OPINION

By Craig Custance

updated 9:27 p.m. ET Oct. 8, 2008

His reaction when talented forward Alexander Radulov bolted to Russia was understandable. Nashville G.M. David Poile was flabbergasted. And that's his word.

But there's hope, at least long-term.

"As flabbergasted as I was when he signed there, I would be more if he doesn't come back here," Poile told Sporting News.

Poile doesn't mean this week, or month, or even this season. But in the world of Russian contracts, and Swiss arbitrators, anything is possible.

So when the Predators open the season at St. Louis Friday night, it'll be without Radulov — and it'll also be without an expensive player to replace him.

The Predators passed on signing still available free-agent forwards like Glen Murray or Mark Parrish, and they didn't make a panicked trade built around young assets to get an established veteran.

Instead, the Preds are using Radulov's departure to give an opportunity to young forwards like Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones.

"It was good for me," Hornqvist said.

Yes, it was.

But the decision is being met with a wide-range of skepticism. Based primarily on the departure of the highly-skilled Radulov, combined with offseason gains of other division teams, we picked the Predators to finish last in the Central Division.

John Glennon, the Nashville beat writer for The Tennessean, did some polling and, despite the fact Nashville has made the playoffs four consecutive years, he had a hard time finding any national publication picking them to make it this year.

Don't forget, Nashville gave the champion Red Wings a first-round scare during the playoffs last season.

Somewhere between the doom and gloom of preseason predictions and the team that pushed the Stanley Cup champs to six games, sits this year's version of the Predators.

"We don't have that pure, make-something-out-of-nothing threat. Where our growth should be and where we should improve is on defense," coach Barry Trotz told SN. "All our young defensemen played against (Henrik) Zetterberg and (Pavel) Datsyuk. They're a year older, more experienced. Hopefully their growth is a littler more. Up front, I think we're less experienced."

But don't look to Poile or Trotz for excuses. They've been part of the organization from the beginning, and if they've learned anything in Nashville, it's this: There's always going to be a distraction.

There's ownership issues. A low payroll. A defection. Rumors of a franchise move to Kansas City, or Vegas, or Canada — depending on who you ask.

Heck, Jason Arnott's house went up in flames last week, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

The season hasn't even started yet, and there's plenty of excuses for the Predators to grab onto.

Poile and Trotz won't allow it.

"I've found from being in this business a long time that there's always going to be a curveball sent to you," Poile said. "You don't know when it's going to be. There's no season that everything goes the way you envision it."

Instead, the Predators grasp organizational philosophies that have made them a winning franchise despite the turmoil.

Poile met with scouts and coaches, and instead of rushing to replace Radulov, he once again placed his trust in those who evaluate talent.

They said give Hornqvist a chance. This is a guy who tied Peter Forsberg's scoring records in Sweden. He's a player who led Sweden in goals during the World Championships, making an easy adjustment to the smaller ice.

They said give Jones a chance. He's a player who doesn't mind going to the net, playing down low and creating havoc in front of opposing goalies.

"It means they have faith in the younger guys, they're going to give younger guys an opportunity that maybe you wouldn't get with another organization," Jones said. "There's a little added pressure to perform, but it's good pressure. You want that."

So you can pick against Nashville's return to the playoffs. It's an easy argument to support, especially considering the additions made by other teams in their division. We did it.

But in the meantime, they'll continue cultivating their core of young talent. And by the way, at some point they'll get Radulov back.

"That's an unresolved situation. It may get resolved next week, it may get resolved next month. It may drag on for years," Poile said. But he added: "He's certainly not going to be over there his whole career."

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