Prehistoric Report: 2014-15 Review 2015-08-11 Nashville, TN - It was a rollercoaster of a season for the Nashville Predators. From winning the inaugural draft lottery to draft Sidney Crosby #1 overall, to a lackluster season where expectations were low – to surprisingly winning the superdraft lottery to secure the rights to young phenom, Connor McDavid. It's been an adventurous season as GM Eric Wolf simply put. “You never anticipate winning the lottery. But to win it twice in one season – arguably the most important two lotteries the EHE will ever see, you almost feel as though this has been scripted for a major motion picture or something.” Wolf joked. Many general managers around the league treated the first regular season as a bit of a 'test run' for their franchises. It was a shortened season, and the first one in the EHE's history. Some general managers chose a competitive path right out the gates, some took wait and see approaches, some took build for the future approaches – but Wolf, somewhat had a different idea. “We've stated many times that we view this season as an extended overall outlook of our team. Where do our players fit? What will we need to address for our future success? Will our strategies we have in place be sufficient to challenge for the cup? With it being a shortened season, we were more concerned about getting all of our questions answered as opposed to competing for the cup – and our fans knew that.” And it rang true. The Predators finnished 13th in the western conference, 23rd overall in the league. With a record of 20-22-6 for 46 points. The Predators were simply too young, and lacked the necessary depth to keep pace in the playoff picture – although they held onto a wildcard spot by a string for some time. Eventually as the season progressed, they couldn't hold onto what little momentum they had. The season ended disappointingly for the fans, but an unexpected light shone on the organization that ended up capping a happy ending to the teams season instead of disappointment. They won the superdraft lottery. “I couldn't believe it when commissioner Kevin Lacy announced we had won the superdraft lottery. When he revealed the golden plated card with our sexy saber tooth tiger logo on it, I couldn't believe that a team that finished 23rd overall, won with such little odds. That was the highlight of our entire season right there.” And with that, Connor McDavid found his home – with the Nashville Predators. A team that is already led by Sidney Crosby, will have the addition of McDavid, who is touted as the next Crosby. On the same team, together. “We're ecstatic. To have these two players as the poster boys for our team for many years to come, it feels as though this is the beginning of a dynasty. That's the feeling we have around these hallways at the Bridgestone arena right now.” The Nashville Predators held a total 8 picks, and here's how their summary went down. 1st Overall - Connor McDavid 24th Overall – Timo Meier 38th Overall – Anthony DeAngelo 68th Overall – Daniel Sprong 80th Overall – Jansen Harkins 165th Overall – David Kase 177th Overall – Samuel Dove-McFalls 187th Overall – Ethan Bear The Nashville Predators seem to be anchoring more and more top players amongst the ranks of their team, with the likes of Crosby, McDavid, Monahan, Skinner, Hertl, Severson – and prospects now in the pipeline such as Timo Meier, Anthony DeAngelo, Madison Bowey, Daniel Sprong, Jansen Harkins, the teams future is looking as bright as the goal horn that will be flashing when McDavid lights the lamp against the Buffalo Sabres. Many question the direction Wolf has in store for his franchise moving forward. In his first season, we saw him make moves that focused primarily on the future of the team. “That was our strategy.” Wolf admitted. “We felt we'd utilize season one in accumulating future assets. It may have looked like we were rebuilding, but I don't like to call it that. We took advantage of season one to see where all our chips lay. To build team chemistry, to build a philosophy that will give us the best opportunity to be a top organization in this league. You saw us sit back in 2014-2015, but starting next season – that's where we begin our rise to the top. We will solely focus on developing our players from within' the organization. We've accumulated the assets, now we build as a team. As soon as the puck drops for the 2015-2016 our goal is to make the playoffs and to make the playoffs every season after that. I don't believe in rebuilds. You get good, and then you find ways to stay good. I want the fans to know we are ready to be a competitive team in this league now.” Wolf said. And Wolfs' claims may just be ringing true, as he re-acquired original Preds draft pick – Brayden Scheen, along with Willie Mitchell, and a 2nd round pick in exchange for the Predators 1st round pick in 2016. Wolfs first deal with a 'win now' mentality behind it. “I'm very happy to add Schenn back to the fold. We had originally drafted him, but dealt him before the season began. It's been in the back of my mind all year. We went out and re-aquired him today. He's immediately a top 6 player for us that can play on the wing of Crosby or Monahan up and down the line-up. When you draft a player – you sort of develop this bond between player and organization, and in a sense it feels like we are kind of bringing him back home to the team that drafted him. He had a successful year in Pittsburgh, but as far as I'm concerned, he's a Predator for the long haul now.” Wolf explained. The Predators will turn their sights to free agency now, “We'll be active, but I won't be making any sporadic moves. I comprehend we have holes in the roster as of right now, but we also need to tread caution. Free agency is a chaotic time, and some teams handcuff themselves on free agency day. If something makes sense, we'll pursue it.” Wolf said in a final statement. The Predators team, although extremely deep at the center position and many top prospects in the fold, it's evident they continue to lack a couple of top 6 forwards, a top 4 defenseman, and a number 1 goalie they can count on. Bringing in Schenn and Mitchell in a trade today helps remedy some of the holes, but work still needs to be done. And a solution may be on its way sooner, rather than later. Unitl next summer, stayed tuned for the Prehistoric Report.