This is the season for David Legwand. All the pieces are falling into place, all the blurs are starting to become clear, and all of Nashville is waiting on the 21-year old center to make his move. Legwand spent the summer working with a personal hockey trainer, a man who has worked with several high profile NHL players including Chris Progner, Martin Lapointe, and others. Last season Legwand showed flashes of brilliance with highlights including – the first overtime penalty shot goal in NHL history, posted plus-or-even rating in 61 of the 81 games that he played in, recorded another overtime game winning goal in March against Phoenix, and posted 41 points (compared to the 28 from the season before). Legwand is entering his third full season in the NHL and if the Preds hope to make the playoffs this year, he is expected to carry a large part of the load.
The 2001-02 Predators are a lot like the 2000-01 Predators, but they are also a whole lot different as well. The Preds were fairly quiet compared to other teams in the Western Conference, however, there are some new faces on the Preds and there will be some different looks from this team this year, as well.
The goaltenders: Mike Dunham had a career year last season posting numbers such as – 2.28 GAA, 21 wins, 4 shutouts, and a .923 saving percentage. Dunham is hoping this is the season that he plays injury free; he missed 20 games last season due to injury. The task will not come easily, though, for Dunham as he is slated as one of the goaltenders to represent the U.S.A. in the 2002 Olympic games.
Luckily for the Preds, Tomas Vokoun serves as one of the best backup goaltenders in the NHL. Vokoun posted a 2.44 GAA, 13 wins, and 2 shutouts last season in relief duty. Vokoun could become trade bait if Dunham stays healthy and Mason, Lasak, or Finley can solidify a game worthy of being an NHL backup goalie. Several teams would be interested if the Preds put Vokoun up for grabs, and the Preds would consider trading Vokoun if they got a goal-scoring winger in return.
The defense. The other strength of the Predators is the consistent play of their defense. Nashville prides itself in low scoring, high hitting games – and if the Preds want to make the playoffs this year, the defense needs to come up huge.
Speaking of huge, the Nashville defense has gotten suspiciously larger compared to the Bouchard, Boughner, and Millar days of expansion. Cale Hulse and Pavel Skrebek each stand at 6’3, Bill Houlder and Mark Eaton are both 6-2, and Marc Moro, Karlis Skrastins, and Andy Delmore all stand at 6-1. With all of this size around, the Preds are going to rely heavily on Kimo Timonen to supply adequate offensive output. Timonen, though 5’10, is probably the biggest part of the Predator blue line. Nashville is hoping he can improve upon his 12 goals and 12 assists last season, and lead the Predator power play.
Cale Hulse, Timonen’s defensive pair last season, will be out at least the first six weeks of the season. Barry Trotz is planning on using these defensive pairings: Skrastins/Timonen, Eaton/Delmore, and Houlder with either Moro or Skrbek.
The offense: The glue of the Nashville offense is Cliff Ronning, but the action will revolve around David Legwand and Scott Walker. The Preds are hoping Walker can become a consistent 25-goals-a-year winger. Captain Fitzgerald will be starting the season as the checking line center, playing at his side are newly acquired Stu Grimson (6-5, 227) and another new face Vladimir Orszagh.
Orszagh, 23, was signed in July from the Swiss Elite League. He is expected to add some spice to the usually dull Nashville offense. Legwand has been seen in the pre-season centering the top offensive line with Cliff Ronning on his left and Scott Walker or Patric Kjellberg on his right. Greg Johnson and Denis Arkhipov are the other two center men for the Preds. On their wings are the usual suspects Marian Cisar, Scott Hartnell, and Vitali Yachmenev.
And joining the group of wingers is 20-year-old Martin Erat. Erat has been the surprise of training camp in Nashville and has a whole lot of people excited. He beat out several prospects and veterans for a slot as a left winger in Nashville. Keep your eye on this rookie as he develops at the pro level.
