The season so far...

Since we’re now a quarter of the way through the season, I think it’s time for me to do an assessment of how each Predators player has fared thus far. Hang with me here; this is going to be a long one.

In order by number (because, again, I’m anal):

2 – Dan Hamhuis: Hammer’s had a decent season so far. I haven’t been frustrated with his play or his puck control, which is good because that was something I said he needed to work on at the end of last season. However, he is -7 for the season right now and that ties him for second worst with Vern Fiddler. For a defense guy, that’s not the best stat to have.

4 – Ville Koistinen: I argued earlier in the month that Trotz needed to come to a decision regarding which one of the interchangeable defensemen was going to get the green light to play. I guess he’s made his decision because Ville has played 14 out of 21 possible games at this point. I think they’re looking for him to be a power play specialist (especially after last night’s shifts) and we all know our power play could use some work. I hope things come together for Ville. I haven’t seen much of him that impresses me so far but it’s still early.

5 – Greg Zanon: Z is kind of middle of the road for me right now. He’s not playing horrible but he’s not fantastic either. I think he could benefit from a little bench time in order to allow some else *cough* Kevin Klein *cough* to play but I’m not Barry Trotz.

6 – Shea Weber: I can’t say one bad thing about Shea Weber. This boy is on fire. As of last night, he had more points in the 20 games he’d played than he had the entire season last year. This boy is playing like it’s his contract year and it’s not. I mean, he signed a three year deal over the summer so you’d think that maybe he’d coast through this season. His performance and the numbers he’s putting up are un-freaking-believable. This is totally his breakout year and I couldn’t be more excited to watch it all unfold.

7 – Greg deVries: At -12, deVries is easily the worst player on our team, statistically speaking. And to be completely honest, he’s probably one of the worst players, non-statistically speaking. I constantly find myself agitated by his play (or lack thereof). A lot of people have transferred their hatred of Marek Zidlicky over to deVries. At this point in the season, I can’t say that I disagree with them.

8 – Kevin Klein: Poor, poor Klein. I mention him in this round up because he is listed on our roster...however this boy is getting the worst treatment. He’s played just seven games and the way things are going leave me to assume that he might not get to play again. Klein got the shaft the majority of last season as well. I said in my pre-season preview that I was shocked when we offered anything to Klein in the off-season and then completely floored that he actually accepted an offer. In my honest opinion, his talent is being wasted by keeping him here. He’s a perma-scratch with little to no hope of ever coming off the bench to play. Unless someone were to get injured, he’ll be lucky to see much more ice time with the Predators this season. Please, please Mr. Poile, trade him away and let him become a talent for a team that actually needs him.

10 – Martin Erat: As one of my favorite players, Erat hasn’t really disappointed me yet this season. He still has issues learning how to let go of the puck and ACTUALLY SHOOT IT but he’s working on it. And you’ve got to give the guy major props for his adaptability. He never seems to know who’s going to play on his line. The Legwand-Erat pairing doesn’t seem to be working out so well this season but that might be more about Legwand’s shortcomings than E’s. I really enjoy him on the top line with Dumont and Arnott. He’s also producing well offensively with 7 goals so far this season. And if my beloved puck hog will just learn to let his shot go off a little more often, he’ll be on track to another record year.

11 – David Legwand: I don’t really know if I even want to talk about Leggy. He’s a sore spot for a lot of people who follow the team. Plain and simple, David Legwand is not producing. He’s not really clicking with his linemates. He’s taking stupid penalties. I have no idea what is wrong with him this season. My theory is that he’s become really comfortable with his role on the team; too comfortable even. He’s always been touted as our “franchise guy” but I have yet to see him perform to a level that would warrant such a moniker. Heck, Tootoo would be a better “franchise guy” at this point...and we all know how I feel about that playa.

12 – Scott Nichol: For the role that Scott Nichol fills for the Predators, he’s having a good year so far. He gets out there and generates the energy when it’s necessary. He’s not afraid to go in for the short handed try, which I absolutely LOVE. The fact that he stands 5’9” (a “fact”, I might add, that needs to be checked because I’ve stood next to the guy before and I’m saying there’s no way he’s that tall because I’m only 5’0” so I know short) doesn’t seem to ever slow him down either.

14 – Radek Bonk: He’s only at a -1 so far, which is leaps and bounds better than his league-wide worse -31 last season. He’s centered a line with Jordin Tootoo and Jerred Smithson for the past month or so. Surprisingly, this line combination is working for me. While it might not be the top-scoring line, they’re all generating energy and offensive chances when they’re out on the ice. Trotz has also been putting him on the power play here lately. I’m not really sure what that’s all about because it seems like a weird choice but again, I’m not the coach.

19 – Jason Arnott: Along with Shea Weber, our captain has been one of the most consistent players thus far. Jason was tasked with generating more offense due to the potential offensive loss that was expected following the whole Radulov debacle. Fortunately, he has not disappointed. Trotz has tried to pair Arnott with some different wingers but I FIRMLY believe that he should stay on the line with Dumont. Don’t break up the Family, Trotz!! Dad doesn’t function nearly as well without Mom there to back him up.

20 – Ryan Suter: Okay, Ryan has definitely made some improvements because I have yelled at him a lot less than I did last season. He still has his off nights but thankfully, he and Shea have found some good chemistry and are both very in sync with one another. Keep it up, kid.

22 – Jordin Tootoo: He’s definitely trying to bring his offensive game to a new level this season while still trying to factor in his role as a fighter. I think it’s working rather nicely so far. I’ve been impressed with his ability/maturity to stay cool under some serious agitation. My personal thoughts of him aside, I’m enjoying his game...on the ice.

25 – Jerred Smithson: I think he is becoming our penalty kill specialist this season. He’s also winning a nice percentage of his face offs too. His offensive game is better than it has been in seasons past. I think he might actually have a chance to notch more than seven goals this season. I'm also looking forward to Jed Ortmeyer’s return because I know that they were a great penalty kill pair. Not that Joel Ward doesn't get the job done; it's just that Jerred and Jed had great chemistry on the ice last season. I’m probably a little biased here but it’s true.

27 – Patric Hornqvist: Baby lost his mojo. What happened? I think the decision to send him down to Milwaukee was a good one because he needed conditioning and more time on ice to hone his skills. I look forward to his return to see what he's capable of after the stint with the Admirals.

28 – Ryan Jones: I’m admitting right now that I didn’t understand what all the hype was about when we acquired him in the Zidlicky trade. I mean, grown men were gushing...and I do mean GUSHING...over his game and how much he would bring to the table. As I had never seen him play before, I wasn’t about to jump on that bandwagon. I’ve seen hyped-up players come in here before and pretty much do nothing to take our team to a different level (i.e. Peter Forsberg). However, he is finally starting to get to me. When paired with the right people (and that is the essential ingredient to his success) he is a player to watch. He gets in there and finds the spots on the ice that every other player seems to miss. He’ll stand in front of the net, like good ol’ Scott Hartnell used to do so well (single tear...that just made me realize that I miss Hartnell). He has the ability to score the dirty goals; the ones that Arnott, Dumont and Erat aren’t so fond of. If he wants to continue his adventure in that area, I’m more than happy to watch him fill that role. Bring him back from Milwaukee already!

29 – Joel Ward: Mr. Came-Out-Of-Nowhere-Surprise-of-Training-Camp, oh, I love thee. Here lately he’s been shuffled around to a bunch of different lines. Last night, he was on the line with David Legwand and I think that was a travesty. Maybe Trotz put him there to put a little pep in Leggy's step but I don’t think it worked. He is being wasted on that line. He gelled well with Arnott for a while but ultimately, I don’t know which will be the best fit for him. He’s also been Jerred Smithson’s penalty kill partner as of late and that’s working out pretty good so far. In any event, I liked him during training camp; I liked him during the pre-season games and I still like him now.

35 – Pekka Rinne: Pekka is unfortunately stuck in a bad position because he’s currently playing second fiddle to one hot goalie. I think we need to give him a little more chance to play but until the team can get their bearings and learn how to stay consistent, I have a feeling he’s going to ride the pine a little longer. Once we’ve passed our rough patch, I’m positive Trotz will have more confidence to stick him out there a little more often.

37 – Rich Peverley: Richie Rich is running a little hot and cold so far. I think he’s still looking to catch his stride. It doesn’t help that he’s being shuffled around in the lineup either. Trotz has been using him in the shootouts; sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t. I really liked him last season so I hope that he’s able to get over the hurdles of adjusting to playing full time at an NHL level and find that “it” factor that will set him apart from the rest.

38 – Vernon Fiddler: Sometimes he really surprises me and brings on the offense when I least expect it. Other times, I barely remember that he’s on the ice during a shift. I think Coach Trotz might be slightly disappointed with his efforts so far and this has led to a few scratches. He’s a solid penalty killer and like Nichol, finds the open chances to score shorthanded. However, like Peverley and Ward, I think he might still be searching for his identity within this year’s team.

39 – Dan Ellis: Things seem to be a little touch and go here. I know that a lot of the goalie’s success is dependent upon the team that plays in front of him so I can’t/won’t place the entire burden on him. I think he’s playing as well as one can with the defense that backs them up each night. But he has said himself that there are things that he could work on in order to stop the soft goals from getting through. I’m just glad he recognizes his weaknesses and wants to correct them.

71 – JP Dumont: There are a lot of people who have said that JP was robbed of a place on the All-Star ballot this year. I’m inclined to agree with them. JP is one of my other favorite players and I know I can always count on him to generate energy and offense at the perfect times. He also currently leads the team in assists, having had a hand in 17 goals. Not only that, but he’s also tied with Shea with 21 points over all. Not bad, Jean Pierre. Not bad at all.

74 – Nick Tarnasky: I have absolutely nothing good or worthwhile to say about Nick. He needs to be traded away as quickly as possible. Throw him in a deal with Kevin Klein and maybe the other team won’t notice that they’re getting a player that’s not worth the paper his contract was printed on.

Whew, this took me two plane rides, a layover and a few additional hours to finish. Agree/disagree/want to discuss further? Leave it in the comments.

Oh, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!