Pulling a 180

When the NHL season began in October, the Nashville Predators were entering life without Mike Fisher, who announced his retirement a couple of months earlier. Fast forward to today, and the unexpected news that he has decided to give it one more run with the Predators. In a special press conference held by General Manager David Poile, Fisher is officially a Predator again. What does this mean? Nothing in the way of leadership, as Roman Josi will remain captain and the rest of the leadership group will retain their roles. Fisher is an added bonus in this regard, and he is expected to get caught up to speed by the February 26 trade deadline. On the ice, his penalty killing acumen, as well as his face-off prowess, are going to be big, and he will provide a little more toughness.

Now, who is expected to be moved? The easiest answer would be Pontus Aberg, who hasn't taken the step that the team thought he was going to take this season. Given that he's been a healthy scratch at times, a change in scenery would be beneficial. There is also a possibility of any of recently re-signed defensemen Yannick Weber, Matt Irwin, and Anthony Bitteto. Whatever the move that eventually has to be made, the Predators will have a hard time, as any of whoever has to go can be contributors on any other NHL team. This is what happens when depth is in abundance.

Finland Olympic Roster

The Olympic men's hockey rosters continue to take shape, as South Korea, Switzerland, and Finland all announced their rosters, with Finland formally announcing their rosters while the first two countries are taken from the ever-accurate Wikipedia. There isn't much in the way of big names as far as either South Korea or Switzerland go, with Jim Paek being the head coach of the Korean team while Jonas Hiller is the name that sticks out for Switzerland. To that end, this piece will focus on the Finnish team, so let's go.

In goal, all three goalies are currently on KHL rosters, with Mikko Koskinen and Karri Ramo likely duking it out to be starting in goal when the Olympics start. On defense, Miro Heiskanen is a player to watch, especially if you're a Dallas Stars fan, as he is the team's future on the blue line once he signs his ELC with the team. Beyond him, the blue line is largely unimposing, with some of the players having had a cup of coffee in the NHL, but little impact on that level. Up front, like on the blue line, another 2017 first round pick is a player to watch, as Eeli Tolvanen has been setting records with Jokerit of the KHL as a rookie. He is a Nashville Predators pick, and once again, leads a group of forwards that mostly features players that couldn't make the transition to the smaller North American rinks (e.g. Petri Kontiola).

The good news is that Finland is not in the same group as either the United States or Canada, who despite fielding non-current NHL players, are still strong. However, they are in the same group as Sweden, who are favored to take the group. A showing in the knockout rounds is the best they can hope for, and if they medal, it will be considered a mild upset.

Taking Shape

In recent news, four more countries have announced their men's Olympic ice hockey rosters. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and Sweden all named their players that will represent them in the Olympic Games in Korea. Let's look at each roster:

The Czech Republic will be headed up by Martin Erat, a former NHL player whose best known for his years in the Nashville Predators organization and later, a key piece that would net them Filip Forsberg in a trade. The majority of the team's roster plays in the KHL, with other notable names including Roman Cervenka, Michal Repik, and Roman Horak.

Slovakia also named the team that they will be fielding for the Olympics. They largely went with players from the Czech and Slovakian leagues, with Tomas Surovy and Ladislav Nagy being the notable players with NHL experience.

Germany named their team, too, with many of their players coming from their own league. Christian Ehrhoff and Marcel Goc are the most notable names on the roster, though they also have a few former major junior stars on their roster in Mathias Niederberger, Konrad Abeltshauser, and Marcel Noebels.

Sweden named their roster, and like Canada and the United States, their roster was compiled from leagues around the world. Their goaltending looks fairly impressive on paper, with Jhonas Enroth Viktor Fasth having had moderate success on the NHL level. The rest of the team isn't too imposing, although they do have players with decent amounts of success, including Alexander Bergstrom in the KHL. One player to potentially watch for is Rasmus Dahlin, who is eligible for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

In looking at the lineups, I have to say Germany could surprise as a dark horse candidate to medal while Sweden looks fairly strong, but whether they can strike gold again is a question. If nothing else, they may be worth a look because scouts will most likely see what Dahlin can do on the grand stage.

Your Olympians...

With the United States and Canada announcing their Olympic rosters for 2018 in PyeongChang, North Korea, it's time to size up each team's chance at Olympic gold. Given that the rosters from all the teams will be players not currently under NHL contract, this will be slightly harder to project.

First, the United States, their roster will consist of four college players not yet signed by their NHL teams (Ryan Donato, Will Borgen, Jordan Greenway, and Troy Terry), players that could never crack an NHL roster, and players that once had significant careers in the NHL. Among the most notable names on the roster include Brian Gionta, who had previously been a part of the US team in 2006, James Wisniewski, and Jim Slater. The United States opted to go with a more diverse team in terms of experience, as the aforementioned college players had also logged time with the US' U-20 squad in recent years. While not the most star-studded in terms of NHL experience, there is decent depth, and many of the players are eager to show what they can do on the international stage. One  player to watch is goaltender Ryan Zapolski, who has been playing well in the KHL for Jokerit.

Canada announced their roster a few days ago, and unlike the US, they opted to go with more experienced players. The most notable players on the team include Derek Roy, Mason Raymond, Chris Kelly, Rene Bourque, and Ben Scrivens. Christian Thomas and Quinton Howden are the youngest players on the roster, with both being 1992 birthdays. The collective goaltending unit might be better for Canada than the United States, but none on the Canadian squad scare anyone individually while up front, it is curious to see Maxim Lapierre on the roster, since his time in the NHL had largely been known as a pest. Similarly, the blue line unit may be better as the sum of the whole than the sum of the parts, as none are too great. Up front, there are former first-round picks that didn't pan out that are obviously looking to prove themselves on the international stage, with Howden, Gilbert Brule, and Wojtek Wolski making up that group.

With the rest of the Olympic rosters yet to be named, there is uncertainty as to how each country will fare. What is known is that the odds of Canada making a three-peat on the medal stand are not great, with the United States having the slight edge in terms of overall talent, particularly on the blue line and in goal. However, Canada does have the experience edge, and that may be enough to medal once again. Whether that is gold, that is where the rest of the roster announcements will have a hand in deciding that fate.