Would you take a 3 yr approach of 5 yr approach for this team?

[BigFatCat999]

I look at this team and I see a foundation for a championship team. It's 2 players away from having a 1st line. The biggest factor is the health of Rinne. If Rinne is going to be a shell of his former self then it's a 5 yr plan while you wait for Saros or someone else to step up.

If Rinne is good next year then it's a 3 yr plan. I look at the roster make up and I see this.

Forwards are older, Defensemen are young, and Goal is a semi question mark.

If it was me I would plan a 3 yr plan without Trotz and Poile. I look at the 2015-2016 year as the year for attacking with FA. Legwand, Fisher and Cullen are gone, Gaustad only has one yr left. Forsberg will fill one forward spot. if the Preds drop this yr they might have another young C to play next to Forsberg. A vet wing will add to this.

Does Leipsic develop? Watson? Sissons?

I'm not a tanker, I'm a realist. This team is in my mind 3 yrs away. Closer than most think.

Click to read more...

 

[triggrman]

3 years is closer?

I'm thinking, you have on of the best defensive groups in the NHL, we just need to add offense.

Get rid of half the grinders, and one of the 2 way centers, add a 1st line center a top line winger and we should be there.

 

[preds1]

3 years is closer?

I'm thinking, you have one of the best defensive groups in the NHL, we just need to add offense.

Get rid of half the grinders, and one of the 2 way centers, add a 1st line center a top line winger and we should be there.

I agree. Just a couple of offensive pieces away from being scary.
Might need to change coaching strategies too though.

 

[Cashville]

I see a 5-8 seed team frankly. Compare our roster to the Hawks or Bruins; some grinders and a two-way forward aren't going to get us there. I'm one of the more optimistic people here; I just don't see a cup in the near-term. Five years is feasible, but it's just tough to predict anything that far out.

 

[triggrman]

I see a 5-8 seed team frankly. Compare our roster to the Hawks or Bruins; some grinders and a two-way forward aren't going to get us there. I'm one of the more optimistic people here; I just don't see a cup in the near-term. Five years is feasible, but it's just tough to predict anything that far out.

Add Toews and Kane to our roster, and we look a lot better...

 

[Cashville]

Add Toews and Kane to our roster, and we look a lot better...

Okay, how do you get them? Kane's value is close to Weber's. You're either gutting futures (multiple 1st's) with some prospects and grinders tossed in or trading players that hurt (e.g. Josi / Hornqvist / Wilson / etc.). The other issue is that we're not super bad, so we're not snagging a McDavid-esque type forward through the draft unless we really fall off a cliff. Sad thing is that the Oilers show that's not even foolproof.

I'm not saying we're doomed, it's just a difficult path. Being a GM is an unenviable job to me; hard as hell. DAL (comparable team/market to us) made a very strong trade for Seguin that has panned out well; it can happen, just not easy or without risks.

 

[Dave is a killer]

the only way to get a Toews or Kane is in the draft ... that's the truth, we have to either trade up with Edmonton (which would require a defenseman going their way) or Buffalo (I don't know what their biggest need is)

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Add Toews and Kane to our roster, and we look a lot better...

What team doesn't look better adding a franchise-caliber two-way center and a top 5 wing? Preds' problem is being unable to land just one forward at that level, let alone the multiple it would probably take to turn this team into a championship contender.

Like Cashville, I tend to be optimistic, but I'm hesitant to laud the defense too heavily at this point. The talent is all there, but still very inexperienced, and we are still shallow on depth when considering injuries or potential trades. That's also not considering the possibility that Jones/Josi end up regressing to some extent.

We are old down the middle and have very limited pieces at that spot in the system. How we handle the roster turnover at center over the next few years is going to have a pretty significant impact on to the team's prospects for success, IMO.

Frankly, the way the West is currently shaping up, I think we're in for a potentially rough couple of years regardless of who's in charge and what moves are made. A healthy Rinne, continued growth in the D corps, and a couple solid FA or drafted forwards could definitely alter that, so here's hoping...

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

I believe we are at least three years away from true contention. I could see us as a playoff team (FA, draft, and development pending) as soon as two years from now, but as far as a cup contender, I think 3 years is best case scenario. This year, our D is IMO mediocre, but Jones, Josi, Ekholm, and Ellis all will get better, with Jarvinen looking strong in the AHL. When/If they develop...wow. Ellis, Mazanec, and some of our elite grinders are available to get more picks/prospects i.e. the Clutterbuck-Nino deal.

Wilson/Smith-(draft/UFA/trade)-(draft/UFA/trade)
Smith/Wilson-Fisher-Forsberg
Bourque-(Legwand?)-Hornqvist
Watson/Sissons/Leipsic/Aberg/Gaustad/Nystrom/Clune

Weber-Jones (should be a stud by then)
Josi-Klein
Ekholm-Jarvinen/Draft/UFA
(Ellis traded IMO)

Rinne
Maz/UFA

If we can somehow land a top line C and a top line W through FA (Vanek? Stastny?Spezza 2015? Krejci 2015?) or draft (Reinhart? Eichel? Nylander? McDavid?) or trade (E. Kane?) than we can contend. If this pieces don't present themselves, to the five year plan we go.

 

[Persona5]

It should be a 2 year plan imo. Anything longer than that and they should trade Weber. Being a cup contender and winning it are two very different things. If Weber is to win a cup it needs to be sooner rather than later. 5 years from now he will be 33 and generally be past his prime.

If you even think about going on a 5 year plan than Weber should be moved now in order to build toward being a contender. Weber will never have more value than he has right now.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

id trade weber

 

[Byrddog]

It should be a 2 year plan imo. Anything longer than that and they should trade Weber. Being a cup contender and winning it are two very different things. If Weber is to win a cup it needs to be sooner rather than later. 5 years from now he will be 33 and generally be past his prime.

If you even think about going on a 5 year plan than Weber should be moved now in order to build toward being a contender. Weber will never have more value than he has right now.

I agree with this. The gains in fanbase since 2002 could be in jeopardy unless the turnaround is quick. The casual fans needed just will not put out the $ to see this team get throttled.

A Weber trade would return that top forward that's needed plus a couple more pieces of value a veteran defenseman and perhaps another 1st round pick. The draft this year does not look to be as deep as last year and with the underperforming teams in the league I do not see the Preds picking in the top 4 where the difference makers are at this time.

There is also still interest in Wilson by some teams and if he could return a Forsberg type prospect you have to move him. Wilson could be very effective with more talented players around him but does not look to be the guy that can make plays on his own. Perhaps this is the reason he has not been tried at center here.

The NMC's are a lead weight to this team right now. Realistically a deep run team is 5 years out and a competitive playoff team looks to be 2 years away. Unless some team can be found that needs overpaid grinders Hendricks, Nystrom are here for the contract. Cullen might be moved at the trade deadline to a playoff team looking for his role to give them options.

Landing a big fish through F/A is a long shot, there going to have to overpay in a big way to attract a Vanek type player. Then theres no guarantee to any of them. Many here pined for Horton last off season look at that situation and be thankful. Imagine if DP had signed Horton and Stalberg 10 mil in cap for very little help this year. Then again what he did sign has been little help either. Its a funny game.

 

[RaiderDoug]

id trade weber

Honestly, I think i'd be willing to listen to offers.

First, I think it would be an easier sell now with Jones in the fold and than that summer when we were looking for credibility after Suter left (especially if we got back some guys we could market).

Next, and this is just IMHO, I don't think that guy wants to be here. I watch, and he just doesn't strike me as a guy who wants to be Mr. Predator for life. Despite being the captain, and the teams best player, he doesn't seem to be the guy that the Preds want as the face of the franchise (see the promotion of mike fisher, Rinne, etc). I just get the feeling that sometime in the next year or two, i'm going to log on here and some Canadien media outlet is going to be crowing about how Weber is demanding a trade and we find outselves in a rock and a hard place position again.


And there's simply no other way to get the high end offensive talent that we need to be a contender anytime in the near future:

I don't see the Preds being bad enough to draft the true difference makers (think Reinhart or Bennett 2014 or McDavid 2015).

I don't see any of the young guys being the answer. Maybe Forsberg. Everyone else is a solid-at-best prospect we hope finds an offensive game. Maybe it happens, but I doubt it.



As Jones grows, you have your #1 D already, pair him with Josi - we're good. So the hole would be on the #2 pair, and it's easier to find a 2nd pair D than it would be to find the offensive talent that we're still looking for.

If we could really gouge a team for Weber right now while he has huge value - that could be the thing that turns this franchise around. Think maybe RNH+Edmonton's 1st+, use that and ours to move up and get Bennett. (insert your favorite deal here)

Otherwise, we're looking at roughly the same team with roughly the same problems for the next several years.

 

[dulzhok]

We are just not in a good position. I've always wasted time coming up with hypothetical trades to make us a better team, but there is just no easy solution for this group of assets. We have very few assets that are really worth anything. And if we trade those that are worth something (Weber, Josi, Wilson, a few others), we are are going to create huge holes elsewhere. We handicapped our roster further with last season's third-line binge, most of whom are not tradable due to their contracts.

IF we are lucky we can get a scorer the draft, but that guy will take years to develop and I'm not counting on it with Poile.

MAYBE we can pick up some guys like Mason Raymond, Derek Roy, etc in free agency, but that's building a team hoping to fighting for a wildcard spot, not a contender. And we've had no luck picking up good free agents for like 8 years.

I do think it's a matter of time before Weber wants out. He said he didn't want to sign if there wasn't roster improvements, and the roster has only gotten worse. If we have a chance to get a real 1st liner player for him (a young one) I think you have to consider it. Nathan McKinnon comes to mind. But of course that creates a huge hole at defense and likely puts us to in total rebuild mode.

There are no good answers. It's depressing actually. To be on the cusp of being elite 2 years ago, and now stuck with what we've got, which isn't much. Thanks Poile.

 

[RaiderDoug]

But of course that creates a huge hole at defense and likely puts us to in total rebuild mode.

Does it really though?

I mean, it does this year. But in 3 years, if Jones isn't ready to be the #1 Dman, something has gone wrong.

Does this look so bad for 2015-2016?:

Jones-Josi
Klein-FA
Diaby-Ekholm/Ellis

 

[glenngineer]

I agree with this. The gains in fanbase since 2002 could be in jeopardy unless the turnaround is quick. The casual fans needed just will not put out the $ to see this team get throttled.

A Weber trade would return that top forward that's needed plus a couple more pieces of value a veteran defenseman and perhaps another 1st round pick. The draft this year does not look to be as deep as last year and with the underperforming teams in the league I do not see the Preds picking in the top 4 where the difference makers are at this time.

There is also still interest in Wilson by some teams and if he could return a Forsberg type prospect you have to move him. Wilson could be very effective with more talented players around him but does not look to be the guy that can make plays on his own. Perhaps this is the reason he has not been tried at center here.

The NMC's are a lead weight to this team right now. Realistically a deep run team is 5 years out and a competitive playoff team looks to be 2 years away. Unless some team can be found that needs overpaid grinders Hendricks, Nystrom are here for the contract. Cullen might be moved at the trade deadline to a playoff team looking for his role to give them options.

Landing a big fish through F/A is a long shot, there going to have to overpay in a big way to attract a Vanek type player. Then theres no guarantee to any of them. Many here pined for Horton last off season look at that situation and be thankful. Imagine if DP had signed Horton and Stalberg 10 mil in cap for very little help this year. Then again what he did sign has been little help either. Its a funny game.

I don't think his talent level is the problem, it's the guys who are around him. Hornqvist and Fisher are not finishers. They are not snipers. The pass Wilson made to Fisher the other night between dude's legs was a beauty. The feed to Klein a week or so ago was a perfect pass. He has the skills as a playmaker to succeed. He is hard to knock off the puck, sees the ice well and is an excellent passer. Problem is we have no sniper types on this roster other than possibly Smith and that's a stretch at this point. I think you give Wilson a guy that can finish a play, I think his assist numbers would approach 50 easily. Problem is when you play with guys who can kill a gnat on the goalies chest time after time, you're not going to see great results.

 

[Byrddog]

I don't think his talent level is the problem, it's the guys who are around him. Hornqvist and Fisher are not finishers. They are not snipers. The pass Wilson made to Fisher the other night between dude's legs was a beauty. The feed to Klein a week or so ago was a perfect pass. He has the skills as a playmaker to succeed. He is hard to knock off the puck, sees the ice well and is an excellent passer. Problem is we have no sniper types on this roster other than possibly Smith and that's a stretch at this point. I think you give Wilson a guy that can finish a play, I think his assist numbers would approach 50 easily. Problem is when you play with guys who can kill a gnat on the goalies chest time after time, you're not going to see great results.

No argument there. That's why I inferred he would do well elsewhere. He is approaching his pime in the next couple years and as you point out we have no one to put with the guy. Maybe Stalledberg was DP's answer to this but what a failure that has been. The perfect situation would be to make a trade with the OIL or Colorado to get one of those scorers but that would involve moving Weber and him staying in the west, not something we would want to see.

Im telling ya Weber is going to have to be in play to right this ship. Jones and Josi both look to be superstuds. And a team any team can not afford three huge defense contract over the long haul. Nor will three top defensemen want to remain on a single team(see Suter situation). Now there will be some that will decry the cap will go up and the contracts not look so bad. Well in any cap situation there is a limit to how much you can pay individuals and remain competitive. Josi is on a great contract now but his next one will be costly. Jones will also require a hefty contract even as a RFA. We have been spoiled with GREAT young defensemen for years. The D will be fine without Weber in two years it will be better than the SUTER Weber years.

Now is the time to retool, maybe next season will be a year for forwards to gain experience. Then the team returns to a legitimate playoff team. I would not mind seeing Wilson stay and Horni the rest are expendable.

 

[MrJoshua]

I would trade Legwand for a first round pick if the team isn't planning to bring him back next year. Any other pending UFA players that aren't in the long term plans can be traded for whatever they'll bring back. It's time for an offensive rebuild.

As far as trading D, no. There is a ton of talent on the blue line but very little experience. I think in 2 to 3 years this will be one of the best defensive units in the league if they're kept together. Weber will still be in his prime. Klein too. Josi and Ellis will be coming into their primes. Jones will be better. Tons of talent there.

Assuming a full recovery, with Rinne the team is set in goal.

They just need to pick up a couple of good offensive prospects to go with Forsberg so in a couple of years they're ready to carry the load offensively.

 

[Dave is a killer]

I would trade Legwand for a first round pick if the team isn't planning to bring him back next year. Any other pending UFA players that aren't in the long term plans can be traded for whatever they'll bring back. It's time for an offensive rebuild.

As far as trading D, no. There is a ton of talent on the blue line but very little experience. I think in 2 to 3 years this will be one of the best defensive units in the league if they're kept together. Weber will still be in his prime. Klein too. Josi and Ellis will be coming into their primes. Jones will be better. Tons of talent there.

Assuming a full recovery, with Rinne the team is set in goal.

They just need to pick up a couple of good offensive prospects to go with Forsberg so in a couple of years they're ready to carry the load offensively.

Big specter right there, like Stay Puft Marshmallow Man specter

 

[dulzhok]

Does it really though?

I mean, it does this year. But in 3 years, if Jones isn't ready to be the #1 Dman, something has gone wrong.

Does this look so bad for 2015-2016?:

Jones-Josi
Klein-FA
Diaby-Ekholm/Ellis

If we have to wait 3 more years to be competitive, added with 2 already fail seasons (5 total), I consider that a total rebuild.

Also, putting Josi as a top-pair dman to sustain our future is risky given his concussion issues.

 

[AintLifeGrand]

Step 1: Fire Trotz

Step 2: Hire a coach that preaches a run and gun style - We have the D and 2 way guys to offset the emphasis on offense

Step 3: Trade Weber for Yakupov, Eberle, 2014 1st

Step 4: Trade spare parts like Bourque, spaling, etc

Step 5: Package Legwand to Tampa for Brett Connolly
Step 6: Draft top line center with Oil pick
Opening Day 2014 Forward Line Up

Yakupov-Wilson-Eberle
Forsberg-Fisher-Smith
Stalberg-Watson-Connolly
Cullen-Gaustad-Hornqvist

Nystrom, Hendricks

 

[Byrddog]

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/spor...y/2011-12-27/shea-weber-concussion/52243582/1

 

[MrJoshua]

Big specter right there, like Stay Puft Marshmallow Man specter

Why? He has an infection. It's not like his leg fell off and they're having to sew it back on and reanimate it like Frankenstein's monster.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

id blow it up. this team sucks and there is no hope at contending except for tanking. these are the guys i don't trade... seth jones, filip forsberg, kevin klein, roman josi and maybe rinne depending on when we start contending. we are so bare on assets, its really pathetic.

 

[Predsrule]

think people are way to low on this teams current prospects. We are set at d for years. Have peka and
3 solid goalie prospects. A few good forward prospects and a couple good young guys up front. This team has the best young core signed up on d in the nhl. All we need is a first line center. And polie not to repeat last years off season. Stantsy to me is our best chance this year.