Andrei Kostitsyn on his way to Nashville shows a few things – and most importantly to Predators fans is that this team is gunning for the Stanley Cup. Right here, right now.

Andrei has broken the 50-point barrier before and despite a bit of a down year in Montreal this season still has posted 24 points. Reuniting him with brother Sergei in Nashville will hopefully mean not only an uptick in production but might also convince the elder brother that the change of scenery suits him on a longer term. His $3.25M cap hit contract expires this season and he becomes a UFA, but perhaps an audition here and a little positive press from Sergei might make him a long-term guy.

Barry Trotz has shown that he is able to bring players in that have fallen into disfavor with other teams and help them get their games in order in a Predators sweater. I would think that for Andrei coming in having a clearly defined role and responsibilities will help tremendously. Also, to have someone with his offensive talent give Nashville just that much more depth of scoring shows that the Predators can attack with three (and sometimes four) lines.

Also, David Poile has mentioned before that Nashville still has its first round pick for this year as a bargaining chip, plus the team still has exceptional depth of prospects. It’s possible there may be more to come for the Preds but for now, Hal Gill and Andrei Kostitsyn are very good adds to a team that is shaping up better and better for a deep playoff run.

Keep it tuned to NashvillePredators.com all day long for continued trade deadline coverage.

Ryan Ellis was assigned to Milwaukee this morning, and to me that signifies a few things.

First of all is that for Ryan Ellis this is not performance-based. Barry Trotz has gone out of his way to say time and time again he likes what Ellis has done on the ice and is pleased with his development so far. But the reality of the situation is that only six (and rarely seven) D get to play in a game. Ellis and Roman Josi are the only two Predators defensemen who can be sent down without clearing waivers. And with Ellis out of the lineup once Hal Gill was acquired, the Preds needed to do something as far as getting Ellis some playing time.

Heading to Milwaukee is probably not his favorite thing, but at the end of the day it will provide Ellis an opportunity for heavy minutes in a top role every game. Ellis will be the power play QB once again, get a lot of ice, and be able to keep his game sharp instead of sitting in the press box every game up in Nashville. It certainly will help his development more. The more key minutes Ellis plays, the better.

This also shows just how much Roman Josi’s stock has risen within the organization. The Preds scouts have talked glowingly of Josi since the moment they drafted him, but to rise up the depth chart he had to pass a deep group of blue chip prospects. Now a fixture paired with Hal Gill, Josi has earned a lot of trust from coaches in big situations. Certainly he’s still a rookie and sometimes makes plays that show his inexperience, but the journey from his first few unsure games to now is remarkable. He has risen to the occasion and reminds me just a little of the similar journey Jonathon Blum went through last year. Of course Josi has much room for growth and improvement, but his emergence has really helped Nashville in many ways and allowed the team to not have to lean on Blum quite as hard when he struggled this year.

Perhaps something that flies under the radar here is Jack Hillen’s role with the team. It’s not easy to be a 7th defenseman or extra forward, but Hillen has helped when called on and doesn’t seem to miss a beat. He would have had to clear waivers in order to go to Milwaukee and the Predators don’t want to expose him to the possibility of being lost, which shows how the coaches value his contributions. They know depth is the name of the game in a long playoff run. Trotz has said it may take seven, eight, or even nine defensemen in a playoff run depending on injuries or matchup requirements, so the Predators know full well Hillen’s solid play will be useful in any series. And if you don’t think defensive depth is tested that deeply in the playoffs, I’ll take you back to the Buffalo/Carolina 2006 Eastern Conference Final series in which the Sabres were down four regular defensemen for a pivotal Game Seven that Buffalo led into the second period but ultimately lost – sending the Hurricanes on to a Stanley Cup win over Edmonton.

Or just last season when the Vancouver Canucks had nine different defensemen lace up the skates during the run to the Cup Finals and only two of their d-men played in all 25 playoff games last season.

And if nothing else, I think Trotz’s statement about the playoffs holds a lot of truth: offense may win you games, but defense will win you championships.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

David Poile was extended through the 2014-15 Season by the Predators earlier today, showing that ownership has put a great vote of confidence forward in the job he's been doing.

This year has been the "poster season" for "the Predators Way" as the team has borne the fruits of good scouting and drafting. The majority of the team was drafted and developed within the system, while the depth of top prospects has given Poile the flexibility to make the occasional shrewd trade for players like Mike Fisher, Sergei Kostitsyn and Hal Gill. Poile has dipped into the free agent market at the right times adding veteran pieces like Francis Bouillon. And even waiver plucks like Brandon Yip. Yes, the ways to build a team are many and varied, but Poile has shown the ability to take what he's given and in concert with Head Coach Barry Trotz put things together in a manner that has seen the Predators make the playoffs every year but once since the lockout ended -- and even that one blip they were in the hunt 'till the final weekend of the season.

The other subtle side of this extension is that is does much to help guarantee the continued trajectory of the team. Nashville's stock has been rising as of late and it appears that with this extension it should continue to do so through 2014-15. There won't be any radical overhauls or panic buttons pressed, just the steady building of assets and on-ice product. Given the team's performance so far this season, there is definite reason for optimism now and in the future.

Barry Trotz spoke at length yesterday prior to Nashville's game at Dallas about how he viewed this game as a litmus test for the Preds. After losing in the waning seconds against Detroit the Predators felt the disappointment they had shown so many opponents previously in come-from-behind wins. Dropping what seemed like at least one very important point in the standings with less than six seconds left stung. The question that hung heavily in the air in Dallas Sunday morning was would the Predators respond by showing the confidence and ability that had brought the team this far, or would the mental effects still linger?

To be sure, the Stars put on a solid performance, but Nashville was able to triumph in a tight-checking, and at times desperate game. Dallas is scratching and clawing along with several teams within the pack struggling to earn or maintain one of the bottom few playoff spots. They're battling injuries much like the Preds and received very good goaltending from Kari Lehtonen. In the end, the it was a timely power play goal from Shea Weber and good puck possession towards the end of the game that enabled the Preds to hold off the charging Stars.

That win will show itself as a big one down the stretch, not only to realize the importance of bouncing back, but also that once again different parts stepped up to make a difference. Of course the captain scored, but Matt Halischuk played well and surpassed his season time on ice average in the second period. Not only did he contribute defensively, but Halischuk set up one goal and almost scored another (it was called back for going in off his glove). Colin Wilson looked strong in the game, playing hard along the wall and late in the third period his two-man cycle with Jordin Tootoo really helped take out a big chunk of time while Dallas was getting more and more desperate. Hal Gill's Preds debut showed him at +2 on the night, and despite taking Nashville's only minor of the game late in the contest he looked good in his debut.

Other names floated to the top to help out on a night when Mike Fisher was out sick and David Legwand was feeling far less than 100% with a similar cold, forcing the Preds to dress seven defensemen and only 11 forwards (Patric Hornqvist and Bryan McGrattan did not make the road trip because of previous injuries).

Yes, the Predators overcame some obstacles and came out with a win. And these will all be important markers coming down the stretch for this team – every milepost represents yet another step taken towards a greater goal of playoff success.

The Nashville Predators today acquired defenseman Hal Gill from the Montreal Canadiens – and when you say you wanted a BIG defenseman Predators fans, you got one!

A towering presence on the ice at 6-7 and 244 lbs., Gill is not going to be a heavy points guy, nor does he put up a ton of penalty minutes (but enough to register his presence). What Nashville is acquiring is a shutdown defenseman with plenty of size and the ability to lean on opposing forwards, making those minutes much tougher to play. More importantly, Gill showed in Montreal’s last two playoff runs how he handles the post-season grind and ups his game when it matters most. He won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009. Plus he’s a veteran presence that blocks shots (his 122 blocks are 14th in the NHL as of today) and clears the crease for Pekka Rinne – giving Nashville exactly what it needs to stop even more goals against.

Barry Trotz is fond of saying defense wins championships, and that when you look at teams that have been able to win games on a consistent basis in the playoffs success comes by stopping the opposition and cashing in on chances. It appears that once again general manager David Poile made an earlymove as he did last year to grab Mike Fisher pre-deadline – likely before asking prices go through the roof.

One more important aspect of this trade is that Gill can eat some minutes normally played by a Suter/Weber combo, and will help those two rest when needed or when lines get jumbled (say a PK situation). Don’t underestimate that maybe even just a few shifts a night where Gill handles some weight instead won’t have a big positive effect on the 1-2 combo.

I can’t say if this is the tip of the iceberg or if it’s all of it, but it certainly does make Nashville even more solid defensively. Gill will not play tonight against Detroit but will be at the game.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Two phrases that marked my youth and haunted birthday parties and Christmases and even an Easter Sunday (new bike just in time for spring!).

Those phrases were kicking around in my head this morning while I was considering this edition of the Nashville Predators. As assembled, are they good enough? On top of that, are the batteries included? Who is going to provide the juice?

I’ve considered a lot of where this team is, what it has accomplished, and what the needs down the stretch could be. Every single team is going to lament wanting one more big, physical player. Every single team will want to add one 90-point scorer at the deadline. We’re no different. But I get the feeling that prices will be stratospheric this deadline – and that means preventative for most teams.

What Nashville has is enough energy and enthusiasm from a young pool of players up front. The acquisition of Mike Fisher continues to play dividends for the Preds. He has an easy camaraderie off the ice with his linemates and on the ice they click well. At various times, second and third line players have driven the team. For stretches we've seen Jordin Tootoo, Craig Smith, Patric Hornqvist, and Gabriel Bourque step into leading roles. Even Matt Halischuk is enjoying a career year with 12 goals this season, while averaging just a few ticks over 11 minutes of ice time per game.

If this club brings its “A Game" come playoff time, there’s no reason to think they can’t win a seven-game series against any opponent. Scoring comes from so many different outlets this year that as games tighten up I actually still feel good that the Predators can rally – no matter which line is on the ice. Plus, the defense is chipping in goals. And that’s a huge comfort.

I think the younger players mentioned above along with Colin Wilson, Nick Spaling and defensemen Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis will keep the wheels spinning along with current leadership. The enthusiasm will definitely carry down the stretch, and the real question that remains is how will the young team respond to playoff pressures.

As far as needing to further assemble, I’ll allude to what I said earlier – every team wants to add that one more piece, but it might not be in the cards this year. However taken on the whole, this has been a great year so far for this team. They’ve managed to not only keep pace in the Conference, but has emerged as part of the "breakaway group" at the top of the Western Conference standings. The rest of the season may now turn out to be a race for home ice positioning among the top-5 seeds and a seperate race for the final three playoff teams. But the real success of the this season will be judged by the playoffs; it says a lot about the focus of the franchise that just qualifying for the playoffs is no longer a measurement of success.

What it really comes down to is whether or not this team can win in the playoffs if no other players are added. With the balance of scoring, the team’s track record this year, and Pekka Rinne in net, I do indeed think that Nashville is capable of winning any round against any team in the Western Conference. And that is possibly the best thing you can say heading into the deadline.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

This past week the Nashville Predators faced off against two former captains in Kimmo Timonen and Jason Arnott, and it brought me to the team's current leadership corps of Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Mike Fisher. Nashville has a good set of players in place who lead by example on and off the ice and really do well to lead the team in a positive direction night in and night out.

Much like his head coach, Shea Weber doesn't seem to get out of balance very often. Never too high, never too low, Weber is most likely to react to a bad situation with grim determination and sheer force of will. When you couple that with his extraordinary physical gifts, it's a scary combination if you're on the opposing team. Weber might not be the guy who will stand up and give a rousing "win one for the Gipper" speech, but he will show the way clearly with his play.

Suter is a player who is also more on the "show don’t tell" side and is simply steady and supremely capable every single time out. Young players on both defense and offense can learn a lot from his style, which never seems to have a panic button to press – even when everyone else in the building is clearly jamming their collective finger on it! Being able to remain calm in those situations really does help everyone around him do the exact same.

Fisher being one of the few players not home-grown for the Preds and one of the older players on the squad brings the experience of a Stanley Cup Final with the Ottawa Senators and the ability to handle the big-time pressure of the national stage in Canada. In having had to deal with that type of exposure he will certainly continue to show Nashville's developing players how to handle themselves professionally in a pressure situation.

That said I like where Nashville's leadership is at the moment. They form the core of a team that has been playing well, having fun together, and winning games – sometimes improbably. Perhaps this is the right mix with the right combination at the right time. And it all starts at the top with Weber, Suter and Fisher.

Ever since Gerry Cheevers first had a stitch mark painted on his mask by Boston Bruins trainer John Forestall, goaltenders have personalized the most visible piece of equipment they wear: their masks.

In fact, if you visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, there’s a section just for some of the most famous mask artwork of all time. You can see Cheevers’ stitch marks, Ken Dryden’s elliptical patterm from Montreal, and so many more. Occasionally sports web sites will run galleries of pictures debating the best paint jobs of all time. One thing is for certain: there is no pieceof gear in any sport as customized or individualized as the goaltender’s mask.

In 1972 Doug Favell became the first goaltender to wear full-mask artwork, which was actually the product of a prank by his trainer Frank Lews – he painted Favell’s mask orange (he played for the Flyers) like a pumpkin for Halloween. As the 70s advanced, goalies like Favell, Jim Rutherford and Rogie Vachon began to use team logos as mask artwork and theseeds were planted.

After Andy Brown’s last NHL appearance in April of 1974, the era of the maskless goaltender came to an end (although Brown did play in the WHA until 1977). Mask artwork proliferated as goaltenders looked to express themselves in new and different ways. Perhaps the most famous masks of the era were Gary Simmons’ Cobra design and Gilles Gratton’s Lion mask, which are also on display in Toronto. Both were intricate and detailed designs that showed where mask art was leading in the future.

Today’s headgear is a far cry from the very first attempts at protection worn by Clint Benedict and Jacques Plante. Fiberglass and Kevlar, stainless steel and space-age padding – there’s a lot of technology protecting the mellon of today’s elite goaltender.

Both Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback use a hybrid mask style as does every other NHL goaltender. The last pro holdouts of the helmet and separate cage combo have finally left the NHL ranks: Dominic Hasek, Chris Osgood, and Martin Prusek rank as among the last to stay true to the combos. Before the helmet and cage combos were in vogue, masks were more molded to one’s face with padding on the inside. Now, the hybrid style combines the fit of the old “on the face” style with the vision components and light weight of the helmet and cage combos.

Some goaltenders literally go for a custom fit, having a facial cast made and a helmet custom molded for exact fit. Not everyone goes this route however, and both Rinne and Lindback use a stock mask from Bauer with a “cat-eye” cage – meaning a design where the bars of the mask open in a curved fashion as opposed to a grid-like design a la Boston’s Tim Thomas.

Rinne came over to Bauer a few seasons ago after breaking a couple of the masks he was wearing at the time made by a smaller private company. After the last one broke Predators head equipment manager Pete Rogers told Rinne that he would suggest switching to another mask company before he was seriously injured. Rinne agreed.

Lindback had a somewhat similar story, saying he switched to Bauer after a mask he wore when he was playing the equivalent of North American junior hockey broke and he ended up missing four teeth!

I asked both of them if they had ever worn anything besides a cat-eye as pros, and both had not, although Rinne did remember wearing a combo similar to that of Hasek when he was younger. Rinne employs the cat-eye because it allows him to see the ice better and has more of an opening for his vision. He admitted sometimes things can happen where a stick or puck can intrude into the mask (a puck did so earlier this year causing a small cut) but the masks are generally strong enough towithstand massive amounts of force.

When it comes to picking the artist for their masks, both goaltenders use Swedish artist David Gunnarsson. Gunnarsson has become the painter of choice for many NHL netminders, and even before he came over to North America Lindback was using him for his masks. Meanwhile Rinne came to use Gunnarsson through the suggestion of Rogers, who had heard many positive things about the Swede’s artwork from fellow equipment managers and goaltenders as well.

The process of coming up with each individual design varies from person to person – some goalies are completely in control from start to finish, others like to spitball and seewhat comes up, while others still leave the majority of the execution to the artist. Both Pekka and Anders come in with the middle option – they look to different places for inspiration, have some ideas of themes and details, but also love to see what a creative guy like Gunnarsson brings them for ideas.

Lindback doesn’t really talk to other goaltenders about individual designs, but he does like to visit Gunnarsson’s web site at www.daveart.com to see what designs he’s done lately. Best of all most masks have some accompanying description along with a nice photo gallery – a huge bonus for mask-philes.

Lindback approaches the process differently for each mask. Sometimes he has concrete ideas for what he wants, and other times he lets Gunnarsson lead with ideas and then supplies details and suggestions later.

Rinne enjoys the fact that Gunnarsson’s style is much more “flashy” than his own and thinks the two mix well when coming up with ideas. Rinne says he’ll get approximately five different sketches at a time from Gunnarsson, who for the most part Rinne allows a free hand for design.

Both goaltenders laud the artist’s work, saying they’re completely happy with what he comes up with and the execution of their ideas in real life.

Now to see this year’s examples for each goaltender, click below for the companion video!


Click here for your chance to to help design Pekka Rinne's next mask.

Congratulations to our AHL All-Stars in Ryan Ellis and Chris Mueller!

Ellis is still with thePredators as of this writing but while with the Admirals posted excellent offensive numbers including 13 assists and 17 points, with seven of those helpers coming via the power play. He made his NHL debut on December 26th against Detroit and has looked more and more comfortable with each passing shift.

Mueller has seen time with the Predators in each of the last two seasons and is a great story, having been signed to the club after earning a recall last year despite only being on an ECHL-AHL two-way contract. This season he’s Milwaukee’s top goal scorer and point-getter, once again getting the nod in Nashville for a pair of games earlier this season.

There are other very good players on the Admirals roster deserving of such notoriety, but seeing the AHL recognize that these guys are doing something special this year is always afeather in the cap to both player and organization.

While we do know that the fan voting at the NHL level can lead to some interesting looking choices (check out this year’s leading vote-getters) in the AHL just getting noticed can really make a difference for a player come next season, whether in the form of a camp invite or even a recall later in the season. Let’s hope that while Ellis remains with Nashville he continues to grow and develop, and that Mueller is able to keep his game on the rise as well! They will serve as a great example to everyone else around them fighting for that very same dream – to play in the NHL.

Well my friends, today instead of a video we go back to the "olde world" blog for the game day. Being a back-to-back and no trip to the rink today, plus no one to talk to from the Dallas side (they do morning skate at the team's practice facility) just left me thinking – why not blog?

So here it is for you. Last night the Predators capped a thrilling come-from-behind victory with just over eight seconds to go when Ryan Suter sent Marty Erat in on goal for the game winner to touch off a euphoric celebration at Bridgestone Arena. In talking with Barry Trotz today, he said he could sense that the game wasn't over after the first period, and that things had come "too easily" for Columbus. Trotz said he has seen and been a part of games over the years where the team that fires out to that giant first period lead takes its foot off the gas, and sure enough, that's what Columbus did. Suddenly the Blue Jackets were back on its heels, trying to hold on to a lead that was slipping away. Indeed it wasn't an easy game to win, but it did cause the coach to muse that perhaps this year's edition of the Predators could indeed be "very special". I hope he's right!

Dallas ran into the Flyers buzzsaw on Wednesday, handed a 4-1 defeat in which the Stars never really got much going. They did get Adam Burish back after missing 15 games with a broken hand, but by his own admission it "felt like the first game of the season" again. One of the interesting story lines for the Stars is that goaltender Richard Bachman, if he starts tonight, will go for the seventh straight time. Not bad for a rookie who won his first three pro starts, making him the only goalie in Minnesota/Dallas history to do so. Kari Lehtonen is slated to return from a groin injury relatively soon, perhaps as near as New Year's, but he'll be on the shelf tonight.

Finally, a neat little nugget on Dallas: 16 of the club's 31 third period goals have come in the last half of the period. Of those 16, 10 have either tied the game or gone for the game winner. And when the Stars score in the latter half of the final frame, they're 11-2-1. Yikes!

To all of you and your families I wish you the safest and happiest holidays possible. Please remember not to drink and drive!