News From Nashville – Ramble – May 18, 2009

Patrick Roy has apparently been offered the head coaching job in Colorado. Stay tuned…

A great article on the performance of some Preds prospects can be found here. I'll summarize what assistant GM Paul Fenton said:

On Mike Santorelli – "was able to score some goals, but he certainly still has some deficiencies in his game. He's got to pay more attention to detail in order to be a regular in the NHL."

On Patric Hornqvist – "worked and worked like he always does. He competed. He certainly has some improvement (ahead), but there's a lot of promise going forward as there is with (Ryan) Jones."

On Cal O'Reilly – "He's an elite offensive player (in the AHL), but he has to get his pace and strength up enough that he could be a regular in the NHL. There's no question about his sense, it's just about getting him pace and urgency to be able to play in Nashville regularly."

On Cody Franson – His defensive ability is improving daily and his urgency was great. His ability to get pucks to the net is elite. He's certainly got an NHL shot and he's an NHL passer. That's hard to find in a 6-5 guy. It's going to be a big summer for him training-wise to get his leg strength up to par with NHL players. If he comes in and does everything right, then he's got a very good chance of making our team."

On Jonathan Blum – "It was a great step for him. He certainly has a lot of growing to do, but all the tools are in place. Now it's just a question of him getting bigger and stronger in order to contribute."

The Tennessean also reports on the IIHF announcing new rules regarding players who transfer while under contract. "Leagues that violate proper transfer procedures will face stiff fines, teams that violate procedures will face bans from three to 24 months on further international transfers and players that violate procedures will face suspension from IIHF competitions (such as the Olympics and World Championships) from one to three years. The stricter sanctions come a year too late to help the Predators."

Sergei Gonchar expects and intends to play tonight.

Taylor Hall, expected to go first overall in 2010 – and a player I would personally prefer to own in my keeper league over John Tavares – won the OHL Playoff MVP award. His upside is not as high as John's – but he'll be more consistent about getting you the big points.