It’s been a busy offseason in Smashville. Since the last episode of It’s All Your Fault, the Nashville Predators have traded Ryan Ells, lost Calle Järnkrok in the expansion draft, re-signed Mikael Granlund to a four-year contract and made a whole slew of moves on the first day of free agency. Plus: Prospect Luke Prokop announced he was gay -- he’s the first player to do so while under NHL contract. This week, co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling discuss all those headlines and more, including what David Poile means when he says “competitive rebuild.” Also: It looks like Poile didn’t get his way in the expansion draft, as reports suggest he was hoping Seattle would take Matt Duchene -- is he losing his touch? And what the hell were the Montreal Canadiens thinking when they drafted Logan Mailloux?

It's All Your Fault

Goodbye, the Boy Boy Calle

Beloved goalie Pekka Rinne has officially retired -- will the team lose another big name in next week’s expansion draft?Ka-boom! Did you hear that? That was the sound of the Central Division exploding. In the past week Pekka Rinne retired, the Minnesota Wild bought Ryan Suter and Zach Parise out of their contracts, Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko requested a trade and the Chicago Blackhawks traded Duncan Keith to the Oilers, a move some are saying could result in acquiring Seth Jones. This week, co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling talk about what those recent moves mean for the impending expansion draft. Did the Wild get Suter and Parise out of the way so they could protect Matt Dumba? Should the Preds go for Tarasenko if they lose Duchene or Johansen in the draft? Would the Blues dare trade Tarasenko to a Central Division rival?Also discussed: The future of Nashville’s goaltending. Is Juuse Saros ready for a 60-game season? Will David Poile invest in a veteran? Or is Connor Ingram ready to be the backup Nashville needs?Plus: Gallagher has a theory on some of the trade moves Poile might have up his sleeve in an effort to get what he wants out of the expansion draft.

Goodbye, Pekka

This week, co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling sit down for an offseason check-in and discuss some of the headlines making the rounds in Smashville. The good: Nashville will host a Stadium Series game next year! The rumored: Is Viktor Arvidsson on the trade block? (Update: Hours after recording this week’s episode, the Nashville Predators announced that Arvidsson had been traded to the L.A. Kings.)Also discussed: For the upcoming expansion draft, David Poile should save five defensemen and three forwards. But it’s not the three forwards you think it is.Plus: Pekka Rinne hasn’t announced his plans for next season. Might he return?

Goodbye, Arvi

With Nashville's season over, co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling reflect on what went wrong, what went right and what next season's team might look like. In July the Seattle Kraken get to choose one player from every NHL team in the expansion draft. Teams are allowed to protect a small number of players from being drafted, so who will the Preds save? Will they keep their defensive core together? Or will they focus on the forwards? Also discussed: The Seattle Kraken are expected to announce their head coach by the end of the month. Seling has a few thoughts on who should get the job.

Expansion Expectations

During last week's episode co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling wondered if the home-ice advantage -- and the notoriously loud Bridgestone crowd -- would give the Preds the spark they needed to defeat the Canes in Games 3 and 4. The answer was heard loud and clear: Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Even back in Carolina for Game 5, the Nashville Predators challenged the Canes with newfound confidence and stamina, purposefully breaking up the pace of the game to make it difficult for the Canes to build momentum. Is this the best the team has played all season? Without a doubt. Can they keep it up for two more games? Also discussed: Does Canes Coach Rod Brind'Amour have the refs wrapped around his finger? Plus: Will Thursday's late 8:30 p.m. start time throw off the players' internal clocks and pre-game rituals?

Predictable Unpredictability

On this week's episode, cohosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling recap the team's first two games against the Carolina Hurricanes. What went wrong? Was the lack of producing on the power play the only issue on the ice? Also discussed: When Coach Hynes was asked about the team's performance after Game 2, he got defensive, dodged a question and wondered whether or not the reporters were watching the same game he was watching. Does the franchise have a healthy relationship with the media? Or are they unable to take criticism? Plus: Predictions about Games 3 and 4 -- will an enthusiastic home crowd give the guys the spark they need?

Plagued by the Power Play

What's there to talk about this week other than Pekka Rinne's possible retirement? This week cohosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling reminisce on what the goalie has brought to not just the franchise but also the city of Nashville throughout his career with the Predators. They also have a few ideas regarding how to immortalize the man. A statue, of course! Where should it go? What should I look like? Should there be more than one? Also discussed: The team is considered the underdogs going into Round 1 of the playoffs, but Gallagher has some impressive numbers that might make fans rethink the team's chances against Carolina.Plus: This season's superlatives! Who won Best Goal Celebration, the Worth Their Weight in Gold award and Most Underrated? Listen in to find out.

The Pekka Appreciation Pod

Tanner Jeannot. That's what this week's episode is about. Tanner Jeannot and his magical ability to send grown men tumbling across the ice.Cohosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling also make time to discuss the Nashville Predators' lack of cohesive identity and what the team needs to do if they hope to make it past Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. (They're going to have to stop relying so much on Juuse Saros, for starters.) Also discussed: Is this team, as it exists now, capable of making a run for the Stanley Cup in the 2021-22 season? Plus: Tanner Jeannot!

This Is a Tanner Jeannot Podcast Now

Wow, OK, so the Preds are really doing this. It's entirely possible that they're going to make the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This week, IAYF cohosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling take a look at what needs to happen in the remaining games for the Preds to clinch that fourth spot in the Central Division, as well as how things could shake out in the case of a (very possible) tie with the Dallas Stars.One crucial step: The team must win this Saturday's game against the Dallas Stars. It's squeaky bum time!Also discussed: Is John Hynes playing Juuse Saros too much? That 7-4 loss to the Florida Panthers wasn't the defensemen's fault! And will some teams really have a nine-day break before the playoffs as other teams catch up on games that were postponed due to COVID-19? Plus: Why David Poile shouldn't make a big trade for a star center in the offseason.

Don't Mess With the Mojo

In February, when the Nashville Predators had one of the worst power plays in the league, you would've been hard-pressed to find a fan who truly believed the team could make the playoffs. Oh, what a difference a couple of months -- and an Eeli Tolvanen -- makes!Now, the Preds are battling it out with the Dallas Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks for fourth place in the Central Division, with eight games to go in the shortened season. This week, IAYF co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling discuss how the team got here (hint: it was the young dudes), and what could happen if the Preds make it to the postseason.Also discussed: What does Carolina have that the Preds don't? Could Matt Duchene be happy as a winger? And what should the Preds do with that long-forgotten Smashville pedal tavern?Plus: Gallagher tells you everything you need to know about new Preds signees Tomáš Vomáčka and Marc Del Gaizo.

Sweet Carolina

Things get a little heated this week as co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Megan Seling and special guest J.R. Lind discuss whether or not David Poile should've made a big move before the trade deadline. Sure, the team has been winning lately, but the start of a season was a much different story! Did recency bias keep him from investing in the franchise's future with draft picks and prospects?Also discussed: Is Tanner Jeannot the next Dustin Byfuglien? And was Poile publicly taunting the players in a recent press conference?Plus: Post-season predictions!

For Argument's Sake

It's a very special edition of It's All Your Fault this week as Justin Bradford of Penalty Box Radio joins co-hosts Michael Gallagher and Geert De Lombaerde to talk about all things Preds. Not only is Bradford the editor-in-chief at Penalty Box, but he's also the Commissioner of SECHC Hockey and the author of the book The Making of Smashville. If it's Nashville hockey, Bradford knows all there is to know.

Special Guest Justin Bradford

The youth movement, the youth movement, the youth movement. For months IAYF co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling have been begging the Preds coaching staff to trust the youth movement. And now that they finally are, look at what's happening! A six-game winning streak! Eelie Tolvanen scoring game-winning overtime goals and popping up in discussions about the Calder Memorial Trophy. And players insisting they have to "keep the core together" no matter what! But will Hynes and Co. let the young guys, this new "core," keep their much-earned ice time when the more experienced players return from injury? What about if the team makes the playoffs? Will Tolvanen, Alexandre Carrier, Yakov Trenin and Mathieu Olivier still get their chance?Also discussed: Gallagher digs deep into stats to make a case for trading Matt Duchene and Seling mocks hockey players for their terrible musical tastes.

Don't Mess With a Good Thing

Well, well, well, look what we have here. A winning hockey team! The Nashville Predators have won four of their past five games. Some of the younger guys who've had to step up to fill in for injured players are starting to gel and spirits appear to be high as the teammates joke with one another on and off the ice. It's quite a change from a couple of weeks ago when the playoffs felt impossible and fans were chanting "Fire Hynes" at home games.This week, co-hosts Michael Gallagher, Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling wonder how this recent uptick might impact the franchise's plans to make big moves before the trade deadline or start a much-discussed rebuild in the offseason. And while things are going well now, what will happen to that chemistry when some of the injured players start returning to the game?Also discussed: If Poile had to choose between Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene, who should stay? Plus: Will referee Tim Peel's hot mic incident cause the league to be more transparent about the officiating?

So Are We Rebuilding or What?

Earlier this week Michael Gallagher asked, sincerely, "What keeps you watching Preds games?" The answers were interesting. WhileSome folks said they were ride-or-die fans, in it until the bitter end. Others said they tuned in to see what the younger talent can do. This week, Gallagher and his IAYF co-hosts Geert De Lombaerde and Megan Seling talk about the importance of the team's youth movement. Not only are these rookies holding the team together in the face of a staggering amount of injuries in a disastrous season, but they're also what's keeping the fanbase interested. Trust the youth, John Hynes and David Poile!Also discussed: Some positive news about the team's power play and Calle Jarnkrok the Great.Plus: What a Gritty-inspired romance novel might look like. Ooh la la.

Have Preds Fans Given Up?

"It's All Your Fault" is a Nashville Predators podcast from the Nashville Scene