Martel Mailbag: Preds' season may already be a successful venture
Welcome back for another edition of the Martel Mailbag. This bi-weekly segment answers your questions, sent via email and Twitter, pertaining to the buzz surrounding the Nashville Predators.
If you want to submit your 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:
In fans minds, what realistically constitutes a successful season this year? -- Matt S.
That's a tough question. Many sincerely believe the Stanley Cup is -- and will be -- the only genuine goal come the season's end.
Is that based on Nashville's current success (leading the Central Division by four points, as of March 31), compared to the club's previous two seasons? Most likely.
If you were to take a fans' straw poll prior to the season, predicting the team's status in April, I doubt anyone would have guessed the Predators would be legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
Nashville has easily eclipsed any preseason expectations. Fans should be grateful for th Predators' success to date, but most probably have their eyes set on the Western Conference finals -- at a minimum.
That may be a lofty goal for a Nashville club that has never gotten past the second round, but this is a different team with different personnel.
I would expect at least two rounds of playoff action. And fans should be thrilled at that.
Once everyone is healthy, which two players do you think sit and why? -- Bryant F.
First off, here's a current list of players that have missed Nashville's most recent stretch of games: Matt Cullen, James Neal, Eric Nystrom and Shea Weber.
That makes four spots in the lineup needing to be cleared once everyone returns. Based on comments from team general manager David Poile on Tuesday, Nashville should expect most -- if not all -- of this group to return by the start of the playoffs.
Obviously, forward Viktor Arvidsson will be returning to Milwaukee, as promoted to the Predators on an emergency basis. On Wednesday, Arvidsson has been reassigned, so that's one less player to worry about.
Next up, defenseman Anton Volchenkov will head back to the bench. Volchenkov has played great during Weber's absence, but it's a numbers game at this point and he'll be the odd-man out.
Which brings us to this ...
Here's where it gets interesting: Who do you bench in favor of Cullen and Nystrom?
Depending on the severity of Paul Gaustad's injury coming at the hands of Canucks forward Alex Burrows, Cullen could be instantly slotted into the lineup with no repercussions.
If Gaustad is fine, do you scratch Calle Jarnkrok for Cullen? Since Dec. 23, Jarnkrok has only contributed eight points in 41 games -- with only two goals.
It wouldn't hurt to sit Jarnkrok for a couple of games and see how he reacts. Sometimes, it works out for the positive.
As for Nystrom, the fourth line has performed magnificently in his stead. Taylor Beck and Gabriel Bourque have complemented the aforementioned Gaustad, turning Nashville's last trio of forwards into an energetic checking line.
Beck provides a large body and enough force to move opponents off the puck, forcing turnovers. Bourque's speed and prowess on the puck allows the fourth line to attack the net and generate scoring chances.
I find it difficult to scratch either based on their play of late, but Beck will most likely be the odd man out. Bourque has more experience and has more versatility than Beck.
After the last handful of games, should Franson be on the power play unit? -- Jacob W.
I wrote about Franson and his effectiveness on the power play after Tuesday night's game against the Canucks.
He was averaging 3:05 of power-play ice time with Toronto, prior to Nashville acquiring his services and has only seen a little over a minute per game with the Predators.
Franson finished Tuesday's game against Vancouver with 7:17, second-most among defensemen behind Roman Josi.
Finding which areas of the ice Franson would work best has been an interesting whirlwind since his arrival. He has logged time with just about every defenseman on the roster. He's played in nearly every type of situation.
It's clear Franson excels in offensive-zone situations. Almost in the same fashion that Ryan Ellis does. By far, he's Nashville's best possession defenseman and helps drive more pucks toward the net than any other defenseman.
Franson should have earned a fair share of power-play time long before Tuesday. Hopefully, he'll continue to receive it throughout Predators' final four games of the regular season.
What are the chances Nashville wins the Central Division? -- Kathleen R.
I'd say Nashville has a fair chance of claiming the division crown. The Preds currently sit four points ahead of the St. Louis Blues and five over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Blues and Blackhawks each have two game in hand, but neither can catch the Predators in terms of regulation and overtime wins -- without winning four more games than Nashville.
Another factor? Both teams play each other twice in that same span of six outings. They also play back-to-back games thisThursday and Friday. At most, only one club (Chicago or St. Louis) could earn 12 points -- but only through sweeping the remaining slate.
That's highly doubtful.
Each team has their fair share of injury issues, as well, and their schedule doesn't help them over the last 10 days
In my opinion, Nashville will need six of its last eight points to clinch the Central. With games coming against Dallas, Colorado, Minnesota and Dallas again, it's not outside the realm of possibilities.
In fact, I fully believe it happens.
Have Fiala and Arvidsson earned spots on the team next season? -- Arica L.
Absolutely. They have small things here and there to work on in the meantime, but both have likely earned spots for training camp this fall -- pending contract changes with the current forward group this summer.
Arvidsson likes to shoot the puck. A lot. He currently leads the American Hockey League in shots on net with 236 and added nine in his six games with the Predators. He's quick to the puck and has a great sense of his surroundings while on the ice.
Fiala is a true phenom. Of the Predators' homegrown players, he may have the most pure talent. He'll make plays you weren't sure were even possible, passes that shouldn't have had a chance of completing and goals from every angle.
It may be presumptuous to go ahead and give them a spot on the roster next season, but I doubt head coach Peter Laviolette would disagree with the assertion.
Fiala and Arvidsson are ready.
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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.
