We already knew Chris Mueller wasn’t going to be playing with the Admirals this season.
Today we found out where he will be playing.
Mueller today signed a contract with the Dallas Stars.
According to our friends at the 100 Degree Hockey blog, it’s a two-way, one-year deal.
And as the Defending Big D blog observes, they aren’t short on centers in Dallas.
Last week, (GM) Nill added centers Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, and Shawn Horcoff to the club. Because of those prior moves that have created a logjam of sorts at the center position (and the fact that Mueller split time between Nashville and Milwaukee), this appears to be a depth move to help restock the farm system and nothing more.
So I’d say there’s a decent chance we’ll get to see Mueller in an opposing uniform this year. And it’ll be weird.
So Roundtable…over the years, which former Admiral has been the most awkward to see in an enemy uniform? And when Mueller makes his first BC appearance as a member of the Texas Stars, will you cheer or boo?
Most years, it seems the Predators are in the passenger seat of the sports car that is the first day of NHL free agency. Big names would sign for big money elsewhere, little names would sign for big money elsewhere, and we’d be spending a night like tonight talking about depth moves for the organ-eye-zation.
In 2013, the Predators are in the drivers seat. They’re only going 35 mph in a 35 mph zone, but at least they are in control.
The Predators signed five guys today. None of them for more than 3.5 mil per year. So there’s no albatross in the back seat of our car. That’s a good thing.
Welcome:
Matt Cullen
Viktor Stalberg
Eric Nystrom
Matt Hendricks
Carter Hutton
Carter Hutton, eh? THE Carter Hutton? The one with the 13-4 record against Milwaukee over the last two years, and a .938 save percentage and a 1.89 goals against average in those games? One and the same.
So why did Hutton get the call to back-up Pekka Rinne?
He had a good interview, and the person he needed to impress the most was impressed.
The Goalie Guild caught up with Mitch Korn this afternoon, and posted these tweets:
#Preds Mitch Korn on C. Hutton: “He has battled for everything he’s ever gotten. He’s played in an AHL team that has produced goalies.” 1/3
And to be honest, I kind of like the move. For one thing, the Admirals won’t have to play against Hutton anymore, and it looks like the IceHogs are now looking for two new goalies this season. But if it is determined that Magnus Hellberg is ready for prime time sometime in the middle of the season, they should be able to swap the two out pretty easily. It’s a low-risk high-reward move, I think. I figure he’s just buying time until Hellberg is ready anyway. And that’s okay.
All the Nashville blogs have their takes on why these are great moves or why these moves are terrible. But the one I’m going to link to I think does a nice job with the big picture. So check outSam Page’s essay from On The Forecheck here.
You know who probably wasn’t impressed that much with the free agent frenzy? Austin Watson. Kevin Henderson. Taylor Beck. Four Nashville roster spots just went poof. I’m counting 13 forwards signed right now, and it’ll be 14 if Nick Spaling accepts his qualifying offer. Training camp should be interesting.
Former Admiral goalie Jeremy Smith follows the footsteps of the goalie he replaced, and signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets organ-eye-zation. Hopefully with a little less of the injury bug than Dexshow had. Dexshow never played a minute for the Blue Jackets, and only five games for their AHL affiliate. Mike McKenna, who was in Peoria last year, also signed today with Columbus. Could be a decent tag-team in Springfield. Good luck, Smitty.
UPDATE: Defenseman Mike Moore signed with Boston. So we’ll have a new captain this year. Unless the Preds sign Scott Ford…in which case, we would probably get to use the ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss’ line again.
Looking at Capgeek.com, it looks like the Preds did extend a qualifying offer to Daniel Bang. He’s still listed as an RFA, while other players have been shifted to UFA status. So we’ll see what his future holds.
So Roundtable — what do you think about the transactions today? Think Hutton can hold down the fort until Magnus is ready? Did the Preds do enough to address offense?
So the draft happened. And much to the public dismay of some bloggers and web savvy fans, the Predators took defenseman Seth Jones with the 4th overall pick. I get it…everyone wanted some offensive skill. But it isn’t everyday that a team in the #4 slot is able to pick the guy they thought was the best player in the draft. It has been interesting to watch the fans on twitter be disappointed, while many of the media outlets seem to want to classify the Predators as one of the winners of the draft. But what’s done is done. Now they have to sign him.
David Poile and Paul Fenton held court today at a press conference, and indicated that they think Jones will be breaking training camp with the Preds this year. So as a Milwaukee fan, this will rouse up a chorus questioning the phrase that pays that plays for days….”The road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee.” But a 4th overall pick? He gets a special road. An HOV lane maybe. Access to a bypass that gets him from Portland to Nashville without having to navigate around the Mars Cheese Castle and adult video stores in Kenosha, and the agonizing traffic in Chicago. Yeah, we may not get to see him in Milwaukee. But I don’t think we should have expected to.
The rest of the draft class? Don’t expect them this year either right now. Not since our old buddy Andreas Thuresson has a Predator been drafted, and then played in Milwaukee starting that year. But the European players should be eligible, in case it is determined that their North American style education should begin immediately. Canadian junior players? Still a pesky age limit before they can play in the A.
But this page on the Predators website has a nice overview of the draft class, with commentary from some of the scouts that actually spent some time watching them. (which is why I link to this page….instead of the Hockey’s Future site). In short….they kind of flipped our world a bit…..large defensemen, short goalies.
Preds prospect camp will start next Tuesday….but the official roster hasn’t been announced yet. You’ll want to keep an eye on the Nashville blogs for updates on how the new guys look, and how some of our guys have improved. This will be their first close up with Magnus Hellberg after we’ve spent the last 6 months gushing about him….hope he lives up to the pretty pictures we painted…
Poile also talked about free agents at the press conference today. Doesn’t sound like Jon Blum and Matt Halischuk were sent qualifying offers, so they’ll be unrestricted free agents on Friday. I know some readers will be bummed and some will be throwing parades with that news about Blum. Me? I’m sorry it didn’t work out.
There were previous reports that Jeremy Smith wasn’t sent a qualifying offer either. Tough to find info about whether or not Daniel Bang was sent one. I’d hope so. He got a nice audition with the Predators at the end of the season, and the critic’s reviews seemed fairly positive. Haven’t seen anything official yet about the other RFA’s, Jack MacLellan, Ben Ryan, or Chet Pickard.
Mike Moore and Scott Ford remain unrestricted free agents at this time.
And free agent frenzy begins Friday. I find twitter to be kind of annoying, but extraordinarily useful on days like Friday, to keep up to date on all the madness. I’m also usually fond of the TSN free agent tracker. So if you are off of work on Friday…kick back and enjoy watching. Or catch the Milwaukee Admirals show at Summerfest at 4pm! Maybe we’ll be able to share some news hot off the presses!
Direct. To the point. Didn’t even need the full 140 characters. Although it leaves open to speculation who ultimately is saying no. They won’t come back. Were they asked to, and declined? Or were they not even asked?
So, as AHL fans, here we are again. A mainstay of Admirals hockey for several seasons, now hitting the road. Darren Haydar….Rich Peverley…and now Chris Mueller. Maybe Mueller will be the next Peverley, and a change of scenery (or two changes) will do wonders. Or maybe the open market will decide that Mueller has peaked as a guy that is a rock star in the American league, and may periodically get the call to a big club. Or maybe Europe is next for Mueller?
Regardless of where he’ll be heading next, let’s take a moment and appreciate the good times over the last four years. We don’t usually see that kind of consistency for such a long period of time at this level. It’s been a great run here. We’ve been lucky to have him on our team.
So we’ll wish Chris the best of luck….preferably in the NHL, or with some EASTERN conference AHL team…. We’d rather not have to play against him 12 times like we do against Haydar….
Well, we have a date for the home opener! October 19th! It’s a Saturday. I’ve also heard that we’ll be playing every team in our conference this year….so we’ll see the Rochester Americans for the first time since…since I don’t know….since Ryan Miller was their goaltender maybe?
– Kevin Henderson, Joe Piskula, and Victor Bartley have all been signed. The first two on two-way contracts, and Bartley on a one-way deal. That’s another feel good story for us here in the developmental leagues… Another undrafted guy that developed right here in Milwaukee, and all of a sudden is getting second defensive pair minutes with he Predators. I’d like to be the Nashville scout that saw him and convinced Poile/Fenton to take a chance on him. That’s got to be extraordinarily rewarding.
Henderson and Piskula were unrestricted free agents, so it’s going to be nice to have them back in the fold again. I would predict that Henderson splits time with Milwaukee and Nashville as needed, and Piskula will provide some good veteran leadership here in MKE. He was a nice stay-at-home defenseman for us, and from a marketing standpoint…can we really have TOO MANY former Wisconsin Badgers on the team? I don’t think so.
– The Predators signed a goalie from their 2012 draft class, and I’d say there’s a decent chance we’ll see him in Milwaukee this year. Start learning how to pronounce “MAREK MAZANEC”. It’s a two year entry level deal for the goalie from the Czech Republic. Another tall one…6’4, and he catches with the right hand. Another good project for Mitch Korn, as he plays his first North American minutes this year.
– Restricted free agents: David Poile told Josh Cooper of the Tennessean that they sent a qualifying offer to Nick Spaling, but that they had not decided whether to do so for Matt Halischuk or Jon Blum. Qualifying offers are due on July 2nd. If they don’t sign those two or send qualifying offers, they’ll become unrestricted free agents. We certainly have fond memories of Halischuk this year, as he was by far the best player on the ice when he was in Milwaukee for his conditioning assignment. Why the delay in deciding? Poile gave a nice quote to explain: “Blum and Halischuk, at different times, have been really good for us, but I would probably like to make some changes. That’s why I’m trying to keep the door open at least a little bit so I can see which other teams might have some interest so we can get something back.”
– In a trade that may have snuck under your radar, the Predators traded pending RFA forward Bobby Butler to Florida for pending RFA and defenseman TJ Brennan. Brennan is a 6’1 left handed shot who split time last year between the Rochester Americans, Buffalo Sabres, and Florida Panthers. The Sabres traded him to Florida for a 5th round draft pick in March. Panther GM Dale Tallon said the following at the time: “T.J. is a young and mobile defenseman with a hard shot, who we are pleased to have acquired. He is a hard working player with an offensive upside, who has averaged almost a point-per-game in the American Hockey League this season.”
Brennan was selected 8 picks after Jon Blum in the 2007 NHL draft. We’ll see over the next week if he gets an offer sheet…I’d imagine he’d have to…they traded for him, right? And depending on the numbers in Nashville, he may be ticketed to Milwaukee. We’ll see.
We know Juuso Puustinen will be playing in Finland this year. And we know he’s a rap star too.
– Nashville has elected to continue its ECHL affiliation with the Cincinnati Cyclones. Because you know what they always say….the road to Milwaukee goes through Cincinnati.
Annnnnnnnnnnd the NHL draft tomorrow. Will any of these kids be old enough to play in Milwaukee next season? We’ll see. Keep an eye on the twitter and the Predators blogs for news. Section 303 is on location for the draft, so look for some good coverage there.
– And finally….Do you follow Scott Ford on the twitter? If you do, you may have seen this great photo. It’s nice that former Milwaukee players like to come back here to visit. His Yonkness, Calder Cup winning Triston Grant, and Fordo. Drinking ginger ale, I imagine. Right?
Mark Van Guilder is finally being rewarded for his time in Milwaukee, as the Predators are signing the center to a two-year,two-way NHL contract. At the ripe age of 29, MVG will likely make his big league debut next season.
According to the Nashville press release, the deal is worth $550,000 at the NHL level and $80,000 at the AHL level in 2013-14, and $550,000 at the NHL level and $85,000 at the AHL level in 2014-15.
Over four seasons and 238 games, Van Guilder has given Admirals fans plenty to cheer about. Last season he finished fifth on the team with 14 goals and fifth in points with 32 adding to his totals of 36 goals and 83 points in an Ads uniform.
He’s also recorded seven career playoff points, including a double-overtime series-winning goal against Texas that most Ads fans will never forget.
Admirals past and present have described Van Guilder as one of the best teammates a player could ask for. He said at the end of last season that his time spent off the ice with his ‘mates are always his fondest memories.
MVG is highly regarded as a class act, securing both the Admirals Man of the Year award and finishing as a finalist for the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award for the third time in a row this season.
Your thoughts Roundtable? It’s always great to see a guy get rewarded for hard work, and we love seeing MVG finally get his chance.
How do you think he’ll fare with the big boys should he become a regular up there? Any line combinations come to mind?
The Ads signed Mike Liambas to a standard player contract Sunday after an impressive 27-game stint last season.
His physical style of play and fighting ability quickly made him a fan favorite after he was loaned to Milwaukee by Orlando on February 4.
Liambas picked up 74 penalty minutes, scored his first AHL goal back on February 17 and added an assist in the Western Conference Quarterfinals against Texas.
In the NHL playoffs, seven former members of the Admirals organization remain in contention for a Stanley Cup: Boston’s Claude Julien and Rich Peverley, Ottawa’s Cory Conacher, Pittsburgh’s Tomas Vokoun and Mark Eaton, Detroit’s Jordin Tootoo and Chicago’s Sheldon Brookbank.
What do you think of the Liambas signing? Nice to see the team keep his presence on the roster, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do over a full season.
Which former Admiral has the best shot at the Cup? Who are you rooting the hardest for?
The Roundtable caught up with Ads coach Dean Evason and forward Mark Van Guilder to get their thoughts on the 2012-13 season after about a week of allowing things to sink in.
Coach Evason
On the season overall and the team’s finish:
“Mixed emotions obviously. When you first lose you’re very disappointed, obviously. When you sit back and look at the effort we put in, and how we actually got there down the stretch it’s very rewarding for the entire group. We played some great hockey down the stretch, and I don’t think we were burnt out or wore out, we just ran into a really good team that’s very similar to us.”
“At the start of the year and middle of the year there were a lot of learning experiences, and a lot of things we went through as far as the lockout and having it end and losing players. It was hard to gain momentum, but we found ourselves as the season went on.”
“We thought we had a really nice balance of developing individuals and certainly the players who got their first opportunities to play in the NHL; guys who came up from the minors like the Budishes and the Rasks. It all added up to creating a good winning atmosphere by the end of the season.”
On first year with the Admirals:
“For myself, personally it was a great learning experience. It was my first opportunity to be a head coach in pro hockey, and I learned a lot from this year from both the negative and positive experiences. Hopefully I become a better coach after going through all those situations that we talked about.”
“You could say it was like a real-life roller coaster where you get scared at some points, but when you finish the ride and look back the overall experience was a lot of fun.”
“The overall experience for me was very positive. This whole organization is just a first-class organization and it really allows its people to do their jobs. I really look forward to getting started again next year.”
On selecting any one player as an unsung MVP:
“We’ve got so many guys. You can go down the list starting with our back end in Hellberg. He’s a good example of a lot of our players that we had here when you watch his development from his first game of the season to the last game of the playoffs.”
“I could go down the line and name so many players that had such major impacts on our hockey club. Again, they’re developing but creating a winning atmosphere as well.”
On moving to and living in Milwaukee:
“I’d heard a lot about Milwaukee and had been here before and heard about the people and what a great city it was with its small-town feel, but big-city life.”
“The biggest thing I noticed was the people. I really have enjoyed the people of Milwaukee; not only the fans, though they and our season-ticket holders are amazing, but really the overall community supporting the team, but more importantly just being great people. It’s certainly made my first year here very comfortable.”
On the offseason and what his focus will be?
“When I came in last year I didn’t really know any of the players. I didn’t know their dimensions, I didn’t know where they sit, I didn’t know their skill levels, their personalities. Now we’re going into next season and a lot of our people that were here at the end of the year are going to be back.”
“It’s nice to have the ability to kind of depth chart your team, put your team on paper and kind of fill holes with our general manager who does a tremendous job in Paul Fenton. Now we can have an input on the abilities of these players. Hopefully we’ll be ahead of the game next year, as we might have been a little behind not knowing the personnel at the beginning of last year.”
Photo courtesy of Scott Paulus
Mark Van Guilder
On the season overall:
“Unfortunately we wanted to win a championship, but I think what we did the last month of the season or so and the stretch we went on to even make the playoffs was awesome.”
On comparing this year’s team to last year’s:
“I think every team has its own identity. We had a lot of young guys this year, and I think it was one of the most fun teams I’ve been a part of. They were really close and we had a great time. Obviously its a job for us, but at the same time we play the game, love it and have fun doing it. I had an absolute blast with this group.”
On his first year under Evason:
“Oh man, he was awesome. He demanded a lot from us, but at the same time made it fun to come to the rink. I think that’s key. Guys never dreaded coming to the rink for practice, but at the same time he demanded work ethic and discipline and all that kind of stuff.”
“I love playing for him and Stan (Drulia). They’re a great team. I think anytime you have a group of guys who love playing for their coach it goes a long way.”
On his favorite moments from the season:
“Always my best memories come from just me and the guys on the road being idiots and going to dinner, just joking around and having a good time.”
“As far as hockey goes, that last week of the season was just awesome. The whole season was on the line, and the intensity level of the games was great.”
On the offseason:
“I think it’s the same as every offseason for me. I just have to get better and work on my skating and skills, try to get stronger, faster. I think its important to not relax and take a break but spend the summer getting better.”
Ok, so we’ve had a few days for everything to set in. The Admirals played well, but were beaten by a good team in the Texas Stars. Since the league doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry, the next round of the playoffs hasn’t even started yet for any of the teams that advanced. Hershey and Providence are finishing their series tonight. It’s taking them 13 days to finish a best-of-5 series. Seriously..with all this down time….make the first round a best-of-7 series. Deal with the travel costs.
But looking back on the 2012-13 Admiral season, there were a lot of great things that happened. So even though the season is over, I encourage you to remember the good times and look forward to the future times.
One of the things that I’ve enjoyed the most this year was watching the players improve their games. Hellberg, Puustinen, Beck, Latta, Watson, Shalla, Bitetto, Henderson….the list goes on. They all took giant steps forward in their game over the course of the season. That’s a credit to both the players and the coaches. The players for working hard, and the coaches for helping them get their game to a higher level. That’s the way the system is supposed to work. It didn’t always translate into wins early on, but towards the end? Man, this was a fun group to watch.
The regular season finish was great. The 10-2 record against the Wolves was a treat. There were some memorable last minute comebacks along the way. Chris Mueller dropped the gloves and knocked down his opponent. Mike Liambas may be the best fighter we’ve had since Raitis Ivanans….just a half foot shorter. I’ve gushed on the record about Magnus Hellberg…so I’ll keep it brief here….But I sure hope we get to see him one more year, and get to watch him become an even better goalie. Pekka was here for three seasons. I’d be delighted for a pair from Magnus.
Of course I’m bummed that the season is over. But Texas played well, and they weren’t jerks. I’m at peace with it. I hope you are too.
At this point, I’d like to take a moment to send out some sincere thanks to you. Thank you for reading the blog. Whether it’s every day, every week, a couple of times a month, or if you just stumble onto it once in a blue moon…..whether you like to speak your mind, or lurk far away from the comments section….whether you agree or disagree with our opinions….whether you’re a local fan, a Preds fan, or a family member of a player….. thank you so much for reading. Simply put, without you, there is no blog. There’s no Furying The Fury without you.
On behalf of Trey, Jason, and myself….thanks for a great season on the Admirals Roundtable.
So the future of the blog? We’ll continue to post when things of note happen during the off-season. So do check in and say hi periodically. And if you’re in to the twitter thing, follow @adsroundtable and @ryanadmirals .
Maybe I’ll even get around to giving the site the graphic design makeover it so desperately needs…we’ll see…
2012-2013 Milwaukee Admirals: 76 G.P., 41-28-4-3–52 pts., 197 goals scored, 200 goals allowed, 8th place in the Western Conference (2nd Midwest Division). Leading playoff scorer: Zach Hamill (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points.
Heading into Friday night’s Game 4, the Milwaukee Admirals will go to the Cedar Park Center just outside of Austin, Texas with their season in the balance. One loss in the next two games and the franchise’s second straight amazing end of season comeback bid will end in the first round of the playoffs.
Perhaps you might think its an unenviable position, having to win two straight games on the road to advance, but this series is much, much closer than just Texas leading two games to one. One overtime goal in Game 1 and the Admirals are leading 2-1 in the series. Perhaps one Milwaukee goal in the decisive third period on Wednesday might have lead to a similar fate and a 2-1 series lead for the Admirals.
Two years ago when these teams met Milwaukee was actually down two games to one to the Stars, before winning the next two games in a row in Texas. The Admirals would eventually win a third-straight in double overtime to take the series. That might not mean much this time around (especially considering that was a seven-game series, this a five-game series), but that experience is something to draw on.
But one area of concern in this series that is being overlooked, a little bit for both teams is the lack of goals scored. Maybe this was to be expected in this extremely competitive, tight series, but the two teams have combined for just nine goals in three games (and just four in the last two games). More staggering, Milwaukee has just three non-empty net goals against Christopher Nilstorp so far.
To move on to a second round battle with Toronto, the Admirals must find some more offense. There is no time like the present.
So Roundtable . . . How does Milwaukee beat Nilstorp tonight? Do the special teams have to produce even more? Are you expecting more from Chris Mueller, Austin Watson, Taylor Beck, Daniel Bang and Kevin Henderson, all forwards with recent NHL experience? Who will step up and be the difference maker tonight?
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