Florida is definetely buyin’ what Nashville is sellin’

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It was announced this afternoon that Nashville traded forward Jerred Smithson to the Florida Panthers for a 6th round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Florida… You don’t say…

Maybe they like the fact that Predators are members of the feline family just like they are, but it seems like a lot of guys end up in Florida one way or another after their time with Nashville is up. Of the current Florida roster, their are four former Predators: Marcel Goc, Mike Santorelli, Scottie Upshall, and of course, Jerred Smithson. Here’s the scoop on the other former Preds on the Panthers roster:

Marcel Goc – Signed a three-year contract with Florida on 07/01/2011 (click here to read the press release from the Florida Panthers)

Mike Santorelli – Was acquired 08/05/10 from Nashville in exchange for a 5th round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (click here to read the press release from the Florida Panthers)

Scottie Upshall – He didn’t take the direct flight out of Nashville, so to speak, but he was traded from the Predators to the Philadelphia Flyers back in February of 2007. Since then, he’s played with the Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, and is now in the midst of a four year contract with the Panthers.

Aside from those four, there is a plethora of over Preds/Admirals alum that have gone on to appear in games for the Panthers in the past few seasons:

LW Darcy Hordichuk – Played three seasons in Nashivlle, and went on to play 64 games for Florida during the 2010-2011 season.

D Alexander Sulzer – Played five seasons in the Predators organization before being traded just before the trade deadline in 2011. Appeared in nine games with the Panthers and has since signed with Vancouver.

G Tomas Vokoun – Nashville’s starting goaltender for the better part of it’s first eight seasons in the National Hockey League. Signed with Florida before the 2007-2008 season and went on to play four seasons for the team.

RW Hugh Jessiman – Jessiman played two seasons for the Admirals, after which he appeared in two games for the Panthers during the 2010-2011 season.

D Ville Koistinen – Played his first three seasons in North America with Admirals and Predators before dabbling for a few games with Florida and Rochester of the AHL during the 09-10 season. He has since returned to Europe and is playing with Ufa Salavat Yulayev of the KHL.

D Karlis Skrastins – Played five seasons with the Admirals and Predators, and eventuall found his way onto the Florida roster in 2007. He played two seasons for Florida before spending two years with the Dallas Stars. He has since returned to Europe to play with the KHL Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, but sadly was one of the 44 people who were killed in the devastating Russian plane crash that claimed the lives of the entires Lokomotiv team.

Quick, take bets. Who is on the ice tonight here in Milwaukee that’ll be wearing red, white and yellow come the 2013-2014 season?

Monday Morning Round Up: Streak snapped, A-Rad and a Cheechoo valentine

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I feel like I am always posting a Monday Morning Round Up… these weeks just fly by! In any case, time for another wrap up to a week of hockey news and humor! I must warn you though, things over in the KHL were pretty quiet this past week, so unfortunately there are no goal celebration or Radulov behaving badly videos to enjoy. Perhaps Derek Dorsett will make up for that…

Here in Milwaukee (via Milwaukee Admirals Examiner)…

5-game losing streak snapped in 3-0 Valentine’s Day win over Houston

Ads extend affiliation, Geoffrion to Montreal, Milwaukee wins 5-3 in OKC

This week in Nashville…

Hall Gill excited about opportunity in Nashville (Jim Diamond, Nashville Predators Examiner)

Instead of posting 512 stories about the Geoffrion/Gill trade, I picked this one to share because it encompasses, not only the trade, but Gills thoughts on coming to Music City. Great article from my fellow Examiner!

Why scratch Ellis? Comparing Predators Defenseman (Sam Page, ontheforecheck.com)

With the addition of Gill, someone’s got to sit. Sam Page makes a spot on argument as to why Trotz should sit Ellis even though he is fresh off a 2 point night against Chicago. And hey! He even made a chart for us folks who need a visual to comprehend.

Is Alexander Radulov final piece to Stanley Cup for Predators? (The City Paper)

I’m  not a real big fan of Radulov, but I’m not a real big fan of Nashville getting eliminated early from the playoffs year after year. It’s a long article, so pack a lunch (and dinner for that matter), but it’s a great article with insight as to what guys like Weber and Suter think of him. Reading the article changed my view on if A-Rad should return to Nashville. I’m always barking for the Preds to get some help up front, and that missing scoring power might in fact be Radulov.

Around the rest of the world of hockey…

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman hints at sell-off (Tampa Bay Times)

So you may think this is a strange article to ‘feature’ on MMRU, however, the Lightning have a very special place in my heart. Last year, my fantasy hockey team, Jagrbombs (see what I did there?) was league champion of the Infamous Charlie Bravo fantasy hockey league. How did I get that prestigious title and bounty of prize money? Three words: Stamkos, StLouis and Malone (I know, it’s St. Louis, but I promised three words so I had to make it work…) Anyways, with that said, first objective on the list when drafting for my team this year (Hull and Oates, in case you are wondering) was to get my hands on my black and blue. Stamkos is the lone Tampa player on my team this year, but I still watch the games. I have to admit, they kind of grew on me. When Stevie Y says that his team is going to be a ‘seller’, I’m interested to see who he’ll be dealing…

Small Child Attempts to Fight Professional Hockey Player (deadspin.com)

In what was arguably the worst decision ever in the history of hockey fights, 5’11 192 lb. Blue Jackets forward Derek Dorsett decided now would be a good time to take a run at 6’8 260 lb-ish Blackhawks defenseman John Scott. I think we all know how this is going to end….

Valentine’s Day Cards: Hockey Edition (dirtydangle.com)

I certainly can’t wrap this up without a reference to Valentine’s Day, so celebrate everyone’s (especially the males in the audience) favorite holiday with some hockey-valentines! Click here to see all the Valentine’s, there are some real doozy’s in the bunch…!

Boom Boom to Blake; Geoffrion family legacy continues in Montreal

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After four successful seasons with the NCAA Wisconsin Badgers hockey team, forward Blake Geoffrion made a seamless transition to the American Hockey League by way of the Milwaukee Admirals in 2010.  He was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and split his time between the Predators and the Admirals his first year out of school.

With the University of Wisconsin-Madison just an hour west of Milwaukee, it was only natural that Geoffrion became a fan favorite at the Bradley Center. In his first season with the Admirals, Geoffrion put up 40 points in 46 regular and post-season games. He also contributed 10 points in 32 regular and post-season games with the Predators.

This season was a different story.

Geoffrion couldn’t seem to find his stride with either club, and his dismal numbers in the NHL kept him on the Admirals roster for most of the season. It was clear watching Geoffrion that he was frustrated with his production. He spent the beginning of the season with the Predators, but aside from a short stint near Christmas, he’s been with the Admirals since mid December.

Then Hal Gill entered the picture, and a trade for the 6’7 defenseman and a 5th round draft pick sent Geoffrion, forward Robert Slaney and a 2nd round draft pick to the Montreal on Friday afternoon. For the record, I’m not sure how or why Robert Slaney fit into that trade as I don’t see him factoring in with Montreal’s plan, but in any case, he was in on the package…

Chalk it up to a sophomore slump, but he really struggled to light the fire this season. Frankly, it looked like he lost a lot of confidence in his play, which was in sharp contrast to the vibrato we all say in the 24-year old last season.

Geoffrion tweeted several bittersweet tweets shortly after being traded:

If Geoffrion was to be traded anywhere, I’d have to assume Montreal was the place he’d want to be. His grandfather is the great Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion, who played played 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, has his #5 retired in the rafters of the Bell Centre alongside Blake’s great-grandfather Howie Morenz’s retired #7. With his family thread woven tightly into Canadiens’ history, Montreal has to be thrilled to have Blake in the organization.

Geoffrion was assigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs after the trade, and played in his first game with the team in tonight’s 5-2 win over Rockford. He scored a goal and an assist, and finished with a team-high 8 shots on goal. It’s only a matter of time before Montreal gets their chance to see Geoffrion in blue and red, the same blue and red worn by his grandfather and great-grandfather.

Best of luck to Geoffrion as he writes the next chapter of his storied hockey career. For the Admirals fans who are sad to see him go, fret not, they may trade away your played, but they can’t trade away your bobblehead!

Monday Morning Round Up: A short joke, Crosby sneezes and the Catholic church

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Dangerously close to missing Monday all together, but hopefully, these absolute gems of hockey news will make up for my tardiness! And to top it all off, you’ll be treated to another video clip that hails all the way from everyone’s favorite league in mother Russia, the KHL.

Here in Milwaukee… (via Milwaukee Admirals Examiner)

Meet Milwaukee’s newest Admiral, Kevin Henderson (Feb. 10th)

The Admirals welcomed a new name to the roster on February 10th in Cincinnati Cyclones loan Kevin Henderson. The former UNB standout and Toronto, Ontario native signed a PTO with Milwaukee on Friday, and appeared in his first game of the season against Charlotte.

This week in Nashville…

Predators’ Fisher returns to Ottawa one year after trade (Ottawa Citizen)

Nice article by Ken Warren about Predators forward Mike Fisher and his return to Ottawa a year after he was traded by the team for a 1st round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Although Nashville is the perfect fit for the 31-year old Peterborough, Ontario native, he was drafted by the Sens in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and went on to play 10 seasons with the club. Certainly must be a mix of emotions returning to an arena filled with you fans although you don’t wear black and red….

Nashville Predators Trade Targets: Jeff Carter (ontheforecheck.com)

Jeff Carter isn’t having the greatest season of his career, but then again, things aren’t exactly going swimmingly over in Columbus. Sam Page makes an uber-convincing argument as to why 27-year old forward would make a good fit in Nashville.

Around the rest of the world of hockey…

There is nothing small about Haydar’s accomplishments (cbc.ca Hockey Night in Canada)

Standing at 5’3 (on a good day), I really have no room to talk on the matter of height…but I did laugh at Tim Whamsby’s Darren Haydar height pun in his article originally written for the Hockey Night in Canada site. Yes, the date on this article is Feb 5th, but it didn’t appear on the AHL site until sometime this past week so I was able to include it in this edition of Round Up. Although Haydar plays for the rival Chicago Wolves now and has for quite some time, I still have a lot of respect for him and was glad to see such a nice article written about him. He’s a class act and stand up guy, and I was certainly sad to see him leave the Admirals after four seasons (even though I can see why he did).

New Catholic church ad: Let’s pray Habs make the playoffs (The Globe and Mail)

It’s going to take a lot more than a miracle to get the 23rd-ranked Canadiens into the post-season, but the archdiocese of Montreal wants fans to pray anyways. The church ran an ad in the Montreal newspapers Thursday, which simply stated ‘Prions’ which translates to ‘Let Us Pray’ in a list of the Eastern Conference standings. Perhaps they should start small and ask for divine intervention on that incredibly sad last-place power-play stat they have their name beside. On a side note, as a graphic designer by trade, I tip my cap to the archdiocese for such a clean creative ad (am I right, Ryan Muraro?)

Canadiens’ Gomez ends year long goal drought (sportsnet.ca)

It only took a year and three days, but Montreal forward Scott Gomez finally found the back of the net in the Canadiens 4-2 win over the New York Islanders. Gomez hadn’t scored a goal since February 5th, 2011…

Crosby skates before Pens’ matinee in Pittsburgh (nhl.com)

Seriously. Am I going to get an update on this guy every time he sneezes or gets a hang nail? Unless they are announcing a definite date for his return or that he made a miraculous recovery, this lifelong Pens fan doesn’t want to hear about it.

Goofy KHL goal celebration alert: Andrey Stepanov scores, slides and poses (Video) (Puck Daddy)

And without further ado, Andrei Stepanov of the KHL Amur Khabarovsk celebrates his recent goal on Metallurg:

Gary Bettman proves, once again, that he is completely dillusional

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When I read this article, I rolled my eyes so far into the back of my head that I thought I’d never see straight again.

Gary Bettman believes in Blue Jackets (from espn.go.com)

First, a little background on the Blue Jackets. If the National Hockey League was a train, Columbus would be the caboose… a caboose that is detached from the train and was left at the station about 250 miles ago. They are 16-33-6 in 55 games this season, good for a sorry 38 points. Did I mention their goal differential is -52?

Commissioner Bettman‘s thoughts on the struggling franchise (from the above article):

He is also certain that the franchise has the right people in charge to turn the sorry club around.

 

“I’m aware of the fact that there’s a little bit of frustration by some fans in the on-ice performance,”(umm, ya think Gary?) he said of the Blue Jackets, 15-32-6 heading into Thursday night’s game against Dallas. “I can assure you, because I know it firsthand, there is nobody more frustrated than ownership and management. And nobody more committed to getting it right on the ice than ownership and management (I think I speak for everyone when I say it’s a little late for that). I have no doubt about the future of this franchise because it’s in extremely strong, committed hands.”(STRONG COMMITTED HANDS? The same ‘hands’ that traded Jakub Vorachek and a 1st and 3rd round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft for Jeff Carter and his 11-season, $58 million dollar contract from Philadelphia only to put him on the trade block this year?)

After he attempts to cover the arses of GM Scott Howson and company, he goes on tick even more Blue Jackets fans off by referring to the protest they organized against the Blue Jackets front office as a ‘pep rally’…

*face palm*

A PEP RALLY? Gary, gary, gary… Bet you wish you could have that one back, don’t you?  What exactly do you think this pep rally is celebrating? Is it the fact that they’ve won just 16 games this season? Or maybe that -52 goal differential I mentioned before is what you think these 250+ people came to cheer about.

He concludes the article with some jibberish about the league looking into a recent last-second loss in LA, because you know, that two points would have made this trainwreck of a season all better…

There are a lot of things that come out of Bettman’s mouth that I just don’t understand, but in this situation, it probably would’ve been smarter for him to just keep his mouth shut. Talk about fanning the fire that is a city full of angry and frustrated hockey fans…

Parise to Minnesota?

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Everybody loves a good trade rumor!

For anyone who lives in Minnesota, loves Minnesota, or is still holding a grudge about the North Stars leaving Minnesota, the possibility of Devils forward Zach Parise being traded to the Minnesota Wild would probably be enough to send one into coronary.They certainly have the cap room to sign him, and what team doesn’t want a 65-point plus guy on their roster… especially if that guy’s father is J.P. Parise, a Minnesota North Stars legend. Jean-Paul played nine seasons with the North Stars before retiring as the teams captain in 1979.

As for the little Parise, he might be a little tougher to bring to the Twin Cities before the trade deadline.

New Jersey is having, shall we say, some ‘financial difficulties’ that will likely prohibit them from resigning the 27-year old Minneapolis native to a long-term contract. The contract he signed over the off-season was a one year/$6 million contract that will leave him as an unrestricted free agent come summer. If he and the Devils can’t agree on a new contract come July 1st, Parise will go from being the biggest name in Jersey to the biggest name on the free agent market. After seven seasons of service, they’d likely want to make one final push with him to finish out the season.

HOWEVER…

If I’m Lou Lamoriello, GM of the Devils, I see the writing on the wall. Might as well get something for Parise rather than turn him loose in July, right? It’s no secret that the Wild are hoarding some very promising young prospects, case in point Mikael Granlund. Granlund, who the Wild drafted in the 1st round of the 2010 Draft, is the clubs top overall prospect and could very well be an NHL superstar. In 40 games this season with HFK Helsinki, he’s put 46 points up and as a +/- 20. Chuck Fletcher will likely turn down any offer that involves the 19-year old Granlund, but if you dangle Minnesota-native Parise and take a couple trips down North Stars memory lane, he might be open to talk.

Monday Morning Round Up: A win, A father of the year nominee, and a historic NHL feat

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So I heard there was some sort of football game on yesterday? Apparently it was a pretty big deal…

As you battle out of a Super food coma from the Super Bowl (or a massive hangover, for that matter), enjoy some of the best hockey news of the week as you cling for dear life to that cup of coffee. Happy Monday, hockey fans!

Here in Milwaukee… (via Milwaukee Admirals Examiner)

Back to work boys; Ads to host Rivermen in first game back from the All-Star break

Admirals drop fifth straight game, fall 4-2 to Peoria

Admirals win 2-1 in Houston; snap 5-game skid

This week in Nashville…

Trotz and Hitchcock win press conferences in very different manners (Nashville Predators Examiner)

Jim Diamond delivers another exceptional article about the the little things that happen off the ice that make hockey the greatest sport on earth. The comradery between Predators coach Barry Trotz and Blues coach Ken Hitchcock is incredible, and Trotz shows that being a father comes first when his son Nolan joins him at the post-game press conference.

NHL Trade Rumors: 5 Deals That Could Spark the Nashville Predators (Bleacher Report)

Aside from the obvious re-signing of Suter, #4 is my favorite in case you are wondering…

Around the rest of the world of hockey…

Gagner records NHL’s first eight-point game since 1989 (Edmonton Journal)

You didn’t really think this wouldn’t make the weekly reading list, did you?

Reality check: Jeff Carter and the Maple Leads trade rumor of the day (Toronto Star)

If I were a Leafs fan, I’d be crossing my fingers right now for this to happen. According to Bob Mitchell, adding Carter to the mix would create the perfect offensive storm:

“Carter has struggled all season. He has 10 goals and seven assists in 30 games and is a minus-9, but he’s a legitimate 30- to 40-goal scorer. A healthy Carter playing with Kessel and Lupul would be a formidable offensive threat every time they hit the ice.”

Form a line to the left to order your blue and white Carter jerse, but ONLY if Carter waives his no-trade clause (which I am pretty sure he’d do without hesitation seeing as he’s been vocal about his unhappiness in Columbus.