NASHVILLE, Tenn – Silverware was oh so close for the Nashville Predators. Tantalizingly close as the Predators fell in the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Preds acquitted themselves well in Games 1 and 2 and were outstanding in their two home games tying the series at 2-2 before losing the next two games and series by 
shutout.
Injuries were certainly an issue but the Cup chase has always been about attrition and the Predators and head coach Peter Laviolette ran out of bodies to put up front.
Nashville is built on Laviolette’s philosophy of defense first and second. The defensive top four of Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and P. K. Subban for the Predators carried them to the Stanley Cup Final.
All four scored or contributed to the Final series and were instrumental in the Preds getting back in the series on home ice after being stung in the first two games in Pittsburgh.
Where the Predators need help is the forward corps. And they need players who stay cool in a crisis like a penalty situation.
Too many times in the Final the Predators aggravated an already touchy set up with a silly penalty to make it a 5-on-3 power play for the Penguins.That left a tired defensive corps.
And that may be the reason why James Neal was left off the protected list by Nashville for the expansion draft. Neal has been a quality addition to the Preds’ lineup but his undisciplined approach to his game is and will be a liability.
If the Las Vegas Golden Knights take Neal in the expansion draft then the Predators will shed a $5+ million annual salary and leave themselves the opportunity to add quality on the forward lines.
Available at the 30th spot in this year’s PHN Mock NHL Entry Draft is Maxime Comtois of the Victoriaville Tigres in the QMJHL.
Comtois is a 6′ 200-poind left wing who scouts see as a steady producer and committed player.
His first season for the Tigres was a successful debut in 2015-16 when he picked up 60 points on 26 goals through 62 games. That output seemed to have been a set up for his sophomore year but he did not build off that success and his early production in the most recent season was a tail off.
Those struggles were a bit perplexing given that Comtois had an exceptional show in the summer of 2016 with the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup when he had four goals and five points in five games. But he lost that momentum.
PHN’s Serge Poulin has seen Comtois play for two seasons and offered an assessment of the player.
“Maxime Contois he is a great player, he will play in the NHL in my opinion in two or three years, I think he will need time in the AHL,” Poulin said for this report. “He is a good skater already but I think he will need to work on his speed to be at NHL level.
“Maxime has great hockey sense, great vision could be a power forward able to score between 20 or 25 goals in the NHL . He is very coachable for a head coach a player a coach like to work with, to have on his team. He has great shot, aren’t afraid of rough stuff.”
“A character player with leadership quality,” Poulin added.
What appeals to scouts about Comtois is his steady response to his struggles on the ice.
Last summer, Comtois participated in a two-game series between Team QMJHL and a Russian team where he struck twice for goals in the series.
A non-reactionary player would suit the Nashville Predators who possess plenty of emotion and fire already and need a player who can remain calm and carry on.
“Maxime Comtois is highly skilled and highly competitive in a positive sense, which is a good thing for any team that has him on the ice,” is what Dan Marr, Director of NHL Central Scouting has said of Comtois.
Comtois is not the fastest of skaters but has been reported to have speed to separate from defensemen in the zone and attach the slot; with his size and determination that may be enough to get him picked in the first round.
“I go to the rink, and I want to work,” Comtois was quoted saying in an NHL.com feature. “I like to go to the net and make a difference each and every game.”
With the 30th pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the Western Conference Champions Nashville Predators select Maxime Comtois from the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL.”
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