Numbers don't lie, Preds creating buzz

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- We recently suggested to an NHL general manager that Nashville GM David Poile faced a kind of "Sophie's Choice" when it came to defensemen Ryan Suter and Shea Weber .

At some point, Poile will have to make the almost impossible choice between two of the top defensemen in the game, one of whom (Suter) can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, while the other (Weber) will become a restricted free agent. Whether or not Poile can do enough to impress upon Suter and Weber that the Preds are on the right track could determine the franchise's path for years to come.

But this GM insisted the analogy didn't work because the Predators aren't necessarily facing a life or death situation a la Meryl Streep. Instead, he allowed that while the team faces a difficult situation to be sure in trying to lock up both defensemen long-term, it doesn't necessarily have to have a cataclysmic effect on the team.

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