Start the fire sale, Nashville Predators. Time to start tearing this thing down | Opinion
OK, I've been wrong. It's time for the Nashville Predators to start tearing this thing down.
Their 4-3 loss Sunday against the Minnesota Wild captured this season, and recent seasons, in a nutshell.
Nashville trailed and trailed and trailed, only to tie the score with 47 seconds remaining, only to lose perhaps the biggest game of the season 26 seconds later. The four-point swing left the Predators seven points out of a wild-card spot. This on the heels of a victory against the Florida Panthers in which the Predators scored a season-high seven goals. That on the heels of one of the most "embarrassing" defeats of the season the game before, a 5-0 stinker against the Boston Bruins.
A tease, all of it.
That's the Predators: Look hopeless, show signs of life only to be let down in the end. In short, it seems like the Predators are falling apart at the seams. Patience is wearing thin and pressure is building as the playoff race heats up and the March 3 trade deadline approaches.
A deadline that should see the selling begin for Nashville.
“That’s what keeps me up at night,” general manager David Poile said last week on 102.5-FM. “Right now, we’re still below the line; not in the playoffs. We’re running out of time.
“I do not think we are a buyer; let’s start with that. And I think if things don’t change more favorably, and get in some kind of winning streak, we certainly could be a seller. But that’s not today.”
Making the playoffs, which this franchise has done 15 times, could be the worst thing to happen, giving more false hope reminiscent of recent years.
It's time for the them to sell. Nobody, save for Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg, who have no-movement clauses, should be off limits.
Vezina contender goaltender Juuse Saros? Poile should try to get a king's ransom for him.
Mattias Ekholm? One of the few "tradeable" players the Predators have.
The nostalgia of the franchise's improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final has worn off.
Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen? Given their $8 million annual salaries, moving one or both seems unlikely. But it wouldn't hurt to try again.
Nino Niederreitter, Dante Fabbro, Ryan McDonagh, Tanner Jeannot? Get what you can.
Sticking with this core group clearly isn't working. First-round exits in the last four postseasons are evidence of that. No, moving all these parts at the trade deadline isn't a reality. That's to say the Predators should have a busy offseason, that they should rebuild, a word Poile regrets once using but should embrace now.
The pressure seems to be building in that direction.
Predators coach John Hynes lost it on officials Sunday after the final whistle for what he thought was a bogus offside call before the winning goal. Replays showed clearly the officials were right.
Captain Roman Josi after that loss against the Boston Bruins: "To be honest we came in the room after the second (period), we were all embarrassed on what was happening out there."
McDonagh after the same game: "There's a willingness and price to pay if you want to win in this league. They win special teams, five-on-five, so it's tough to find a way to win games when you're lacking in all those areas."
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Josi went on to talk about how the Predators couldn't "dwell" on that loss because they are in a "playoff race."
That looks to have passed them by.
According to moneypuck.com, the Predators' chances of making the postseason after that loss to the Wild on Sunday was 9.6%. Not as bad as the less than 1% chance a few years ago when they made it, but still not very promising.
And another sign that it's time for major change.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Nashville Predators must be sellers at 2023 NHL trade deadline
