Martel Mailbag: Is Roman Josi a dark horse for the Norris Trophy?
Welcome back for another edition of the Martel Mailbag here at FOX Sports Tennessee. This bi-weekly segment answers your questions, sent via email and Twitter, pertaining to the buzz surrounding the Nashville Predators.
To submit a question, please feel free to contact me with your thoughts and maybe you'll see your question posted in the near future.
Let's get started:
When do you think this skid will end? - Skyler K.
A four-game streak, in any direction, can produce a significant impact on a team. In the case of the Predators, their six-point lead atop the NHL standings has evaporated.
Nasville is tied by record with Anaheim, but still lead the league based on the number of wins in regulation or overtime -- two more than the Ducks.
The Predators are still ahead of the St. Louis Blues in the Central Division (four points) -- but the Blues have two extra games to play, which could help them with a final title push in the coming weeks.
When will the losing slide end? I think the bleeding stops here in the next couple of games. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if the Predators blitzed the New York Islanders Thursday night in Nashville.
Do you think the trade with Toronto has been detrimental to the team? - Chris B.
Not at all. Whenever a team makes a trade the middle of a season, the new players typically require time to become acclimated to the new system and their new surroundings.
The same will likely apply for both Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli.
Both played with Nashville before; however, that was with a different coach in a different system.
In addition, both Franson and Santorelli are migrating from a Toronto Maple Leafs style of play that suits the Eastern Conference and isn't at the same pace the Predators are used to.
Would you like to see Colin Wilson play center at some point? - Dan B.
It's an intriguing notion in Peter Laviolette's free-flowing system, but I'm more content with Wilson staying in his role as a mid-line winger for the Predators.
It's going to depend on what happens this summer, though, in terms of Wilson and his upcoming contract discussions.
I don't foresee Nashville letting talks get to any type of breaking point where both sides end up in a tumultuous arbitration. But when/if Wilson re-signs with the Predators, he needs to continue in his current role as a supporting winger able to play on any of their top three lines.
Assuming Craig Smith, Mike Fisher and Mike Ribeiro all return for the 2015-16 season, Nashville would have the bulk of its offensive power coming back for next year.
Even with Calle Jarnkrok continuing to develop at center, Wilson -- in my opinion -- can drive possession in and out of the offensive zone better being on the wing, compared to the center spot.
The numbers seem to agree. No one has really seen what Wilson would look like as a center in Laviolette's system, but I don't think this or next season should be the time to start.
Will Nashville retain first place and the first seed for the playoffs? If not, how far is the fall? - Bradley B.
Being perfectly honest, I never figured Nashville would retain the top spot in the NHL going into the postseason this year. First place in the Central? That's a different story.
It's extremely difficult to be the best team in the league consistently through 82 games in the regular season. With some of the better teams in the league staying hot and the Predators going through their slump right now, I don't believe they'll stay ahead in the Presidents' Trophy race.
In the same respect, Nashville still remains ahead of St. Louis for the lead in the Central Division by four points. As long as the Predators break out of this extremely rare losing streak they're in -- and they'll have to do that relatively soon -- there is no reason to believe that Nashville won't bring home its franchise-first division title at the end of the regular season.
It would take the absolute worst collapse in NHL history for the Predators to miss the playoffs. They're not going to fall too far from where they are.
Worst-case scenario: Nashville finds itself relinquishing the Central Division lead to the Blues and battling either Chicago or Winnipeg in the first round of the playoffs.
Could Roman Josi be a dark horse for the Norris Trophy? - Johnny G.
With Calgary's Mark Giordano out for the rest of the season and probably out of the Norris Trophy race as well, it's almost a little shocking that Josi hasn't received any kind of mention of taking home the league's best defenseman award during the offseason.
Josi sits sixth in the league among defensemen in points, second in blocked shots and second in total time on ice. In all three of those stats, he outranks Shea Weber. Statistically, Josi has been a better defenseman than Weber this season.
However, Weber will continue to be the front-runner for the Norris Trophy. His presence on Nashville's blue line is a necessity and without him they'd be a shade of the team they've been all season. That doesn't discount the season that Josi has had, but Weber is likely the most important defenseman on the ice for the Predators.
Will that change in the next few years? Quite possibly. Josi has increasingly become one of Nashville's best players on any side of the ice over the last couple of years.
If it continues, there's no question he'll eclipse Weber in due time.
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Catch more from Kristopher Martel on his weekly podcast, The Predcast. A weekly hockey show available on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and TuneIn Radio, hosts Kristopher Martel, Chris Link and Dan Bradley break down the news surrounding the Nashville Predators and around the rest of the NHL.
