David Poile, the General Manager of the Nashville Predators, was a guest on 102.5 The Game’s “Sports Night” yesterday afternoon. During his time on the air he made mention of two injury situations: Mike Fisher and Viktor Stålberg .

Let’s start with the latter of those two – seeing as we were witness to that injury here in Milwaukee. Poile stated the following on Stålberg:

“Talk about not getting any breaks. In two years, two training camps in a row, where he has virtually missed entire training camps. Got off to a slow start last year and then it resulted in him being scratched, etc etc. So we had our hopes up high this year that everything would be great. Misses training camp again. Goes down to Milwaukee. He’s playing pretty good. Last game he gets hurt. Met with him today. Looks like it’s going to be 4-6 weeks, I think. He’s having an MRI today so we’ll know a little bit more. An update tomorrow. Again, just a real bad break for Viktor. Just not getting any traction here in Nashville.” ~ David Poile on Sports Night

We’ll be holding tight for those MRI results today and any sort of updates from Nashville. All things considered. If Stålberg escapes that hit with a knock that only leaves him out for 4-6 weeks – it’s fantastic news. The way that he went down, stayed down, and was assisted off the ice had me thinking he blew out ligaments in his knee. MRI results pending – that bullet hasn’t been dodged yet. Let’s hope Poile’s spot on there.

As for Fisher, Poile mentioned that his progress is close but he is still feeling stiffness in his achilles. The Predators alternate captain suffered a ruptured achilles during a training session and had successful surgery in early-July. Fisher has been practicing with the team and has just started contact practice. The plan is for him to return to the Nashville lineup in two-weeks.

So, what will Fisher’s eventual return to the Predators roster mean for the Milwaukee Admirals? Firstly, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Fisher had a short conditioning assignment with the Admirals to get him up to game speed. Difference between him and Stålberg? I don’t see Fisher’s stint lasting all of the fourteen days allotted for the conditioning assignment. That, by the way, is just my guess. For all I know – Fisher leaps right into NHL action once he gets cleared for game shape.

The real story here in Milwaukee is what roster shake up could take place when this all goes down. When Fisher comes back  off of injured reserve what will the Predators do?

When the time comes – I figure that the player with the highest chance of being assigned to the Admirals when Fisher comes back is Calle Järnkrok. Despite his incredible start in the organization last season… 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 6 games with the Admirals, 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 12 games with the Predators… it hasn’t quite translated into 2014-15 just yet.

Järnkrok has played in ten of the Predators fourteen-games this season. He has yet to record a point of offense while averaging 13:27 minutes of ice time per game. The only other forwards to have played as many or more games and not record a point of offense for the Predators are Olli Jokinen and Gabriel Bourque.

Milwaukee could use Järnkrok just as much as Järnkrok could use Milwaukee to springboard back into the form that saw him tearing up the scoresheet late last season.

The Admirals would grow stronger down the middle of their forward group and it could put a more offensive minded center on the third line with the flashy talents of Viktor Arvidsson – something they haven’t entirely got with either Félix Girard or Frédérick Gaudreau. That’s where Colton Sissons could jump in and get his game really rolling offensively. I believe the recent combo of Miikka Salomäki, Mark Van Guilder, and Austin Watson could and should stick around. And it could be that Järnkrok is surrounded by wingers Brendan Leipsic and Pontus Åberg.

When looking at CapGeek, and trying to understand the other possibilities, you just run to the conclusion that Järnkrok is due to arrive in Milwaukee once Fisher returns. Perhaps the other other consideration is that the Predators try to put Taylor Beck on waivers to see if he can reach the Admirals. With how Beck has played, especially in comparison to Järnkrok, I don’t feel the Predators are up for doing that. Besides, why risk losing a player when you don’t have to?

The undeniable thing right now to think about is just how deep the entire Nashville Predators organization has become this season at the forward position. The Predators are a success. The Admirals are a success. And, it may get to the point through depth, that we see more Admirals forwards head down to the Cincinnati Cyclones and make them a stronger team.

It’s all a matter of everyone staying healthy to create problems such as this. One better. When the injuries do happen, as they always do in hockey, the Predators are loaded for just such a scenario this season.

What will Mike Fisher’s return to the Nashville Predators mean for the Milwaukee Admirals? Is Calle Järnkrok the most likely candidate for a move down or could someone else get assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals?

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The AHL has just announced that Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Brennan Evans will be suspended four-games as a result of the hit he delivered to Viktor Stålberg. The AHL described it as a “kneeing” incident.

Press Release via AHL:

The American Hockey League today announced that Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Brennan Evans has been suspended for four (4) games as a consequence of a kneeing incident in a game at Milwaukee on Nov. 7.

Evans was suspended under the provisions of AHL Rule 28.1 (supplementary discipline).

Evans will miss Grand Rapids’ games Wednesday (Nov. 12) vs. Lake Erie, Friday (Nov. 14) vs. Texas, Saturday (Nov. 15) vs. Texas and Nov. 21 at Lake Erie.

Stålberg was in the final day of his fourteen-day conditioning assignment. He played in four-games with the Admirals and recorded 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists). There has yet to be an update on his exact condition since being helped off the ice after the Evans hit in the second period on Friday night’s game. All we have to go on is that Ads head coach Dean Evason said that it was, “not good.”

Did the AHL get this suspension correct? What were your thoughts on the hit Brennan Evans dished out on Viktor Stålberg? With this hit being suspension worthy, why wasn’t it called as such for “kneeing” on the ice?

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We are now ten games into the Milwaukee Admirals 2014-15 season. The record is 8-2-0-0 (16 points) and has them second in the Midwest Division and fifth in the Western Conference. Most teams sitting ahead of the Admirals, with the exception of the Texas Stars (14 points), have played extra games in the schedule at this point. The top two in the conference are the Utica Comets (22 points) and Rockford IceHogs (21 points) – both of whom have played thirteen games.

There have been so many positives through the opening ten games. The Ads had a franchise best six-game winning streak to start a season. Marek Mazanec went five-for-five with wins to start the season. Brendan Leipsic is currently better than a point-per-game player in his rookie season with 11 points (all of which are assists). The young Admirals defense, combined with the great goaltending performances behind them, have only allowed 21 goals – only the Utica Comets have allowed less… one less.

Above all, what has excited me the most about our 2014-15 Admirals season through ten games has been the composure of a team that entered as the youngest in the AHL this season. Rarely has age or inexperience looked like a factor for the Admirals. If anything, it is the new brew here in Milwaukee that are the reason for the early success. Only Jimmy Oligny and Jonathan Diaby, of the ten rookies on the Admirals roster, have yet to record a point of offense. Even then, as defensemen, the two have a combined +2 plus/minus.

The sophomores, Colton Sissons and Miikka Salomäki, may not have had the quickest of starts as they may have liked. Sissons: 4 points (4 goals, 0 assists). Salomaki: 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists). That is something that doesn’t bother me all that much, though. The two have a combined 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) in the last two-games alone. These two combined for 94 points (45 goals, 49 assists) of offense last season. It is only a matter of time before they start storming back to last season’s points-per-game form.

In goal, Magnus Hellberg appears to have found the magic he displayed in his 2012-13 rookie season when he was the rock that spearheaded the Admirals into the Calder Cup playoffs. He has only made three starts but has won them all – including the 4-0 shutout in the Admirals most recent game against the Grand Rapids Griffins. He now has an AHL best 0.64 goals against average and 0.973 save percentage. Considering the hot start for Mazanec. This return to form for Hellberg creates a phenomenal problem to have. Which goalie do you start? And does it really matter who starts at this point – all things considered? Spoiled for choice.

Who has impressed you the most through the Milwaukee Admirals opening ten games? Who has impressed you the least? Which Admiral rookie has been the best so far? What does this hot start to the season do for the Admirals in the later stages of the campaign? Who would you say was the Admiral of the Month for October?

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It’s official, the AHL now has a brand new “Leggio” rule in place to deter the manuever pulled by Bridgeport goaltender David Leggio. If such an instance were to occur again, the goaltender would get a game misconduct (resulting in an ejection of that player), with a penalty shot awarded to any player on the ice at the time for the opposing team.

Via The Hockey News:

On Thursday, the AHL announced a brand new rule change to prevent any further occurrences of this sort, instituting an automatic game misconduct for the offending goaltender and allowing for the opposing team to select any shooter from the ice to take the penalty shot on the replacement goaltender.

In case you missed the play, the Sound Tigers released a new camera angle showing Leggio’s clearly blatant dislodging of the net:

So Roundtable . . . What do you think of the conclusion of the Leggio saga? Should the AHL allowed more referee discretion on plays like this one to award a goal for the opposing team?

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Every once in a while a play comes around that forces a change in hockey’s rule book. One of the most famous was the Sean Avery rule, concerning the forward’s unique method of screen goaltender Martin Brodeur, or Los Angeles forward Jarret Stoll’s hand on the puck defensive zone faceoff rule that went into effect after the Kings’ 2012 Stanley Cup run. Detroit fans are probably still clamoring for some rule changes after this horrendous no goal call last week.

On Sunday the AHL had a play likely to lead to a rule change in the not too distant future. Bridgeport Sound Tigers goaltender David Leggio pulled an interesting little trick in a game against Springfield:

Call it bush league or call it whatever you want, but Leggio successfully ended a two-on-none shorthanded breakaway coming at him by blatantly knocking the net off its pegs, giving Falcons forward Dana Tyrell a penalty shot. Leggio proceeded to stop the attempt, making the play all that more ingenious.

Afterwards via Twitter, the 30-year-old goalie played coy about the crafty maneuver, using the opportunity to plug his goalie clinics:

We teach knocking off nets in the summer at Leggio Goaltending, along with fixing a “broke” strap and patching bad ice when your tired

— Leggio Goaltending (@LeggioGoaltend) November 3, 2014

Thanks Mr Deadspin! “@Deadspin: Brilliant goalie knocks over his own net rather than face a 2-on-0: http://t.co/Tr1fFkFQsH”

— David Leggio (@DLeggio33) November 3, 2014

So Roundtable . . . What do you think of Leggio’s decision? Was it intelligent or bush league? What is the most unusual thing you’ve seen at an AHL game?

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