What's Next for the Predators?

They didn't move to Hamilton, they haven't moved to Kansas City, they lost one of their best forwards to the KHL and they didn't make the playoffs this past year.

Some would say it was not the best of seasons for the continually challenged, and some say perennially over-achieving, Nashville Predators.

On the plus side, they don't wear those mustard yellow jersers anymore, and they do have some of the finest talent in the league on defense and between the pipes.

An exciting and hard working team under Barry Trotz.

But what's next for the Preds?

Yahoo Sports provides this Team Report:

INSIDE SHOTS: NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Yahoo Sports, June 1, 2009

The honors keep on coming for center Colin Wilson.

The Predators prospect has been named the College Player of the Year by USA Hockey. He will receive his award at the Congress Awards in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Wilson has signed an entry-level contract with the Predators and is expected to get a long look in training camp. Yet, despite his success in college, which includes the National Championship with Boston University, Wilson is not guaranteed a spot on the NHL roster.

“I’m a big believer that the road to the NHL goes through Milwaukee,” said Predators coach Barry Trotz. “If he does make it, it will be because he deserves to be here.”

Wilson led Hockey East in points with 55 (16 goals, 39 assists) and was second in the nation. He was also one of the finalists for the Hobey Baker “Hat Trick” Award. He was a Reebok Division I East First Team selection and a Hockey East First Team All-Star.

“Wilson is more of a reliable player,” said Trotz. “I don’t think he is a ‘wow’ player that is going to get people out of their seats.

“He has good skills. But he is going to wear people down with his size and strength.”

Season Highlight: Without a doubt it had to be the 8-0 win over Detroit Feb. 28. The Predators lost any intimidation factor they may have had when facing the Red Wings. It was one of those games that you had to see. Just hearing about it on the radio was not enough. Even after seeing it, some fans found it difficult to believe.

Turning Point: The first 35 games of the season were the turning point. The Predators struggled to find an identity. A lack of goal scoring, especially from RW Martin Erat and C David Legwand, both notorious slow starters, added to the misery. As the All-Star break approached it appeared the Predators had already taken themselves out of the playoff hunt. But something happened over the break, and the Predators held on through mounting injuries to stay in the hunt until the final game of the season.

Notes, Quotes

• Both coach Barry Trotz and David Poile, president of hockey operations/general manager, met with forward Alexander Radulov during the World Championships in Switzerland. Both believe he is more mature and more complete player after playing a season for the Continental Hockey League in Russia, and both think he is ready to come back to the NHL.

“I don’t know what his contract situation is,” said Trotz. “I don’t know if he has an out clause. If he wants to come back he would be a welcome addition for us.”

• David Freeman, owner, governor and chairman of the Predators ownership group, has been named the Man of the Year by the Kiwanis Club of Nashville.

Quote To Note: “When you talk to anybody about him they will tell you what a terrific person he is and how competitive he is as a player. He has qualities you can’t teach, but he has to get stronger and more powerful.”—Coach Barry Trotz on defenseman Jonathon Blum

Roster Report

Most Valuable Player: G Pekka Rinne and LW Steve Sullivan would both be candidates for the honor.

Rinne was in the top 10 in the league in goals against (2.38), save percentage (.917) and shutouts (seven). He was 29-15-4 in 52 games. He is only the second goaltender in the history of the franchise to win 25 or more games, a feat that Tomas Vokoun managed four times.

Sullivan did not play an NHL game for 687 days, but he surprised almost everyone by making a comeback from a back injury. He had only five assists in his first 15 games but had 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in the final 25 games of the season.

The Predators were 22-14-5 when he was in the lineup and 18-20-3 without him.

Most Disappointing Player: RW Patrick Hornqvist was expected to bring his scoring touch from Europe to the Predators. It didn’t happen. Hornqvist played in only 28 games, spending the rest of the season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. He had only seven points with two goals and five assists.

Poile thinks that Hornqvist has found his scoring touch in the minors and will give him another shot at making the team in the fall.

Free Agent Focus: The primary challenge is re-signing LW Steve Sullivan. The Predators were patient with him for the better part of two years, and perhaps he needs to remember that during negotiations. It is obvious the Predators are a better team when he is on the ice. Team captain Jason Arnott has strongly urged Sullivan to consider a return to the team.

There are still questions surrounding Sullivan, especially how durable his back will remain and how much longer he can be productive. It is expected that anyone who signs Sullivan will offer a contract heavily laden with incentives.

RW Joel Ward came out of obscurity to score 17 goals and 35 points. He made the pro scouts for the Predators look good. But if they want to keep him he is going to have to be given a substantial raise.

Also set to get a raise is D Greg Zanon, one of the top shot-blockers in the NHL.

The Predators are going to have to lure a free agent scorer or two this summer if the team is going to make a serious playoff run next season. Just how much money David Poile will have to work with is a question, especially if Sullivan, Ward and Zanon accept new contracts.

Also scheduled to become unrestricted free agents are D Greg de Vries and Ville Koistinen, C Scott Nichol, C Radek Bonk and RW Vernon Fiddler.

Player News:

• D Jonathon Blum, the Predators’ first-round pick in 2007, was named the CHL Jack Link Defenseman of the Year. Blum spent some time with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League during the Calder Cup playoffs and is expected to return there next season as he continues to build his physical strength. “Some players are slower to develop,” said Predators coach Barry Trotz. “He needs to spend more time in the gym. It is just a matter of time before he makes it to the NHL.”

Medical Watch:

• C David Legwand (broken cheekbone) missed the last nine games of the regular season.

• RW Martin Erat (broken left leg) missed the last six games. He will have to undergo some summer rehab work but should be ready to go for training camp.

• LW Wade Belak (lower body) was listed as as being out indefinitely. The injury has been somewhat of a mystery, so it is hard to determine what the long-term effects might be. He missed the last 13 games of the season because of the injury and 18 overall.

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So what tune will the Preds be playing in Nashville?

Over to you-all.

Thought number one: kill any notions of Radulov coming back, enough is enough, the kid's doesn't care about the NHL - or winning a Cup. If someone offers you anything for him, take it, otherwise, operate as if he doesn't exist.

Pekke Rinne is the real deal. Start quietly seeing what Ellis is worth with his beautiful contract.

Steve Sullivan can add something that the Preds haven't had in a while: scoring balance. Arnott is a great center, Dumont is a great winger, they need someone else to help carry them. That little overpaid dude whos name I can't remember (Erat maybe), is okay, but Sullivan is the answer if they can sign him for 3 years/4-5 per year.

I love their D obviously, but they have some openings coming up to take care of. With Zanon, Devries and Koistinen all up, do they just try to re-sign Zanon and give Blum and Franson a chance? If they can and it works, they're set. Plus they have that Klein guy.

Sign Sullivan, sign a couple of excellent character players - perhaps one semi-big name if you can - and the Preds are right back in the thick of it next year.

Not to mention that Trotz is a great coach. And the GM whos name I cannot remember is quite good, with a couple of exceptions of course.

504Heater wrote:Thought number one: kill any notions of Radulov coming back, enough is enough, the kid's doesn't care about the NHL - or winning a Cup. If someone offers you anything for him, take it, otherwise, operate as if he doesn't exist.

Pekke Rinne is the real deal. Start quietly seeing what Ellis is worth with his beautiful contract.

Steve Sullivan can add something that the Preds haven't had in a while: scoring balance. Arnott is a great center, Dumont is a great winger, they need someone else to help carry them. That little overpaid dude whos name I can't remember (Erat maybe), is okay, but Sullivan is the answer if they can sign him for 3 years/4-5 per year.

I love their D obviously, but they have some openings coming up to take care of. With Zanon, Devries and Koistinen all up, do they just try to re-sign Zanon and give Blum and Franson a chance? If they can and it works, they're set. Plus they have that Klein guy.

Sign Sullivan, sign a couple of excellent character players - perhaps one semi-big name if you can - and the Preds are right back in the thick of it next year.

Not to mention that Trotz is a great coach. And the GM whos name I cannot remember is quite good, with a couple of exceptions of course.

... David Poile

That's it, thanks.

The Preds' hometown paper wonders about the team's chances next season...

CAN PREDS ESCAPE CENTRAL CELLAR NEXT SEASON?
John Glennon, The Tennessean "Inside the Predators", May 28, 2009

Here’s an offseason question to ponder:

Is it reasonable right now to see the Predators moving out of fifth place in the Central Division next season?

The Predators were hardly trailing the pack by much in 2008-09, finishing behind both St. Louis and Columbus by just four points. Even so, moving out of the basement of what was the NHL’s most competitive division last season won’t happen easily.

We’ll assume that perennial power Detroit will once again be favored to finish first in the division, and that Chicago – which reached the Western Conference finals – will likely be forecast to finish second as its young stars continue to mature.

What about the Blues and Blue Jackets?

As things stand now, St. Louis’ only potential significant loss is veteran forward Keith Tkachuk. The Blues have a ton of young talent – like forwards Brad Boyes, David Backes, David Perron and T.J. Oshie – coming back. They’re also likely to get a boost from two players returning from injury: Paul Kariya missed most of the season with a bad hip and defenseman Erik Johnson missed all last year with a torn knee ligament.

Columbus also has a passel of young talent returning, in the form of goalie Steve Mason as well as forwards Rick Nash, R.J. Umberger, Antoine Vermette, Jakub Voracek, Derick Brassard and Nikita Filatov.

As for the Preds, the future is a little cloudy right now because there are still at least two questions hovering over the team: Will Steve Sullivan be back and will Alexander Radulov be back? Another question that must be answered is whether or not prospect center Colin Wilson is ready to make an impact in the NHL.

Just for argument’s sake, we’ll say Sullivan returns, Radulov does not and Wilson spends a month or two in Milwaukee before coming up and playing 10-12 minutes per game here.

Is that team good enough to jump past any of the Preds’ Central Division rivals, or does Nashville need more of an upgrade?

I doubt they'll be finishing any higher. The Hawks and Blues made major strides this year, and Columbus will be better Mason having a year more of experience. They'll also have Filatov, Brassard and Vermette for a full season presumably. I think they'll challenge for 2nd in the division, behind the Hawks. Detroit will somehow have to find a goaltender, because unless Chris Osgood have secretly found the fountain of youth, won't be playing forever. Two back to back huge playoff runs could take their toll on him.

ALEXANDER RADULOV'S SILENCE PUTS PREDATORS IN LIMBO
John Glennon, The Tennessean, June 10, 2009

The longer Alexander Radulov stays silent, the more Predators General Manager David Poile begins to doubt the wayward forward plans a return from Russia.

Poile wants to know Radulov's plans for next season by the end of June, when teams traditionally begin planning for the coming year at the NHL entry draft and in the free-agent market.

But Poile had hoped to hear from Radulov by now.

"I talked to his agent (on Monday) and there's still no word,'' Poile said Tuesday. "I thought for sure we'd have heard a decision by now, so that has me concerned.''

Poile isn't the only one who'd like to see the return of Radulov, who left last summer despite having a year remaining on his entry-level contract. He scored a combined 44 goals in his first two seasons in Nashville.

Predators captain Jason Arnott, who in the past has questioned how Radulov would fit in the locker room, sounded Monday as if he were more willing to let bygones be bygones.

"If he does come back, he's our teammate and we have to accept that,'' Arnott said. "He's going to have some issues and some apologies he'll have to make, not only to us but to the fans as well. I think the fans will be a lot more important because we can get over a lot of stuff in the room and keep going and playing."

Arnott understands that the quicker Radulov makes a decision, the more the Predators will benefit.

"Hopefully he wouldn't wait too long and then kind of strap (Poile) on who (Poile) would want to sign, and then some of our unrestricted guys go elsewhere,'' Arnott said. "That would be a tough situation.''

In fact, Arnott said Radulov's return might make a Steve Sullivan re-signing more likely. Sullivan could become an unrestricted free agent July 1 and has said one of the factors in re-signing with Nashville is how competitive the team will be.

"I think Sully would more likely want to come back,'' Arnott said. "Because adding Rad and Sully both gives us a lot more offensive power, which is what we were lacking. Hopefully with our defense returning and (goalie Pekka Rinne) playing as well as he did last year, we would have a real solid team.''

Poile said he expects to talk to Sullivan's agent later this week.

As for three other potential unrestricted free agents — defenseman Greg Zanon as well as forwards Vern Fiddler and Joel Ward — Poile said there has been little progress on new deals.

"We really haven't had any conversations with any of them (recently),'' Poile said. "We're way off in what we think they're asking for and what we want to pay.''

Poile pessimistic about Pred free agents
John Glennon, The Tennessean, June 19, 2009

The closer the calendar creeps toward July 1, the less likely it appears the Predators will sign many of their more significant potential unrestricted free agents.

That was the sentiment expressed Friday by Predators general manager David Poile when asked about the status of players including Steve Sullivan, Joel Ward, Vern Fiddler and Greg Zanon.

Poile said he planned to speak with the agents for all four players in the coming week and didn’t rule out any re-signings.

But he added that “it just feels like we’re going to July 1 (unrestricted free agency) with everybody unless somebody comes back to say they’re changing their positions. We haven’t had any of that.

“What we’re offering and what they’re asking for is a substantial difference, and that’s why those deals haven’t been done.’’
All four players have said they’d like to return to Nashville, with Sullivan expressing his desire as recently as Thursday when he won the NHL’s Masterton Trophy in Las Vegas.

Sullivan notched 32 points in 41 games last season after missing almost two years with a back injury. This week his agent said Sullivan is seeking a contract for at least two years. But negotiations all over the league are challenging now because the NHL salary cap will likely dip in years to come.

“Even the (NHL Players’ Association) is recognizing that,’’ Poile said. “But in my discussions with various agents, that hasn’t been reflected. That’s why I think there’s going to be a lot more players go to (free agency) than usually do.’’

The high-scoring Sullivan is a fan favorite in Nashville, but Poile said he couldn’t let that compromise payroll for seasons to come.

“We want him back and I believe he wants to come back,’’ Poile said. “What the public and fans don’t really want to get into is just what I’m trying to explain, the total dynamics of what amount of money we could put to that decision this year and in future years.

“My standard argument is that if it comes down to the highest dollar, there’s a good chance that Nashville is not going to beat anybody out. So we have to hope it’s a combination of he likes living here and the chemistry and the belief in our team and what we’re doing, and that there’s some kind of compromise that will make it work.’’

Ward, who made $500,000 last season, is looking for $1.5 million in a new contract, Poile said.

“I think it’s a really good fit here. Forgetting money for a second, I don’t see how (another team) could be a better fit,” Poile said. “But he wants three times as much money as he was making last year. Is somebody going to pay him? I don’t know the market.’’

As for Zanon, Poile didn’t get into numbers, but said if there’s no change in what he’s requesting, the Predators will promote players through the system or go into the free-agent market. Either way, Poile said, Zanon’s replacement would be paid less than what Zanon is asking.

And it still seems unlikely Alexander Radulov, who left the team for Russia last summer with a year left on his contract, will return to the Predators.

“You have some hope he’s going to come back this year,’’ Poile said. “But it seems a little — I don’t want to say comical — when he’s able to get out of our contract, but it seems a lot harder to walk away from a Russian contract. So maybe we should have a look at how their laws work.’’

EJ Hradek and Iain Fyffe figure out what's perplexing the Preds.

PREDS NEED MORE SCORING POP
Deal with Devil could spark more scoring offense
EJ Hradek, Iain Fyffe/ESPN INSIDER, June 19, 2009

Plugging Holes - Nashville Predators

The Hole: Second-line winger

Nashville has some good scoring wingers on the first line (J.P. Dumont and Martin Erat), and two good centers in David Legwand and Jason Arnott, but the second line is lacking in punch. Two of their top three players in even-strength offensive GVT were defensemen Shea Weber (6.4) and Ryan Suter (3.6). With an aging and fragile Steve Sullivan headed for free agency, the Preds have some money to spend on a winger who can put some pucks in the net.

The Fix: Sign RW Brian Gionta (UFA, Devils)

Considering his drop in production from a career-high 48 goals in 2005-06, Gionta can probably be had for less than he made in New Jersey ($4.5 million). An offer of $3 million should be plenty to acquire the diminutive forward, who should contribute at least 20 goals, if not more. His 5.4 even-strength offensive GVT would put him behind only Arnott on the Predators, and well ahead of Dumont (3.3), Legwand (2.9) and Erat (2.6). So perhaps he'd end up on the first line. The real secret to Gionta's declining production has been his power-play time. Put him on the first power-play unit, and you could easily get 30 to 40 goals out of him.

E.J.'s Take: I think Brian Gionta would be a good fit for just about every team. He's a smart player with a scoring touch and a winning background. I doubt he'll ever be a 48-goal scorer again, but I figure you'll get 25 to 30 goals from him.

Here's the problem. I don't think he's leaving New Jersey. I could be wrong about that. It's always very hard to predict what Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is going to do. He might insist that Gionta take a pay cut from his $4 million salary. Still, I think Gionta stays in Newark.

The Preds' offensive woes could be answered by the possible return of Alexander Radulov, who skated to the KHL last season despite having a year left on his NHL contract. There has been talk that Radulov would like to return to the NHL. At this time, however, that remains uncertain. Predators GM David Poile hopes to have a resolution to the situation before the free-agent shopping season opens July 1.

Iain Fyffe is a writer for Puck Prospectus. E.J. Hradek is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.

Note: A mainstay of Puck Prospectus's metrics is "Goals Versus Threshold" (GVT). The stat blends an array of offensive and defensive figures to measure the value, in terms of goals, a player contributes above what the marginal player would over the course of the season. A marginal player is one that could be replaced with a player of equivalent skill, e.g. from the minors. For instance, Evgeni Malkin had an offensive GVT of +18.9, a defensive GVT of +4.5 and a total GVT of +23.4 for the 2008-9 regular season, meaning that Malkin was worth 23.4 goals more than a marginal player over the course of the season, or worth about 0.3 additional goals per game. In the team context, GVT refers to performance above an NHL average team. For the regular season, the Detroit Red Wings had a +30.8 offensive GVT, a +15.1 defensive GVT, a -21.5 goaltending GVT, for a +24.4 total GVT. Therefore, at even strength, Detroit was 24.4 goals better than the average team.

AGENTS EXPECT PREDATORS TO LOSE SOME TOP PLAYERS
John Glennon, The Tennessean, June 22, 2009

Predators General Manager David Poile isn't the only who believes that the closer the July 1 start of unrestricted free agency gets, the less likely the team is to re-sign some key players.

At least a couple of agents indicated the same late last week.

"I almost think that the closer we get, the more likely we'll test the open market,'' said Peter Cooney, the agent for forward Joel Ward. "It works one way or the other. Sometimes the closer you get, maybe you do make a deal because deadlines sometimes put deals together.

"But I think in this case — or in some cases — the closer you get, you figure why not just wait another week and see what the open market does? Because the real way to find out how much you're worth is to go on the open market.''

Poile said last week that Ward, who made $500,000 last season, is looking for $1.5 million next season.

"Our door has not been closed on returning to Nashville whatsoever, either before July 1st or after July 1st,'' Cooney said. "Joel really liked everything there — the staff and the people. We have no complaints in Nashville. We just have to get to the right number to return.''

Vern Fiddler's agent, Jeff Helperl, indicated last week he hadn't heard much recently from the Predators.

"I am guessing they are going to wait until the last few days (before July 1),'' Helperl said via e-mail. "By then it will be a hard decision to stay or try free agency.''

Contracts upcoming?: One of the reasons Poile said he has to be careful about the deals he makes this offseason is that there may well be some more long-term deals down the line.

"We have other players that are due new contracts that we'd certainly like to do something with, whether it be a goaltender or someone like (defenseman) Dan Hamhuis,'' Poile said. "It's not just about next year and signing Steve Sullivan. It's about the future and what we can or should be able to spend.''

A look at the market: If the Preds wind up not re-signing Sullivan, they'll certainly have to look at a trade or the free-agent market in order to boost the team's offense.

It would be hard to imagine the Preds having any chance at signing big-money players like Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, Alexei Kovalev or Alex Tanguay.

Some players that might be able to add offense with less of a price tag include: the New York Rangers' Nik Antropov, Calgary's Mike Cammalleri, Carolina's Erik Cole, Pittsburgh's Ruslan Fedotenko, New Jersey's Brian Gionta, Edmonton's Ales Kotalik and Detroit's Mikael Samuelsson.

"In any industry or any walk of life, we're all replaceable,'' Poile said. "It may not be your first choice of what you want to do, but you have to have a Plan A, Plan B and you've got to move on.

"I didn't want Craig Leipold to sell the team when we were the third-best team. I didn't want to trade Tomas Vokoun at that time and all the other things I did or wasn't able to do. But that was the reality of what the franchise was at that time and we did the best we can.''

Down on Dany: Poile confirmed Friday that the Predators wanted no part of the Dany Heatley trade sweepstakes, and not just because the high-scoring Ottawa winger will be making an average of $7 million over the next five seasons.
Poile was less than impressed that word of Heatley's desire to be traded became public, hampering the ability of Senators GM Bryan Murray to get the best deal possible.

"It would have been best to go quietly to them and said, 'It's not working out. I'm not going to say anything. But can you do this and we'll work together?''' Poile said.

"Bryan Murray would be in a lot better shape because he could just call teams up and say, 'I'm going to change things up and I'm going to move Heatley.' ''

The Roman report: The Predators got a first-hand scouting report on prospect defenseman Roman Josi from recently hired Director of Player Development Martin Gelinas.

The two played on the same Swiss league team last season.

"We played in a very fast league and Roman showed a great vision of the ice,'' Gelinas said. "He's a great passer, he's very, very patient with the puck and he has a great shot.

"Overall, he has all the right tools to make it happen. He's only (19) and will have to mature into his body. But that's coming.''

Josi will play in Switzerland again in 2009-10, but the Preds are hoping to bring him to North America the following season.

The Preds look to replace Timmonen by selecting another potential blue chip D-man in Ryan Ellis.

PREDATORS SEE OPPORTUNITY FOR NEXT STAR TO EMERGE
John Glennon, The Tennessean, July 27, 2009

The way Predators General Manager David Poile sees it the question isn't so much if his team has another Joel Ward in its midst, but rather who it will be.

Ward was the surprise of last season, a player who was not expected to make the opening-night roster. He wound up scoring 17 goals.

"We need at least one and maybe a couple of those stories this year,'' Poile said.
Such a player almost certainly would come from this pool of forward candidates: Ben Eaves, Patric Hornqvist, Ryan Jones, Peter Olvecky, Cal O'Reilly, Mike Santorelli, Nick Spaling and Colin Wilson.

None of those players have played in as many as 50 NHL games, and three — Eaves, Spaling and Wilson — never have played an NHL game.

"The optimism for me is all these young forwards we've now drafted and brought in,'' Poile said. "Or if you're a pessimist, the question is how good will they be and where will they fit in?

"Will Colin Wilson make our team or will he need to start in Milwaukee? Is Cal O'Reilly as good as he looked when he was brought up at the end of the year? Is Mike Santorelli a little more mature and ready for the NHL?

"Are Hornqvist and Jones ready to play full-time in the NHL? Is Nick Spaling the kind of guy that's the perfect type of Predator — play the wing and center, kill penalties and be a shutdown kind of guy?''

Some of those players certainly will carry a lot of responsibility when it comes to replacing veterans such as Vern Fiddler, Radek Bonk and Scott Nichol.

"We really feel we've got an investment in these young players and we really feel that the upside — when reached — is going to be higher than the players we let go,'' Poile said. "Now, can that upside be this year? That's why it's such an interesting business.

"That's what hockey operations decisions are all about — making decisions at the proper time, when your guys are ready to play.''

Opening with attitude: There's little doubt that the return of Steve Sullivan and the better-than-expected performance of goalie Pekka Rinne were major factors in Nashville's 20-11-5 finish to last season.

But Predators associate coach Brent Peterson said he thinks the team also rediscovered its identity, and wants to make sure the attitude is the same beginning the 2009-10 season.

"We have to get back to being a hard-working team, a play-every-night kind of style,'' Peterson said. "We got away from it the first part of last year. It kicked in and we almost made it, but we were too far back and we had too many injuries.

"We have to get back to it right from the start and play 82 games like the Predators play — with strong goaltending, good defense and scoring goals by committee.''

Sticking with what works: Sullivan is sticking with the same exercise/strengthening schedule as last season, when he returned to the ice after missing almost two years with a back injury.

"I've had no setbacks, no nothing,'' Sullivan said. "I'm back to being normal, which is great. It's fun to go into my workout sessions concentrating on getting stronger, not concentrating on how I'm going to feel the next day.

"I'm not waking up and wondering what that first step is going to feel like. Those thoughts are all gone now. It's the right frame of mind and we'll keep working on getting stronger, not doing rehab.''

Seen this movie before?: Speaking of Sullivan, Poile said at the Skate of the Union last week that he sees comparisons between the 5-foot-8, 165-pound forward and Nashville's most recent first-round pick — 5-9, 173-pound defenseman Ryan Ellis.

"You know who Ryan Ellis is? He's Sully as a defenseman,'' Poile said. "That's exactly what he is. There were a lot of people that didn't think Sully would ever play hockey. He was not a drafted player. He proved a lot of people wrong and is still doing that.''

Afinogenov unlikely: Don Meehan, the agent for unrestricted free-agent forward Maxim Afinogenov, said last week he doesn't envision Afinogenov signing in Nashville.

"I don't think so,'' Meehan said, pointing out that he brought up Afinogenov's name for the Predators to consider. "I don't anticipate hearing anything back from (Poile) on that. I'm not too optimistic.''

Poile called Afinogenov an interesting player because he's shown offensive ability in the past. But the play of the Sabres' winger has tailed off dramatically the past two seasons.