Forsberg to the Preds

[John F]

And honestly, from the outside looking in, you guys got ripped off.

[LancheMob21]

Not if they win the Cup.

I like ballsy moves like this. Nothing wrong with going for the gusto when you've got a shot and the Predators were a great team even without Forsberg. Now they have to be considered favorites to win it all.

I've always liked the Preds, so I have no problem rooting for them to win it all once the Avs are eliminated. Thank goodness it was you guys and not Detroit or Vancouver.

[LemaireisGOD]

Originally Posted by John F

And honestly, from the outside looking in, you guys got ripped off.

A neophyte hockey fan who is not familliar with the Predators' prospect pool would say that. Lucky I'm here to set things straight.

Scottie Upshall - Its not really been a huge secret the Preds management has been rather disappointed in Upshall's lack of progress. They're have been rumors of dealing him all season, he was probably going to be moved regardless the fact it helped them get something actually valuable makes him being dealt inconsequential.

Ryan Parent - A not bad defensive prospect, but for a team that has already had Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, and Dan Hamhuis grow up through its system this wasn't the worst thing to lose. Why? The Predators have another stud defenseman in its prospect pool, Vancouver Giants' Cody Franson. He's a 6'4" stud who can skate, hit, and score besides playing decent defense. Don't forget this team already has Kimmo Timonen and Marek Zidlicky as well as adding hard hitting Vitaly Vishnevski. This team's blueline is VERY solid.

1st round pick - Who cares? This draft is very thin...maybe 15 decent prospects and lots of big ??? Why not grab a proven commodity and grab something later, afterall they do not expect to draft very high in this draft if you know what I mean.

3rd round pick - see 1st round pick analysis.

While the Predators paid a significant price I don't think it is as one-sided as it may sound. Two former 1st rounders and a 1st round pick sounds really painful; but when you look at the prospects the Predators are not losing all that much. Look at Nashville's lineup now?!?!

Arnott, Kariya, Sullivan, Forsberg, Vokoun, Timonen, Zidlicky, (a finally productive) Legwand, Radulov, and Dumont.

That is a SCARY lineup. Hopefully the fans fill up the GEC in appreciation of this bold move. Nicely done David Poile!

[John F]

And how long is that lineup going to be in place?

They paid that price for a hockey player that is oft injured and often puts retirement or returning to Sweden to play on the table.

You can try to speak well of the Nashville organization but the fact is -- they took a bigger risk than they should have. If Foppa goes down? If he goes back to Sweden after the season? They just gave up a TON for a rent-a-player.

[ofhdhdy]

Originally Posted by John F

And how long is that lineup going to be in place?

They paid that price for a hockey player that is oft injured and often puts retirement or returning to Sweden to play on the table.

You can try to speak well of the Nashville organization but the fact is -- they took a bigger risk than they should have. If Foppa goes down? If he goes back to Sweden after the season? They just gave up a TON for a rent-a-player.

Yes there is always an injury concern for Forsberg but he has played for around 15 consecutive games now and has the right skates for his ankle's. He has a point per game and is hardly ever injured for the play-offs. He also steps it up in the play-offs while already being a top player in the regular season. Nashville has amazing depth on defence which made Parent trade-able. BTW, even if Forsberg doesn't go back to Sweden after this year I doubt he will re-sign with the Nashville because they wont have the cap space. If the Predators win the cup this trade is a HUGE PLUS for them.

[PredDave]

I think there are way too many unknowns at this point to say either side got "ripped off". If Nashville wins the Cup, then Parent, Upshall, and two draft picks don't mean a whole lot... Upshall has been in the coaching staff's doghouse for awhile now. He couldn't even crack the top-12 in Nashville's current lineup of forwards. Parent was at least 2+ years away in Nashville's ultra-deep defense prospects. The 1st rounder (25th-30th overall) and 3rd rounder (85th-90th overall) may or may not turn out to be solid players long term.

All-in-all, I am ecstatic...