted to fill a bad TV night with a space waster game with a good team opening its season on NBC Sports against a team that would get some ratings, which is exactly what's happening.

I agree although it's still a pretty weak argument to schedule Chicago as the home opener.

Would a home and home series mattered if it were the preds second home game? It's still chicago and would draw on tv regardless.

If they come close to selling out every home game but are only 1 game or 2 games short then it's short sighted. IMO.

I just believe they just gave away an easy sellout later in the season.

 

[Drake744]

I agree although it's still a pretty weak argument to schedule Chicago as the home opener.

Would a home and home series mattered if it were the preds second home game? It's still chicago and would draw on tv regardless.

If they come close to selling out every home game but are only 1 game or 2 games short then it's short sighted. IMO.

I just believe they just gave away an easy sellout later in the season.

I get what you're saying but I think there are a thousand things we never know about or consider when it goes into scheduling leagues like the NHL and NBA that are played in these busy arenas. Chicago plays St Louis at home Wednesday, their building is full Thursday, Friday (NBA game) and Sunday. You probably aren't going to let them open with two straight home games so they had to go somewhere and Nashville's open arena night that weekend was Friday so there we go. Preds home opener, turn around and play Saturday in Chicago because it's open, it's a short trip, and you've already got two of your season meetings out of the way. Plus, even though we're a small market, the NHL gets two solid divisional rivalry games between two good teams to show off on opening weekend.

I just think schedule making is a logistical hellhole and I'd want no part of doing it, especially when you have an arena like Chicago's that host more than one professional sports teams. However to your point, I also don't doubt that the Preds have some pull when it comes to scheduling requests, but I don't think that necessarily applies at a time like opening weekend.

 

[PredsV82]

No but they can give their input. Like the preds did for scheduling Chicago games mid week to prevent people from flying down for a weekend game.

They played every other central for on a Saturday except for one team last year.
http://www.nashvillepost.com/home/b...ut-of-bridgestone-arena-at-least-on-saturdays

I'm sure the preds think that they won't have to worry about keeping the red out from a home opener but it's one less almost guaranteed sell out.

Im just amazed at how things change. We used to request rivalry games on weekends to try to assure better attendance. Now we want weekdays to keep the visiting teams fans out. I like that, a lot.

 

[Mypetrobot]

Im just amazed at how things change. We used to request rivalry games on weekends to try to assure better attendance. Now we want weekdays to keep the visiting teams fans out. I like that, a lot.

It's good until it's bad.

It took Chicago 4 years to go 100% increase in their cheap seats. And they aren't the only team to do so.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/blackhawks-season-ticket-prices-going-up/

 

[Yosemite Sam]

What will your lineup look like?

 

[MaKi]

If Rinne were to falter, which goalie do you think has the best chance of stepping up? Mazanec, Saros, or Gunnarsson? Do you see any of these guys being able to step in, or would Poile be forced to make a trade, assuming Rinne was that bad.

 

[nomorekids]

What will your lineup look like?

Based on practice and preseason:

Fiala Johansen Neal
Forsberg Fisher Wilson
Arvidsson Ribeiro Smith
Salomaki Sissons Jarnkrok

ex: Bass

Josi Subban
Ekholm Ellis
Bitetto Carle
Weber

Rinne
Mazanec

 

[nomorekids]

If Rinne were to falter, which goalie do you think has the best chance of stepping up? Mazanec, Saros, or Gunnarsson? Do you see any of these guys being able to step in, or would Poile be forced to make a trade, assuming Rinne was that bad.

I don't think they can afford to go Pittsburgh and just make Rinne the backup...but the order of succession seems to be Rinne, Mazanec, Saros, Gunnarsson. Assuming Rinne hit a rough patch, Maz is the backup, so that's likely who they would go to.