Talk about a fall from Graceland.
Nashville Predators GM, David Poile, had been pulling out all the stops, wielding a "Stanley Cup or bust" attitude, proving to his superstars with every move that Nashville is dedicated to hanging championship banners.
Earlier in the season, he convinced Pekka Rinne to agree to a 7 year, $49 million extension. Down the stretch, he acquired Paul Gaustad, Hal Gill and Andrei Kostitsyn for mostly prospects and draft picks. He even managed to get the enigmatic Alexander Radulov to play the role of playoff mercenary-for-hire. All systems were go.
But with the departure of Ryan Suter, that drops his superstar re-sign rate to .500. Fifty
percent ain't bad. But the problem with being stuck in the middle
is not knowing which way to go. Re-signing Shea Weber means you keep one of the top 3 defensemen in the league in front of one of the top 3 goalies in the league through their primes. Now that's a foundation for winning.
If Weber doesn't stay with Nashville, that makes them just another franchise with a standout goalie. A hot goalie can win you a postseason, but he'll need to become the Finnish Flame to carry the Predators to a Cup.
The mistake that keeps on leaving, Radulov, is back out the door. Jordin Tootoo just went to Detroit, leaving fans nauseous. And after seeing how his prized defenseman just walked out the door for nothing in return, Poile has to feel just awful. He's smart enough to know that can't happen twice.
Apparently, Weber's been stunned by this turn of events, too. He's definitely re-assessing his situation, and that's not something you want to hear. I turn my attention to you, Mr. Poile. You basically have three options, in order of unlikelihood:
1. Give Weber the farm.
Also known as, the Music City Miracle on Ice. Sorry, but call me a pessimist.
Unfortunately, I don't know how persuasive this could be, since he's going to cash in anywhere and he knows it. So you need to make him stupid rich. Like, "get to road games on his private jet" rich. Or "don't worry, Sid... I'll pay for you" rich.
2. Convince a horrible GM of a bad team to sign him to an offer sheet.
*Four first round draft picks!
This
idea is horrible for a re-building team, but maybe this imaginary team
has a penchant for losing, and/or wants to upgrade their defense more than
anything. Let's call this team "Columbus," or "the Oilers."
Then, you
secretly hope that team continues to fall flat on their face.
Pittsburgh drafted some significant pieces with their first
round picks when they were transitioning from Mario to Sidney. Edmonton hasn't made the leap yet, but they looked poised
to turn things around this season after acquiring their young talent. Then again, I thought that last
season. Bottom line - potential superstars could be had at low salaries with constant draft picks at premium positions.
3. Capitalize on the weak market for defensemen.
Right now, people are paying Matt Carle and Dennis Wideman over $5 million each to patrol their bluelines. That is abusurd. As sought after as Suter was, Weber would easily command more assets and more money than Suter's half of the Minnesota Twin Contracts. This isn't the NBA, either - one player won't win or lose you a championship.
Trading Weber to the Rangers for Dubinsky, McDonough, Kreider, and some picks would cause a stir on Broadway. Philly could offer up Voracek, the Schenn brothers, and some picks. Don't really know what Detroit could offer, but they're officially desperate for a shutdown defenseman.
None of this might be what people want to hear, but it's probably your safest bet and most profitable option. Regardless, it would be better than watching history repeat itself again next year.
* Post edit: In order to qualifiy for four first rounders, Weber would need to sign an offer sheet of $7,835,219 according to this thehockeywriters.com article. If he signs for a few bucks less, the Predators would receive two first rounders, a second, and a third. Unfortunately for Poile, the latter seems more likely at this point.
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