2009-2010 Season Wrap Up: Part 1 of Many

So um, hi.  My name is Rachel. I like hockey.  Occasionally, I actually write about it too.  Guess it’s about time I scoop this blog out from the under the pile of crazy that has been my life for the past few weeks.  Truth be told, I usually take a break from the world of hockey once the Predators season draws to a close each year.  It just so happened that this year’s break was a bit extended, with my brother’s wedding just a few days after the unfortunate Round 1 exit and then the Nashville flooding as well as some other personal things all happening around the same time.  Realizing that soon enough, though, everyone’s hockey season will be at an end; it is high time for my annual post-season player-by-player write up. 

Taking into account the fact that everyone else has finished their thoughts on the season long ago, these write ups are more of an overall player performance review/where do we go from here kind of format.

2 Dan Hamhuis – defense

If there was one player more loved then hated then loved again this season, it couldn’t have been anyone else but Dan Hamhuis.  In a lot of ways, I feel like Hammer got the short end of the stick this year because of the unfortunate lack of chemistry with his defensive partner, Kevin Klein.  The majority of the season, fans called for Coach Trotz to “split 2 and 8” (a popular Twitter hashtag on @PredFans) and I was more than inclined to agree with that sentiment.  Dan is a solid defenseman and definitely has more NHL experience that Kevin.  Yet, instead of bringing Kevin up to a higher level of play, Dan seemed to struggle with some inconsistency while playing with his partner on the ice.  And for all the rumors and speculation over whether or not David Poile was going to give Hamhuis up before the trade deadline, I was one of the few who found that scenario less than appealing.  The team’s defense might be good, but it is still young.  Removing a “veteran” like Hamhuis would have made the defense much weaker in the weeks leading up to the post-season, something that could have wrecked the team’s chances of making it there altogether.  Whether or not Hammer will stay in a Predators jersey for seasons to come is still one of the biggest questions left answered, however.  And your guess is as good as mine as to the outcome.  If he does stick around, he at least deserves a different pairing on the ice because I can’t take another season of the two of them together. 

3 Wade Belak – forward

Oh, Wade Belak.  I’m not entirely sure why the Predators decided to sign him for another year, except for maybe giving him that one last shot at a Stanley Cup before his inevitable retirement.  Every team needs a good fighter and for the most part, Belak is the guy you want throwing punches on the ice.  Other than the occasional fight, he didn’t get much ice time and I don’t expect anything about this formula to change next season.  I don’t have anything against the guy because he’s definitely not as useless on the roster as the ill-fated Nick Tarnasky was.  Though perhaps Wade’s best contribution to the team is his off-ice hijinks, including Wade’s World (see below).  If he decides against a post-hockey firefighting career, he could definitely make a go of it in the entertainment world.  He’s got a knack for the funny.

Next up: Shea Weber, Kevin Klein, Marcel Goc and Martin Erat. 

I had ease back into things or I would have done a couple more guys this go around.