If the Chicago Blackhawks are nervous about getting their second straight Stanley Cup Playoffs started, it doesn't show.
 
Patrick Kane is cracking jokes about his new playoffs-inspired mullet. Andrew Ladd is "getting the itch" to win the Cup again, after winning it with Carolina in 2006. Jonathan Toews is sick of talking about goalie Antti Niemi's lack of playoff experience. And then there's Niemi, who often answers questions with just a word or two. 
 

Check out the latest story on the series from NHL.com. 

You know what this reminds me of? The Titans players' attitude in the offseason and training camp a year ago. They were all happy-go-lucky and joking around and Ustreaming, and then the season started. They lost their first six games after being so confident just a few weeks before after their best in the league 13-3 season. 

Moral of this story? Don't get overconfident, it'll come back and bite you. I hope the Blackhawks don't learn this lesson. 

GO PREDS!

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The Ottawa Senators just put Jonathan Cheechoo on waivers today. Should the Preds take a look? He won the Rockey Richard trophy just four years ago, and he even had 23 goals two seasons ago. I say we consider it. Cap room could be a major problem though. Plus I really want to see a team with Cheechoo and Tootoo. Maybe we can get Ruutuu from the Sens as well?

Northerners must just laugh at Nashvillians when they hear that they are getting 1-3 inches of snow and the city is going to shut down! 

Hear what our defensive tandem Ryan Suter and Shea Weber had to say about this "snowstorm" coming in today on Channel 4 News here.

Dan Ellis on the other hand, also seems pretty amused by the overreaction of Tennesseans.

@dellis39 : Snow again in Nashville...not looking forward to bumper cars in the highway.

@dellis39 :Snow on the way...guess how many accidents on 65?...I guess six

@dellis39 : Its suppose to snow today...doesn't snow here often, Nashville ppl if its yellow don't eat it! The white stuff is fine though

@dellis39 : Tip for snow driving. You can drive fast just don't brake or accelerate too quickly.

@dellis39 : If you start to slide pump the brakes don't just lock em up. Good luck nashvillians.

Why is Coach Trotz even considering Dan Ellis at goalie? Pekka Rinne was our starter at the end of last season, so he should naturally be the starter at the beginning of this season. Obviously. Why even consider the preseason? The preseason is just a series of exhibition games. Doesn't mean anything. Plus Ellis got tons more time to play than Rinne, which tells why he might have looked better. Pekka was a stud last year. Why mess with chemistry? And why does Barry Trotz have to try and kill another goalie, like he does every year?

Martin Gelinas has been made the official Director of Player Development for the Nashville Predators. Nice to see him sticking around with the Preds, in my opinion. He seems to be the perfect kind of guy for the job, since the job entails "assisting [players] with their maturation process into an NHL player by focusing on nutrition, off ice workouts and conditioning, practice habits, and game performance". Brandon Felder also mentioned that Jordin Tootoo's best season was when Gelinas was on the team, so who knows, could Toots become an offensive...weapon? Shocking, I know. How this job will work with him working from Calgary I do not understand. He should move to Nashville and focus his attention to the Predators. After the "jump" is the official press release and final thoughts.

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Hello Preds community! I'm a new Preds fan, and this season got me hooked. The thrill of this past season has made me a hockey fan for life. My favorite player is Ryan Jones, but Pekka has got to be close. Living far away from Nashville, I need a place to express my love for the Preds, and I am hoping this is the place. I'm new here, so can anyone tell me how this works? What happens during the season? Are there places where you can just talk about the game?

Anyway, what position do you think that the Preds will draft? Forward, defenceman, or goalie? It looks as if we are down pat on each of those positions. With goalie, we have the outstanding Pekka, and backup Dan Ellis isn't too shabby either. Youngen Chet Pickard looks good for the future. At defenseman, we have the top defence pairing in the league, with Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. If Greg Zanon comes back, we also have the best shot blocker in the league. The youngens we have are Ville, Dan Hamhuis, and Webs and Suter. Since goaltending and defence seems pretty good, the only direction to go would mean...offence/forwards, right? Maybe not. We have Jason Arnott, JP Dumont, (maybe) Steve Sullivan as veterans for our team, that are pretty good offensively. Then we have the younger ones. Ville can play forward, Ryan Jones, and don't forget.....COLIN WILSON. Ballin' Colin is going to be an exciting player to watch this year.

In conclusion, It's probably safe to say David Poile is going to draft an offensive weapon. John Tavares, Matt Duchene, Nazem Kadri and Evander Kane could possibly be on the board.

Nazem Kadri seems like he could be a gem on this team. Here's a scouting report.

He has great speed, which he is able to use almost perfectly in order to get in position for an open shot. His shot is also incredible, and he has seen more success ever since shooting the puck more in the 2008-09 season.

Kadri’s soft hands are most likely the best aspect of his game—they contribute to his great stick skills and deking ability. He has great hockey sense, which includes the ability to read the play around him and see what is happening before it happens.

Seems like the description of quite a few Preds, eh?

Let me know your thoughts. This On the Forecheck community seems pretty cool!