Predators coach Laviolette looking forward to 'super competitive' training camp
New Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette, just the second head coach in the 16-year history of the franchise, is used to being hired in midseason. In his two most recent stops as an NHL bench boss, the American born coach was hired in the middle of the year and had to adjust on the fly.
In Nashville, Laviolette has an opportunity to work with a team from the beginning of training camp and he's excited about it. From accredited Predators blog Section 303:
I can’t wait. It’s a time where you can really start to form an identity and mold a group into a unit of one. Where you can build a group to go out and beat to the same drum. You don’t get to do that when you get hired mid-season. It’s very difficult to implement things as games are going on.
The last time I was hired (by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009), I got hired and then we played that night. It’s difficult to jump into a team like that. Even learning faces and learning a little bit about the guys and getting an opportunity to talk to them in practice and watch them. You gain all of that in training camp along with implementing a game plan.
Beyond whiteboard sessions with his new group, Laviolette swears that he'll be using training camp to evaluate everybody in the Predators organization. To hear him tell it, there are spots on the roster available for the taking.
"Training camp is going to be super competitive, I really believe that," the veteran head coach said. “All players — not just forwards but players in general — have an opportunity to make a statement. Even if you can see yourself slotted on the team somewhere, do you see yourself slotted on the top line? Do you see yourself slotted on the top penalty kill unit? Do you see yourself as a player that’s on the ice with a minute left on the clock? All of these situations get to be evaluated."
This summer the Predators placed low-leverage bets on veterans like Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribeiro and Derek Roy, all of whom signed affordable one-year contracts. Between that mix of veterans looking to rebuild their value and remain in the league, and Predators' prospects like Calle Jarnkrok, Filip Forsberg, and Colton Sissons set to push for an everyday job in the NHL, Laviolette's "super competitive" description may prove accurate.
"We’re in a position this year where I truly feel like somebody’s going to surprise you," continued Laviolette. "Somebody’s going to come out and make the case that they deserve more minutes. They’re going to get that chance."