Predators' Radulov shrugs off talk of slump

[Drury77]

The sophomore slump — Predators forward Alexander Radulov has braced himself for such talk like he braces himself for a hard check against the board by an angry opponent.

And if that talk surfaces this season, he is going to deal with it the same way he would that hit — take it, try to avoid any repercussions and skate on.

"I know that a lot of people are talking about that, but I am just going to try to work hard," Radulov said. "I know it is not going to be easy the second year because everybody knows who you are, so you just have to work harder and be ready for that."

Working harder will have to be a mantra for the second-year player. His team is relying on him to help fill the void left by the departure of some of its most potent offensive players.

Predators' Radulov shrugs off talk of slump - Nashville, Tennessee - Wednesday, 09/19/07 - Tennessean.com

Sophomore slumps are extremely common, but Radulov is the real deal player, and I think that with the veterans on this team, they will not allow him to rest on what he accomplished last year.

Radulov is going to be looked for a steady goal production with the losses of Kariya, Forsberg, Hartnell, and the sidelined Sullivan. But I think that he can and will do what we need from him.

[Habsfan84]

Ya h'ell be fine this year but i'm more worried about those preds.