All-Predators Roster
Posted 3:18 AM ET | Comments 4
With the coming and passing of the prospect development camp, Pred Nation has buzzed and talked highly of the caliber of the prospects present this summer. This prospect class has been deemed as a group full of talent and potential and seemed to impress everyone from the coaches to the fans. Through the work of Paul and Brandon, even those who were not able to make an appearance at Centennial Sportsplex this past week could get a feel for how each individual player was performing.
Also, the Predators have been a part of some free agent/trade rumors that have caught the attention of many fans. Much like the development camp, these rumors have been covered and followed by many, so I wanted to find a topic away from the prospect camp and the summer rumors that would catch the interest of at least a few Preds’ fans.
I decided to put together a blog which would consist of a full roster for an All-Predators team, consisting of the best talents (in my opinion) that Nashville has seen in its young and ongoing history. The roster is complete with 1 captain and 2 alternate captains, 5 reserves, and additional comments for a few players. First, let’s look at the critique that a player is judged by in order to determine if he is worthy of a roster spot:
1) The player must have played at least 100 games for the Predators in his career.
2) The player has contributed significantly to the Predators through his offense and/or defense.
3) The player has recorded a franchise/NHL record or “first.”
4) The player was a “fan favorite.”
Now, to my version of the All-Predators roster:
Line 1:
LW Paul Kariya (174 Games - 57 Goals - 113 Assists - 170 Points)
(C) C Jason Arnott (222 Games – 91 Goals – 96 Assists – 187 Points)
RW J-P Dumont (255 Games – 70 Goals – 141 Assists – 211 Points)
Line 2:
LW Scott Hartnell (452 Games – 96 Goals – 121 Assists – 217 Points)
(A) C Cliff Ronning (301 Games – 81 Goals – 145 Assists – 226 Points)
RW Martin Erat (498 Games - 104 Goals – 207 Assists – 311 Points)
Line 3:
LW Steve Sullivan (202 Games – 74 Goals – 120 Assists – 194 Points)
C David Legwand (641 Games – 143 Goals – 232 Assists – 375 Points)
RW Scott Walker (421 Games – 96 Goals – 152 Assists – 248 Points)
Line 4:
LW Patric Kjellberg (246 Games – 49 Goals – 77 Assists – 126 Points)
C Greg Johnson (513 Games – 94 Goals – 148 Assists – 242 Points)
RW Vitali Yachmenev (338 Games – 54 Goals – 76 Assists – 130 Points)
Defensive Pairing 1:
(A) D Kimmo Timonen (589 Games – 80 Goals – 227 Assists – 307 Points)
D Shea Weber (257 Games – 51 Goals – 81 Assists – 132 Points)
Defensive Pairing 2:
D Ryan Suter (322 Games – 25 Goals – 94 Assists – 119 Points)
D Karlis Skrastins (307 Games – 13 Goals – 41 Assists – 54 Points)
Defensive Pairing 3:
D Marek Zidlicky (321 Games – 35 Goals – 146 Assists – 181 Points)
D Dan Hamhuis (427 Games – 28 Goals – 116 Assists – 144 Points)
Goalies:
G Tomas Vokoun (394 Games – 164 Wins – 35 Ties - 22 Shutouts)
G Mike Dunham (217 Games – 81 Wins – 24 Ties – 8 Shutouts)
Reserves:
C Sebastien Bordeleau (146 Games – 28 Goals – 40 Assists – 68 Points)
LW Vladimir Orszagh (239 Games – 49 Goals – 58 Assists – 107 Points)
RW Adam Hall (234 Games – 46 Goals – 43 Assists – 89 Points)
D Bill Houlder (302 Games – 8 Goals – 36 Assists – 44 Points)
G Chris Mason (140 Games – 59 Wins – 1 Ties – 12 Shutouts)
Additional Comments:
Paul Kariya: Easily, he has been the biggest signing of the Predators’ 11 year history. He quickly became a fan favorite, did not miss a game in his 2 seasons with the Preds, and clearly made the guys who played around him a lot better. Easy selection.
David Legwand: This guy holds numerous franchise records and firsts. Just to name a few: Franchise record for goals as a Predator, Franchise record for assists as a Predator, First draft pick of the Predators, and the greatest of all: the first player in NHL history to score a game-winning overtime goal on a penalty shot.
Cliff Ronning: Commonly known as “The Rat” for his small size, this guy was explosive on the offensive side of the ice. Not to mention him being a class act or a leader on the ice. Ronning would lead the Predators in scoring in all four seasons he played with the team.
Steve Sullivan: Definitely a favorite in the city of Nashville, and why not? He takes the Predators to a whole new level when he’s in the lineup and he’s another guy that makes his surrounding teammates better. Also, he brought home Nashville’s first ever regular season award at the NHL Awards Show this past month.
Karlis Skrastins: One thing was always for sure with Skrastins: he was going to be in the lineup. This fact is amazing considering how many shots this guy blocks and hits he hands out. He now holds the NHL record for most consecutive games played by a defenseman with 495. He was also a 9th round pick by the Predators in 1998 NHL Entry Draft. Talk about defeating the odds.
Sebastien Bordeleau: Not many other centers fit the critique I was looking for when I got down to this spot. Bordeleau was not too much of an offensive machine; however, he did score the first overtime game-winner in Predator’s history.
Bill Houlder: How could you not love this guy? His ‘stache was ridiculous. He was definitely a big time fan favorite in Nashville. Anybody remember the time where he was fed with a breakaway pass after leaving the penalty box and scored? I believe it was against the Senators. Priceless.
That’s it for my version of the All-Predators team. Feel free to comment on what parts you would change or if you think I have missed somebody. It will be fun to hear others opinions on this topic. God Bless!
Also, the Predators have been a part of some free agent/trade rumors that have caught the attention of many fans. Much like the development camp, these rumors have been covered and followed by many, so I wanted to find a topic away from the prospect camp and the summer rumors that would catch the interest of at least a few Preds’ fans.
I decided to put together a blog which would consist of a full roster for an All-Predators team, consisting of the best talents (in my opinion) that Nashville has seen in its young and ongoing history. The roster is complete with 1 captain and 2 alternate captains, 5 reserves, and additional comments for a few players. First, let’s look at the critique that a player is judged by in order to determine if he is worthy of a roster spot:
1) The player must have played at least 100 games for the Predators in his career.
2) The player has contributed significantly to the Predators through his offense and/or defense.
3) The player has recorded a franchise/NHL record or “first.”
4) The player was a “fan favorite.”
Now, to my version of the All-Predators roster:
Line 1:
LW Paul Kariya (174 Games - 57 Goals - 113 Assists - 170 Points)
(C) C Jason Arnott (222 Games – 91 Goals – 96 Assists – 187 Points)
RW J-P Dumont (255 Games – 70 Goals – 141 Assists – 211 Points)
Line 2:
LW Scott Hartnell (452 Games – 96 Goals – 121 Assists – 217 Points)
(A) C Cliff Ronning (301 Games – 81 Goals – 145 Assists – 226 Points)
RW Martin Erat (498 Games - 104 Goals – 207 Assists – 311 Points)
Line 3:
LW Steve Sullivan (202 Games – 74 Goals – 120 Assists – 194 Points)
C David Legwand (641 Games – 143 Goals – 232 Assists – 375 Points)
RW Scott Walker (421 Games – 96 Goals – 152 Assists – 248 Points)
Line 4:
LW Patric Kjellberg (246 Games – 49 Goals – 77 Assists – 126 Points)
C Greg Johnson (513 Games – 94 Goals – 148 Assists – 242 Points)
RW Vitali Yachmenev (338 Games – 54 Goals – 76 Assists – 130 Points)
Defensive Pairing 1:
(A) D Kimmo Timonen (589 Games – 80 Goals – 227 Assists – 307 Points)
D Shea Weber (257 Games – 51 Goals – 81 Assists – 132 Points)
Defensive Pairing 2:
D Ryan Suter (322 Games – 25 Goals – 94 Assists – 119 Points)
D Karlis Skrastins (307 Games – 13 Goals – 41 Assists – 54 Points)
Defensive Pairing 3:
D Marek Zidlicky (321 Games – 35 Goals – 146 Assists – 181 Points)
D Dan Hamhuis (427 Games – 28 Goals – 116 Assists – 144 Points)
Goalies:
G Tomas Vokoun (394 Games – 164 Wins – 35 Ties - 22 Shutouts)
G Mike Dunham (217 Games – 81 Wins – 24 Ties – 8 Shutouts)
Reserves:
C Sebastien Bordeleau (146 Games – 28 Goals – 40 Assists – 68 Points)
LW Vladimir Orszagh (239 Games – 49 Goals – 58 Assists – 107 Points)
RW Adam Hall (234 Games – 46 Goals – 43 Assists – 89 Points)
D Bill Houlder (302 Games – 8 Goals – 36 Assists – 44 Points)
G Chris Mason (140 Games – 59 Wins – 1 Ties – 12 Shutouts)
Additional Comments:
Paul Kariya: Easily, he has been the biggest signing of the Predators’ 11 year history. He quickly became a fan favorite, did not miss a game in his 2 seasons with the Preds, and clearly made the guys who played around him a lot better. Easy selection.
David Legwand: This guy holds numerous franchise records and firsts. Just to name a few: Franchise record for goals as a Predator, Franchise record for assists as a Predator, First draft pick of the Predators, and the greatest of all: the first player in NHL history to score a game-winning overtime goal on a penalty shot.
Cliff Ronning: Commonly known as “The Rat” for his small size, this guy was explosive on the offensive side of the ice. Not to mention him being a class act or a leader on the ice. Ronning would lead the Predators in scoring in all four seasons he played with the team.
Steve Sullivan: Definitely a favorite in the city of Nashville, and why not? He takes the Predators to a whole new level when he’s in the lineup and he’s another guy that makes his surrounding teammates better. Also, he brought home Nashville’s first ever regular season award at the NHL Awards Show this past month.
Karlis Skrastins: One thing was always for sure with Skrastins: he was going to be in the lineup. This fact is amazing considering how many shots this guy blocks and hits he hands out. He now holds the NHL record for most consecutive games played by a defenseman with 495. He was also a 9th round pick by the Predators in 1998 NHL Entry Draft. Talk about defeating the odds.
Sebastien Bordeleau: Not many other centers fit the critique I was looking for when I got down to this spot. Bordeleau was not too much of an offensive machine; however, he did score the first overtime game-winner in Predator’s history.
Bill Houlder: How could you not love this guy? His ‘stache was ridiculous. He was definitely a big time fan favorite in Nashville. Anybody remember the time where he was fed with a breakaway pass after leaving the penalty box and scored? I believe it was against the Senators. Priceless.
That’s it for my version of the All-Predators team. Feel free to comment on what parts you would change or if you think I have missed somebody. It will be fun to hear others opinions on this topic. God Bless!
Thanks for taking the time to post this. It's always enjoyable to look back - we actually are beginning to compile somewhat of a history now. Also, I second the thanks to Paul and Brandon for their coverage of our prospect camp. It meant a whole lot to Pred fans.
I would give Kimmo the C, and Legwand's records are records of longevity, not necessarily talent. And WHAT? No Drake Berehowski?
Haha I definitely gave Berehowsky lots of thought. I actually had him in the reserves spot, but I just couldn't say no to Bill Houlder. I also agree with your take on Legwand, that's why I put him back on Line 3.
Nice breakdown... I like the Bordeleau shout-out... one of my favs from the first years...