Nashville Predators

A tough ending to the 2010-11 season didn’t derail Colin Wilson’s desire to make an impact with the Nashville Predators. All it did was make him stronger and more committed than ever.

It certainly wasn’t what he had anticipated when last year’s playoffs got underway. Appearing in just three games, Wilson, the seventh overall selection of the Predators in 2008, was a healthy scratch on most nights.

“To be honest, it bothered me a lot and I thought about it quite a bit throughout the summer,” said the 23-year-old, who scored 16 goals and had 34 points while appearing in all 82 regular season games in 2010-11. “It stayed in my mind.”

The player who was awarded New England's college hockey Rookie of the Year, as well as Hockey East Rookie of the Year in 2007-08, didn’t sulk or hang his head. Instead, he devised a strategy to get back on track.

“I spoke with a sports psychologist to discuss my thought process before and after games,” offered Wilson, who led Boston University in points (55) in 2008-09, his sophomore season with the Terriers. “I wanted to look into that aspect of my career. There were times where I’d be wondering, ‘What will happen if I don’t score?’ I’d be concerned about the repercussions of having a tough stretch of games.”

It's obvious Wilson’s conversations with the sports psychologist have helped his game, before, during and after the puck drops.

This season, he’s found the consistency he strived for, playing meaningful minutes and contributing on the scoresheet.

He’s also having fun.

“That’s what it’s all about…going out there, giving it your best and enjoying it,” said Wilson, part of the Terriers squad that won the NCAA National Championship in 2009. “I’m very happy the way we are playing as a team and personally, I’m happy that I’ve been consistent. There was about a four-game lapse where I had a rough go, but I was able to work through it.”

Wilson’s positive mindset started long before Nashville’s opening game of the 2011-12 campaign.

“It all began in the days and weeks leading up to training camp,” said Wilson, the son of former NHL player Carey Wilson and the grandson of former NHL player Jerry Wilson. “I felt good and I felt confident.”

He also had his teammates in his corner, including defenceman Ryan Suter, one of the top two-way blueliners in the league.

“Ryan, who is my roommate on the road, talked to me and told me how he went through a similar situation in his first NHL playoff experience,” offered Wilson, of Nashville’s alternate captain. “He’d been there before and just let me know that it will only get better from that point. When you look at what he’s done, he’s had a great career.”

The most rewarding aspect of this season, for Wilson, is in seeing the Predators keeping pace with the league’s most heralded teams.

“I’m very happy about the team succeeding and being able to contribute to that,” said Wilson, who notched the game-winning goal in a recent 3-2 road win against Western Conference rival Dallas. “We’re playing the top teams and doing well. We’ve been playing playoff-type hockey for a long time. We know we can count on our defencemen and our goaltending. We want to show that we can do our part to score.”

Wilson has done his part, closing in on his point and goal totals from last year. He’s also been strong defensively.

“I’m just happy with how things have turned out,” said Wilson. “I worked hard to be prepared this year. Having those conversations with the sports psychologist really helped me a lot.”

While he had plenty on his mind heading into the current campaign, Wilson, who played for Team USA at the 2008 World Juniors, where he tied for the most goals with six, isn’t overthinking things these days.

Instead, Wilson, who was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, but raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is skating with a clear mind and a renewed confidence.

“Just like anything, sometimes you just need to take a step back and find a way to get back into a groove,” offered Wilson. “Things are going well this year.”

And, as current form suggests, things could get even better for both Colin Wilson and the Nashville Predators.

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With the 2012 NHL trade deadline gone and a serious lack of moves, picking winners from the few teams that actually made substantial moves was easy.

Teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers were supposed to make a huge splash, but fell flat on their face, while others made quiet moves to improve their squads.

All of the following teams made nice moves that didn’t shift the balance of the team, but added something that they were desperately lacking.

Nashville Predators

With the acquisitions of Hal Gill, Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad, the Nashville Predators made it clear they want to win right now.

They also closed the door on any trades of their potential free agents, so this run at the Stanley Cup may be the only hope the team has of locking up their big-name defenders.

Gill will add defensive depth to a team that is already strong there, and the combination of Gaustad and Kostitsyn is a scoring tandem that could put the Predators on the next level in the Western Conference.

Vancouver Canucks

The Western Conference was already a tough place for teams to get wins because of the big, bad Vancouver Canucks, but they just improved. Uh oh.

While I think the Cody-Hodgson-for-Zack-Kassian move came because the Canucks couldn’t use their young star properly, trading for the former Sabres winger is an amazing way to make the best out of a bad situation.

The biggest reason the Canucks were winners on trade deadline day was because of the acquisition of Samuel Pahlsson. With just a few picks going the other way, Vancouver added the grit they desperately needed.

Buffalo Sabres

The Vancouver Canucks sent breakout rookie Cody Hodgson to Buffalo for another young player in Zack Kassian. While the trade looks lateral on the surface, this is a big win for the Buffalo Sabres.

Kassian was a nice winger on a team desperate for real centers. When Hodgson gets in between under-performing players like Ville Leino and Drew Stafford, the hope is that his offense and energy will rejuvenate his stagnant linemates.

While Kassian is a solid player that will add grit to the Canucks, I feel that Hodgson has the brighter future in the NFL and the brighter future with the Sabres. Good move by Buffalo.

Check back for more on the National Hockey League as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s NHL Page to get your fill of all things hockey.

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If the Nashville Predators are to win the Stanley Cup this season, they certainly aren't going to sneak past anyone.

After dealing for Hal Gill earlier this month, the 36-19-7 Predators made two trades before Monday's deadline.

The Predators not only acquired left winger Andrei Kostitsyn in exchange for a 2013 second-round pick, they also grabbed center Paul Gaustad for a 2012 first-round pick and a 2013 fourth-round pick.

As the fifth seed in the Western Conference, the Predators knew they had some work to do at the deadline if they were to realistically make a run at the title this season.

They did some work, and then did some more.

Gaustad in particular was a hot commodity before the deadline, but there was speculation that the Buffalo Sabres wouldn't deal him given they were six points away from a playoff spot. But a 5-3-2 mark in their past 10 games may have been the icing on the cake.

The Predators can now pair Gill, Kostitsyn and Gaustad with one of the top goalies in hockey, Pekka Rinne. Gaustad figures to have the biggest impact and should add grit up front, but don't be surprised if the enigmatic Kostitsyn shows off his talent in his new home.

Fans have to be excited about the effort the Predators organization put forward before the deadline on Monday, but I also wonder if it will be enough to make a legitimate run at the trophy. The Predators gave up a lot, including a first-round pick, to upgrade their roster. They better hope the new pieces, particularly Gaustad, pay off.

The Nashville Predators made a big change this year at trade deadline day: they were buyers. 

In the past, Nashville was well-known for operating the team on a tight budget and would often deal away key players at the trade deadline that they were almost certain to lose anyway as unrestricted free agents during the upcoming summer.

But this year, GM David Poile was given the green light to bring in new players for the stretch drive and the Predators added a pair of forwards in Paul Gaustad from Buffalo and Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal.  

The new additions did not come cheaply.  The Preds sent a second-round pick and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2013 to the Habs for Kostitsyn and a 2012 first-round draft choice to Buffalo for Gaustad.  Nashville also got back a fourth-round pick in 2013 as part of the Gaustad trade.

When you add the acquisition of defenseman Hal Gill from Montreal 10 days ago, the Predators added three players who could play key roles in the stretch drive and during the playoffs for the team.

Poile was very excited about his new acquisitions.  “We've certainly got ourselves in a real good position here in the playoff race, and I think with these trades we've certainly given us a chance to play with the big boys this year when we get in the playoffs,” Poile told reporters. “I'm really happy.”

The Predators are presently fifth overall in the Western Conference with 79 points.  They have exactly 20 games remaining on the schedule.  That places them just six points behind the Detroit Red Wings who are first in the Central Division.  The Preds have a game in hand.

These moves are designed to make the Predators play with the big boys like Detroit and Vancouver, not just in the regular season, but also in the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

Gill adds size and experience on the blue line.  The 6’7” veteran has a long reach and can help clear opposing players out from in front of the Nashville net.  He also won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009 which gives a young Predators team a valuable asset: a player who knows what it takes to win a championship in their locker room.

Gaustad is a role player who is useful during the regular season but will have increased value in the playoffs.  He is a checking-line center who can help slow down opposing teams’ top lines.  He also adds size and is a very good penalty killer.  Gaustad has won 56.8 percent of his faceoffs this season and that could be pivotal in the playoffs especially teams like Detroit who thrive on puck possession. 

Gaustad is a perfect fit to fill the role Jerred Smithson had on the Preds.  Smithson was dealt to the Florida Panthers Friday for a sixth-round draft choice. 

This is the last year of Gaustad’s contract so unless Poile can re-sign him, the 30-year-old Fargo, North Dakota, native will be a rental player for the Predators.  He is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Andrei Kostitsyn will join his brother Sergei in the Nashville lineup.  The two spent three seasons together in Montreal.  Andrei is also eligible to be a UFA this summer.  In 53 games with the Habs this season, Andrei has 12 goals and 24 points.  He has three career seasons with more than 20 goals including a career-high 26 in 2007-08.  He will add size and scoring balance to the Predators lineup. 

Coach Barry Trotz thought the deals his club made today show the team has entered a different era in its history. “I think organizationally, our expectations have gone to a different level and our commitment level is much higher [to win the Stanley Cup] than ever before,” Trotz told The Tennessean. “This move was made for the long haul. We’re hoping we can be one of the teams that goes deep [into the playoffs].”

“I've been on the short end of a lot of 2-3 games,” Poile added. “Hopefully this year we'll be winning them 3-2…We've got a good feeling about our team as we move forward.”

The Predators still have a lot of issues facing them including the future of defenseman Ryan Suter, one of the team’s “Big Three” who will leave this summer if Poile can’t sign him to a new deal.  But the message being sent now by management is a clear one: this team has the potential to be special.  For once, the Predators are going for it all right now.

David Poile's new contract is a testament to his creative managership of the Nashville Predators.

The only general manager in franchise history and the only one to be a finalist for the GM of the Year Award in each of the last two seasons, Poile, has been awarded a contract extension through the 2014-15 season.

To create an even more stable Predator environment, the contract of assistant GM Paul Fenton was also extended.

David’s boss, Thomas Cigarran, summed it up best: “It’s further recognition by the Predators’ ownership group of the outstanding job David has done as President of Hockey Operations since the franchise’s inception."

The consistent success of the Predators on the ice is directly attributed to his ability to assemble and lead a team of management, coaches, scouts and administrators, who continually identify, draft, develop and motivate an exceptional group of experienced and young players.

“I appreciate ownership’s support and, as importantly, ownership’s commitment to building a Stanley Cup winner here in Nashville,” Poile said. “We are in our ‘window of opportunity’ and I look forward to working with ownership, our staff and players to reach our goals.”

The pre-deadline acquisitions of Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad are two big steps in that direction.

As the late, great John Wooden once said, "Never mistake activity for achievement," though, in the case of Nashville Predators GM David Poile, the latter part of the statement figures to be more apropos to what he accomplished at the NHL trade deadline on Monday.

Poile had his hands all over the map in recent weeks—including a spot in the bidding war for Columbus Blue Jackets winger Rick Nash—and ultimately came up aces, adding Andrei Kostitsyn, Hal Gill and Paul Gaustad to a team that's currently holding down the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.

Not that the Preds' haul didn't come at a significant price. Gill cost the team two quality players (Blake Geoffrion and Robert Slaney) and a second-round pick, Kostitsyn two draft picks and Gaustad a first rounder.

Clearly, the Preds weren't afraid to mortgage their future a bit in pursuit of immediate contention, even in a conference loaded with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirants.

But Nashville's strategy has less to do with hoisting trophies now than it does with maintaining a corps that can compete for years to come. Poile's moves were intended to convince star defenseman Ryan Suter and Shea Weber to give the Music City a strong look before diving into free agency in the offseason. Thus, the Preds' acquisitions were, if nothing else, a show of good faith to Suter and Weber that the team is committed to winning now and giving its two stars a shot at ultimate hockey glory should they decide to stick around.

Sacrificing so many draft picks in one fell swoop is a risky strategy for any franchise, to be sure, but if the Preds are to achieve their primary goals—keep Suter and Weber, pursue a spot on the Cup—then this sort of aggressive activity will prove to have been nothing less than vital.

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On a trade deadline day where the emphasis has been on the dead, the Montreal Canadiens managed to move a second unrestricted free agent.

Montreal traded winger Andrei Kostitsyn to the Nashville Predators for Nashville's second-round pick in 2013 and the fifth-round pick they had gotten earlier from Montreal in the Hal Gill deal.

They, of course, had already given up their second-round pick this year for Gill.

Andrei Kostitsyn was one of a handful of Canadien UFA's expected to be traded before the deadline this year. In September, I suggested the most likely spot for Kostitsyn to end up was Nashville.

The most you could expect to pry loose for this rental player would be a second-round pick. So, Pierre Gauthier should be congratulated for managing to do both.

The Canadians are well served by getting a couple of draft picks for a player who had worn out his welcome in Montreal. The elder Kostitsyn brother had managed only 12 goals and 24 points in 53 games in Montreal this year. 

Andrei Kostitsyn is a talented, sniping winger. He has never surpassed 26 goals and 53 points like he managed back in 2007-08 for Montreal, but he has still scored 20 goals or more in three of his seasons in Montreal.

And, he is only 27. On top of that, he is being reunited with his brother Sergei in Nashville, who had his career best season last year (23 G 50 PTS) after making the same jump from Montreal to Nashville. 

Andrei joins a Nashville line up with a dearth of scoring wingers. He probably will get a chance in the top six and on the power play. Kostitsyn is the kind of player who isn't much good for you unless he is playing on an offensively minded line.

There is a good chance Nashville will be able to resign Andrei, if they choose to, in the off-season.

The playoff-bound Predators can use a little extra scoring come the post season. It will be interesting to see if the Belarusian brothers can provide some of that for them.   

 The NHL Trade Deadline frenzy has begun.

The Nashville Predators, whose window of opportunity may be closing with the expiring contracts of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, have acquired 27-year-old Andrei Kostitsyn from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2013 and the conditional fifth-round draft pick, which was originally sent to the Predators in the Hal Gill transaction, per NHL.com

Mama Kostitsyn must be having a field day.

For better or for worse, her two sons, Andrei and Sergei, will be dawning the same sweater for the second time in their careers—they previously did so in Montreal from 2007 to 2010.

In Andrei Kostitsyn, the Predators receive a three-time 20-goal scorer who will add offensive depth to a team currently ranked 10th in goals for.

Though Andrei Kostitsyn has struggled for the Canadiens this season—let's be real, so has everyone else on that mediocre roster—perhaps being reunited with his brother can spark his production.

On the other side of the spectrum, Sergei Kostitsyn has put up respectable numbers this year, registering 35 points in 56 games.

While at first glance, the price paid for Andre Kostitsyn seems relatively low, still consider this trade a hefty gamble by Predators general manager, David Poile.

Once accused of being linked to organized crimes, the Kostitsyn brothers clearly didn't cope well with the off-ice distractions in Montreal, which ultimately led to Sergei being dealt to Nashville back in 2010.

Perhaps the Kostitsyn brothers have grown up? Or will their haunted past rear its ugly head in Nashville, potentially creating abysmal conflicts for the Predators come playoff time?