From Slam! Sports Hockey...

http://www.slam.ca/Slam031210/nhl_nas2-cp.html

Trotz: Predators expect to make playoffs

By BILL BEACON -- The Canadian Press

It's always a little touchy talking to an NHL coach on the day one
of his confreres gets fired, but Barry Trotz of the Nashville
Predators can feel secure these days.

Hours after the floundering Washington Capitals gassed coach Bruce
Cassidy, Trotz spoke on a conference call about his five-years-and-
counting tenure with the ever-improving Predators.

Trotz is the only coach there has been in Nashville, which joined
the NHL as an expansion club in 1998. His 436 games ties Toronto
Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn for the fifth-longest current streak
with the same club.

"It's tough with expectations," Trotz said. "Obviously,
(Washington) felt they weren't meeting their expectations.

"I've been very fortunate. I think our owner (Craig Leipold) and
general manager (David Poile) understand that we have to develop
players. I'm a better coach than I was four years ago and I've been
through the hard times with the players."

The Predators ended a franchise-high six-game winning streak with a
4-1 loss in St. Louis on Sunday. They take a 14-11-1-0 record into a
game Thursday at home against the Los Angeles Kings.

Nashville sits seventh in the Western Conference and, while few
predict the rookie-laden club will make the playoffs for the first
time, Trotz said the Predators have reached the point where they
have expectations of their own.

"In our dressing room, we feel that we're there," Trotz
said. "That's a big step in a franchise's history, when your team
feels they should be in the playoffs and knows they can be there."

The small-market Predators have been built mainly through the
draft, led by picks like David Legwand, Scott Hartnell, Adam Hall,
Denis Arkhipov and Dan Hamhuis.

But the big surprise this season was rookie defenceman Marek
Zidlicky, who shares the team lead in scoring with 18 points with
Legwand.

The Predators obtained the rights to Zidlicky, a Czech who was
starring in the Finnish league, and two other players on Dec. 12,
2002 in the deal that send goaltender Mike Dunham to the New York
Rangers.

He joined the Predators this season and has become point man on
their power play, replacing the departed Andy Delmore.

"I've got two guys now, Kimmo Timonen and Zidlicky, who can run any
power play in the NHL," said Trotz. "He was a really good find."

Zidlicky is one of nine rookies used by the Predators this season,
one fewer than the Florida Panthers have dressed, but have still
managed a winning record.

Another rookie is Jordin Tootoo, the feisty winger who became the
first player of Inuit descent ever to play in the NHL.

Tootoo has one goal, two assists and is minus-4 in 22 games this
season, and Trotz is considering sending him to Milwaukee of the AHL
for seasoning.

The 20-year-old Tootoo has been a healthy scratch in four of the
last seven games. In each of the three games he played, he saw fewer
than six minutes of ice time.

"We want to make sure Jordin is progressing," said Trotz. "I've
talked to him about it.

"He lost a bit of ice time with guys like Scott Walker coming back
and now with (Andreas) Johansson coming back so I put it in his mind
to go down and be the top dog and play a lot of minutes.

"But it's not going to happen right away, anyway."

Trotz has liked what he's seen of Tootoo, who plays like a human
cannon ball and seems to be at the centre of every scuffle.

"He brings a lot of energy and gets some big hits," said Trotz. "He
can really irritate another team and put them off their game.

"He's going to be a catalyst for the Predators for a long time."