After a breakout 20-goal campaign earned Colin Wilson a four-year, $15.75-million contract in the offseason, the Nashville Predators forward was hoping to build on his success with "more consistency," but the season hasn't gone the way he or his team hoped.
With just five goals and 17 assists through 60 games, the 26-year-old was made a healthy scratch for the first time this season after Thursday's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and general manager David Poile is hoping it will help him raise his level of play.
"He's had an off season," Poile said, according to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. "We can't get around it. ... We're in a results-oriented business, and (Wilson) just hasn't been the same player. Hopefully, this is a wake-up call for him. He's got to find a way to play better. We all know that he can do it.
"He hasn't been anywhere near as dynamic as he was last year. He had that confidence with the puck, taking the puck to the net, shooting the puck, scoring goals. ... He's just not the same player."
Head coach Peter Laviolette called the scratch a tough decision, but stated he wanted his "best 12 forwards" on the ice. But after the loss to the Penguins prevented the Predators from clinching a playoff spot, Wilson may find himself back in the lineup sooner rather than later.
