NHL nashville Predators

While talking to Jeff Kealty, chief amateur scout of the Nashville Predators, and Tod Button, Calgary Flames director of scouting, about the NCAA vs. Major Junior debate a couple of weeks ago, we also briefly discussed the mindset behind taking the best available player in the draft vs. drafting for a specific need.

Unlike the NFL and NBA drafts, you're not going to get immediate returns on your picks in the NHL. It happens, sure, but for the most part, you're going to be waiting two, three, or sometimes even four years before a player makes the NHL and actually makes a sizable impact for your team.

It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Central Division.

The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to build off a magical season. Columbus got its first taste of playoff hockey, while St. Louis returned to the playoffs after a far-too-long absence. Meanwhile, Nashville is trying to rebound after just missing the cut for the Western Conference playoffs.

After missing six consecutive games with a foot injury, Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk appears to be inching closer to a return, as he's expected to be a game-time decision for Thursday's Game 4 in Pittsburgh. In the past three games, he had yet to make it to "game-time decision."

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The nominees for this year's NHL awards are starting to be announced, and on Wednesday we learned that Columbus' Steve Mason, Anaheim's Bobby Ryan and Chicago's Kris Versteeg were the top vote-getters for the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year.

There's no surprises here, as it's been assumed for much of the season that Mason, Columbus' 20-year-old goalie, is a slam dunk winner. Despite his struggles in the playoffs (awards are voted on before the postseason begins, by the way) no goalie recorded more shutouts during the season (10) while he also finished second in the league with a 2.29 goals average and 12th with a .916 save percentage. He is, perhaps, the biggest reason Columbus made its first trip to the postseason in franchise history.

When the Nashville Predators selected Boston University star Colin Wilson in the first round of the 2008 draft, speculation was that he would sign. Instead of foregoing his last three years of college eligibility to turn pro when he may not have been able to play in the NHL, Wilson returned to school.

It turned out to be a great decision. Wilson grew into the sport's top offensive player, his team won a national championship, and he has gotten a big payday from the Predators to turn pro now.

The Stanley Cup won't be handed out until June, but this is the time when we see teams making runs at the playoffs. And you can't win the Cup if you don't make the playoffs. Race for the Cup is your daily check of where your favorite team stands as the season dwindles.

The field is set for the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Western Conference teams were determined Friday night, as both the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks clinched spots with victories. Despite tying a franchise record for goals in a win over the Nashville Predators, Minnesota is out.

The Stanley Cup won't be handed out until June, but this is the time when we see teams making runs at the playoffs. And you can't win the Cup if you don't make the playoffs. Race for the Cup is your daily check of where your favorite team stands as the season dwindles.

The field of eight for the 2009 NHL Eastern Conference playoffs is set. Now, the jockeying for position can begin. The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens clinched the last two spots in the playoffs Thursday night, leaving the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres out in the cold, despite victories in their respective games.

The Stanley Cup won't be handed out until June, but this is the time when we see teams making runs at the playoffs. And you can't win the Cup if you don't make the playoffs. Race for the Cup is your daily check of where your favorite team stands as the season dwindles.

Thanks to a shootout win over Chicago, Columbus is in, leaving us with four playoff spots to decide over the regular season's last four days. Teams like Montreal, the Rangers, Florida, Anaheim, St. Louis, and Nashville are playing with tons of pressure, trying to secure the final spots.

The Stanley Cup won't be handed out until June, but this is the time when we see teams making runs at the playoffs. And you can't win the Cup if you don't make the playoffs. Race for the Cup is your daily check of where your favorite team stands as the season dwindles.

A good night Tuesday for teams based in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia clinched a playoff spot with a 2-1 home win over Florida, while the Penguins also clinched a berth in the postseason, beating Tampa Bay 6-4. Both teams benefited from some craptastic officiating. Philly's Scott Hartnell got away with a cross-check right before the Flyers' game-winner, and Pittsburgh's eventual game-winner was not reviewed, even though Tampa goalie Karri Ramo was clearly run into. In the end, however, they don't ask you how you won. They only ask if you won.

For the NHL's small market teams, revenue sharing can make a huge difference in how their financial statements look at the end of the season. Teams are eligible for revenue sharing based on a number of different factors, one of which being certain attendance marks that need to be hit.

The Nashville Predators, who in recent years have had ownership issues and concerns about hitting those marks marks (some of which are also tied to their lease), have announced today that they will fully qualify for revenue sharing this season.