After adding 17 prospects at the NHL Entry draft, the Nashville Predators continued what should result in a turnaround of the struggling franchise.
"It was very important for us to keep the team from last season together. Those guys battled impressively hard throughout the season and we want to give them a chance to win games." GM Kapfenberger opened the press conference with praise for his players. "To achieve that, we had to add certain pieces via free agency. We choose the players we wanted to add very carefully. We wanted guys who we were sure they would be a fit here and I think we did just that."
The Preds added 3 roster players and 8 prospects who will play on the farm. Biggest name to join the team is star forward Eric Lindros. "We feel that Eric in fact is underrated now. There is a lot of talk about his injuries, but he is still a quality player and a physical force."
Furthermore the team adressed a weakness on left wing by adding veteran Martin Gelinas. "Martin is a quality character and a quality player. He adds a lot of expierience and skill to our lineup and will help our young players develop."
Another important piece in the puzzle is versatile forward Rob Niedermayer. "Rob is an excellent two way forward, capable of shutting down opposing top lines as well as chipping in offensively. He can play all 3 forward positions."
The Predators also added 8 prospects who graduated from Juniors or College, adressing their need of depth on every postion in the pro ranks. Alex Foster, Chris Harrington, David Brine, Rane Carnegie, Mike Angelidis, Shaun Heshka, Paul Albers and Danny Battochio will hit the ice on the farm and could soon provide valuable depth for the Predators.
"We tried to improve this hockey club at certain points which we thought were weaknesses. At the same time we wanted to avoid messing with team chemistry by adding too many guys or guys who might not fit. We will sign 2-4 prospects who should be ready to step in and help this team, Kari Lehtonen is the first name to be mentioned here." GM Kapfenberger seemed to be very satisfied with his first HFNHL offseason and the fans of the Nashville Predators have every reason to look forward to training camp in September.
"It was very important for us to keep the team from last season together. Those guys battled impressively hard throughout the season and we want to give them a chance to win games." GM Kapfenberger opened the press conference with praise for his players. "To achieve that, we had to add certain pieces via free agency. We choose the players we wanted to add very carefully. We wanted guys who we were sure they would be a fit here and I think we did just that."
The Preds added 3 roster players and 8 prospects who will play on the farm. Biggest name to join the team is star forward Eric Lindros. "We feel that Eric in fact is underrated now. There is a lot of talk about his injuries, but he is still a quality player and a physical force."
Furthermore the team adressed a weakness on left wing by adding veteran Martin Gelinas. "Martin is a quality character and a quality player. He adds a lot of expierience and skill to our lineup and will help our young players develop."
Another important piece in the puzzle is versatile forward Rob Niedermayer. "Rob is an excellent two way forward, capable of shutting down opposing top lines as well as chipping in offensively. He can play all 3 forward positions."
The Predators also added 8 prospects who graduated from Juniors or College, adressing their need of depth on every postion in the pro ranks. Alex Foster, Chris Harrington, David Brine, Rane Carnegie, Mike Angelidis, Shaun Heshka, Paul Albers and Danny Battochio will hit the ice on the farm and could soon provide valuable depth for the Predators.
"We tried to improve this hockey club at certain points which we thought were weaknesses. At the same time we wanted to avoid messing with team chemistry by adding too many guys or guys who might not fit. We will sign 2-4 prospects who should be ready to step in and help this team, Kari Lehtonen is the first name to be mentioned here." GM Kapfenberger seemed to be very satisfied with his first HFNHL offseason and the fans of the Nashville Predators have every reason to look forward to training camp in September.
