Poll of what could happen this summer

[triggrman]

I was wrong on Hutton too, he's turned out to be a fairly decent goalie. He had a really really rough stretch from November-January but has seemed to really turn it around lately.

IMHO, he just wasn't mentally prepared to be a starter.

Poile made some bad offseason mistakes.

Hendricks being one of them but he got rid of that contract.

I still think Stahlberg is being put in a position to fail by Trotz, so I'm not upset about that.

Cullen has turned it around a bit too.

Gaustad is oft injured and overpaid.

However, getting rid of Hendricks contract was a great job covering for a mistake.
Trading Legwand for Jarnkrok looks like a steal and he did steal Forsberg last season from Washington.

I want a coach that knows how to coach up young players, and IMHO Trotz is not it.

I think Watson, Forsberg, Smith, Wilson and Beck would all benefit getting away from Trotz.

 

[AintLifeGrand]

Poile isn't the problem.. I think he is a great figure head for the ORG

I'd like to see him get promoted much like Don Waddell was promoted , so that Dudley could take over .
Maybe for the next year, Poile and Fenton work in tandem as Co-GM's to facilitate a transition to Fenton taking over the job in 2016.

I'd like Trotz to stay with the org too… maybe in a front office role.

 

[triggrman]

Trotz will get another job somewhere.

 

[Wrong Box Legwand]

Those who don't think something will happen are going to be shocked. Like Stranger said, the question now is if both are gone instead of just one.

Just wait and see.

 

[triggrman]

What I hope happens is that Trotz is replaced, but I would be shocked if anything happens at all.

 

[glenngineer]

I have thought about this on a few different levels.

1. I think Poile steps aside and Fenton takes the reigns. Fenton has been groomed for this position and while I know many think he'd be another Poile, I understand Fenton has disagreed with numerous things with regards to the way the team has drafted and been built via trade and free agency. I think he has more of the mindset of what's going on in the NHL today. If Poile stays another year or two, I think Fenton may take another position as he's ready and if he goes, who replaces him in our organization and who's the future GM? I think Poile would like to pass the reigns to Fenton, speculation of course, and I honestly feel the puck to the eye is the thing that may kick this in to motion sooner than later.

2. If Fenton assumes control, he can do one of two things, hang on to Trotz for the short term, see how the team responds in the early parts of next season and if he isn't happy with the direction, he can let him go. The other possibility is Fenton lets Trotz go the second he's in command and he becomes the bad guy that Poile never wanted to be.

3. If Fenton takes control, maybe Trotz walks away from the team and it's a mutual split. In that scenario he and Fenton don't see eye to eye on the direction of the team and it's amicable. Stranger things have happened.

Now thinking about who could or would coach the Predators. Lots of things run through my head.

1. Hire a coach with experience. Say a Laviolette. Maybe Wilson. Maybe Sacco. Could be anyone really but is that the way to go. While I'm intrigued by Laviolette, his recent track record makes me say no. The other guys were just names, not realistic options in my book.

2. Hire a coach with no NHL experience but is highly regarded. No real names are stepping out here as I'm not familiar enough with other teams up and coming coaches whether it be an assistant coach or AHL coach or even a college coach.

3. Here's what I propose, hire a coach that comes from a team with a winning tradition. Hire a guy who was mentored by a great head coach that has already developed good head coaches via them being assistant coaches. I'm not saying hire someone from Detroit but between McLellan and MacLean, they've done well for themselves. It brings a culture in that we have not had here before. It also gives a guy that chance but has had experience within a system that works. I equate it to the Bill Parcells effect. How many guys came from his staff that did well over the years. Belichek, Payton and Carroll are a few names that come to mind right off the bat. Bill Walsh had his disciples over the years as well. While the NHL isn't the NFL by any means, learning in a great system that wins year in and year out can only be a good thing. I'd love to give Housley a shot but I'm not sure he fits the bill in this scenario and while I'm all for trying someone who came from a different system and lineage, I think going with the above is the best and most sure fire way to start moving forward.

Not sure what really happens but I have thought about this for a while and wanted to throw this out there for discussion.

 

[PredsV82]

If anyone is going to be held responsible for this season, I think it is Poile. And the reason being, he gambled on a goalie with 1 NHL game experience to back Pekka up. But I don't think anyone expected Pekka to go down with Ecoli in his hip 6 months after the surgery.

That said, I do not see the owners firing him. They may ask him to retire, but I feel that he will be here until he does retire, whether or not that is this year or 3 years from now.

Never mind that that backup goalie ended up with a winning record or anything....

anyone who thinks Poile gets fired over Hutton is just being silly. Hutton, for all his flaws, has been as good as you could expect any backup goalie to be. Very few teams go out and sign a backup who can truly replace a starter, because most goalies who are that good want a shot at starting.

if Poile gets the axe, it will be because the owners sunk a bunch of money into this team over the last two years and they dont fell like Poile got enough of a return for it.

 

[PFL615]

I have thought about this on a few different levels.

1. I think Poile steps aside and Fenton takes the reigns. Fenton has been groomed for this position and while I know many think he'd be another Poile, I understand Fenton has disagreed with numerous things with regards to the way the team has drafted and been built via trade and free agency. I think he has more of the mindset of what's going on in the NHL today. If Poile stays another year or two, I think Fenton may take another position as he's ready and if he goes, who replaces him in our organization and who's the future GM? I think Poile would like to pass the reigns to Fenton, speculation of course, and I honestly feel the puck to the eye is the thing that may kick this in to motion sooner than later.

2. If Fenton assumes control, he can do one of two things, hang on to Trotz for the short term, see how the team responds in the early parts of next season and if he isn't happy with the direction, he can let him go. The other possibility is Fenton lets Trotz go the second he's in command and he becomes the bad guy that Poile never wanted to be.

3. If Fenton takes control, maybe Trotz walks away from the team and it's a mutual split. In that scenario he and Fenton don't see eye to eye on the direction of the team and it's amicable. Stranger things have happened.

Now thinking about who could or would coach the Predators. Lots of things run through my head.

1. Hire a coach with experience. Say a Laviolette. Maybe Wilson. Maybe Sacco. Could be anyone really but is that the way to go. While I'm intrigued by Laviolette, his recent track record makes me say no. The other guys were just names, not realistic options in my book.

2. Hire a coach with no NHL experience but is highly regarded. No real names are stepping out here as I'm not familiar enough with other teams up and coming coaches whether it be an assistant coach or AHL coach or even a college coach.

3. Here's what I propose, hire a coach that comes from a team with a winning tradition. Hire a guy who was mentored by a great head coach that has already developed good head coaches via them being assistant coaches. I'm not saying hire someone from Detroit but between McLellan and MacLean, they've done well for themselves. It brings a culture in that we have not had here before. It also gives a guy that chance but has had experience within a system that works. I equate it to the Bill Parcells effect. How many guys came from his staff that did well over the years. Belichek, Payton and Carroll are a few names that come to mind right off the bat. Bill Walsh had his disciples over the years as well. While the NHL isn't the NFL by any means, learning in a great system that wins year in and year out can only be a good thing. I'd love to give Housley a shot but I'm not sure he fits the bill in this scenario and while I'm all for trying someone who came from a different system and lineage, I think going with the above is the best and most sure fire way to start moving forward.

Not sure what really happens but I have thought about this for a while and wanted to throw this out there for discussion.

Your thoughts are all realistic situations on what could happen.

Maybe it goes like this. Owners go to Poile at seasons end and tell him to fire Trotz and find a new coach. Poile does not agree because of his loyalty to Trotz and just steps down instead. Is it possible this has already happened and is just a motion at the end of the season out of repsect for Poile and Trotz?

Anyone else notice how Trotz has losened up the chains with younger players and taking chances lately.
He could he showcasing for his future

IMO Trotz is gone at seasons end. The wild card is Poile. If both are gone all bets are off on exactly what the owners do.

 

[jwhouk]

PFL615 - You just described what happened to Poile at the end of his tenure in Washington. Ownership came to him, told him to fire his head coach, he declined, they fired him and the head coach.

 

[token grinder]

I don't think both will go. I can see Trotz staying another year with Poile giving way to Fenton. I know it is sports, and one thing the local owners know is that Liarpold didn't is how to do business....specifically business with the public/busineses in the south For an organization looking to boost corporate sales, why throw out two names people hld synomonous with the preds. Talk about a possible pr firestorm. In this city, I can't see (even if justified) throwing 2 guys who were loyal to the org for 15+ years out. You need one of those two to be the org. face of the preds in Nashville. Replace one, the other in another year or 2 if we haven't turned a corner.

 

[Predarat]

The old men at the top will not do anything, they will not even bring back the Navy 3rds much less fire Trotz or Poile.

 

[WartracePred]

Never mind that that backup goalie ended up with a winning record or anything....

anyone who thinks Poile gets fired over Hutton is just being silly. Hutton, for all his flaws, has been as good as you could expect any backup goalie to be. Very few teams go out and sign a backup who can truly replace a starter, because most goalies who are that good want a shot at starting.

if Poile gets the axe, it will be because the owners sunk a bunch of money into this team over the last two years and they dont fell like Poile got enough of a return for it.

The issue is that Poile assumed that Hutton would be a backup. He assumed Peks would be fine after a major hip procedure. He took a chance on an unproven AHLer to be a backup. In hindsight, he should've played this one conservatively and found a goalie with some NHL experience.

 

[dulzhok]

if Poile gets the axe, it will be because the owners sunk a bunch of money into this team over the last two years and they dont fell like Poile got enough of a return for it.

I agree with that but you left out some... And because he's horrible at getting the pulse of star players, and because he can't draft or trade for offensive talent, and because he's not proactive in the trade market except at the deadline when he blows his load on short term gain that really wasn't gain at all, and because he has a 30 year track record of doing diddle in the playoffs, and because he holds the record for most 1st rd exits...AMONG OTHER THINGS

 

[Adz]

I haven't seen Poile on the third floor in the past 3 home games. I would see him pretty much every game in the past. The last time I saw him, though, I could tell he was awkwardly uncomfortable about the eye patch so it may be that he's staying put instead of roaming. Or he may already be gone but nothing announced.

 

[jwhouk]

I suspect he's not going out much because of the eye. I wonder if the docs even know if he'll get anything resembling sight back in that eye.

That would be the greatest way he could bow out gracefully. Take a President ICOHO desk job, and let Paul Fenton take over the reins.

 

[dulzhok]

I suspect he's not going out much because of the eye. I wonder if the docs even know if he'll get anything resembling sight back in that eye.

That would be the greatest way he could bow out gracefully. Take a President ICOHO desk job, and let Paul Fenton take over the reins.

Do we have any evidence that Paul Fenton is any good?

 

[Armourboy]

Do we have any evidence that Paul Fenton is any good?

Until someone is actually GM how do you really prove that?