THN Archive: Predators Take Shape

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Predators Take Shape —July 1, 1998 – VOL. 59, Issue. 39 – Jeff Legwold

Nashville Predators’ GM David Poile has the requisite combination of realism and optimism for a man at the helm of an expansion team in today’s NHL.

“Obviously we’re not going to compete for the Stanley Cup right away,” Poile said following the June 26 expansion draft and June 27 entry draft in Buffalo. “But our thinking is we want to be better in the second year than the first, better in the third than we were in the second. We’re trying to build this up.”

The biggest building block so far came in the entry draft when the Predators moved up from No. 3 to No. 2-by surrendering their second round selection-to secure Plymouth Whalers’ center David Legwand. The 17-year-old from suburban Detroit-he turns 18 in August-has already been called the possible cornerstone of the franchise. (See pg. 31 for more on Legwand).

Poile also obtained nine players through trades just hours after the expansion draft and signed another in free agency (left winger Patrie Kjellberg) the same night. He subsequently traded center Mike Sullivan, who the team selected from the Boston Bruins in the expansion draft, to the Phoenix Coyotes for a seventh round pick in the 1999 entry draft.

“I think people now see David will make the deals he thinks will help us,” Trotz said. “He’s not afraid.”

But he is a realist. Poile drafted three unrestricted free agents in the expansion draft with the knowledge he wouldn’t even open negotiations with two of them (defenseman Al lafrate being the exception). Instead, the Predators will gladly take the compensatory draft picks they’ll be awarded when defenseman Uwe Krupp and goalie Mike Richter sign elsewhere later this summer.

Armed with the knowledge he wasn t going to lure big-name players to Nashville right away, Poile had to decide what kind of team to mold. With the recent push to find ways to open up the game, the GM figured it would be prudent to acquire speed, both up front and on the defense corps.

So the Predators selected players such as center Greg Johnson from the Chicago Blackhawks and defenseman Joel Bouchard from the Calgary Flames. They also went for guys who had put up decent scoring numbers in the minors, but who hadn’t yet done it consistently at the NHL level. Included in that group are forwards Craig Darby from the Philadelphia Flyers, Andrew Brunette from the Washington Capitals and Paul Brousseau from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Maybe a player blossoms because he gets more of a chance with us,” Poile said. “That’s how we are selling it, that they can come in and have a chance to contribute if they want to make the commitment.”

“And we wanted some character guys, guys who were going to show up every night,” Trotz said. “I’ve said we’re going to play in-your-face hockey and we’re going to.”

Trotz has called Doug Brown, selected from the Detroit Red Wings, the “poster child” for the Predators. “Here’s a guy who plays every game as hard as he can play it, is a great person on and off the ice and has terrific leadership skills.”

The Predators also have grit in the form of defenseman Jayson More (a free agent signee), and center Scott Walker, taken from the Vancouver Canucks in the expansion draft.

Since Brown’s 19 NHL goals for the Stanley Cup champions in 1997-98 is the most by any player on the current Predators’ roster, grind-it-out hockey will be the team’s trademark.

“We all need goals,” Poile said. “But 50-goal scorers are not available in the expansion draft. We took players who we think are hard-working, character guys who will not be afraid of challenges. We want people who persevere.”

New goalie Mike Dunham meets that criteria. The 26-year-old has played well during his pro career, but not often. That’s because with the New Jersey Devils he was cemented behind star Martin Brodeur. “At every level of his career he has had success,” Poile said of Dunham. “Now we have lifted away that obstacle (Brodeur).”

“This is a great opportunity,” Dunham said. “I’m going to approach it one save at a time. You can’t overwhelm yourself.”

In the end, the Predators likely came away with more speed and fewer goals than they anticipated. Now Nashville will wait for the likes of Legwand to grow up, for those such as Brunette to help it along, for those such as Brown to show it the way.

And they’ll look for those such as tough left winger Denny Lambert and rugged defenseman Bob Boughner to make sure they have enough room.

“We challenged (management) to come up with the best players for our franchise,” said owner Craig Leipold. “And we feel absolutely great about this team.”

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