Jamie Lundmark Vs. the NHL EDITED BASED ON NEW INFORMATION

Edit: Thanks to some new information from Seth Lake from On The Forecheck we know that the below speculation on why Lundmark left the Predators organization is false.  Since I don't believe in erasing something that I've published, and as such I will leave the below text.  If you read it understand that while the intent may still be true, Lundmark is not an example of a "better fit" player being chosen over a more highly skilled player.  I wish Jamie and all his family the best.

Any Predators fan that follows On The Forecheck probably read last night about how Jamie Lundmark has chosen to leave the Milwaukee Admirals farm team in order to play in a European league. Just last season the Predators and Admirals dealt with a similar happening when Ben Eaves, brother of Red Wing Patrick Eaves, announced his retirement early in the 2009-2010 season, possibly because he didn’t make the big club, only to later come out of retirement in order to play for Jokerit of the Finnish SM-liiga. Similar to Eaves, myself and other Predators fans have speculated that Lundmark choose to leave the Admirals because players such as Steve Bégin, Chris Mueller, Linus Klasen, and, recently, Andreas Thuresson have all, at one point or another, received a call-up to the big league.

The call-up of Thuresson may have been the final straw for Lundmark. The fine writers over at Admiral Round Table even expressed confusion as to why Thuresson got the call. What stood out to me is when writer Ryan expressed the notion that there were other players, like Predators prospect Matt Halischuck, that deserved the shot at the majors more than Thuresson. Ryan further said something that I wholly agree with; he noted, “I’m sure there’s a reason why they chose him.” He then goes on to cite several solid reasons why the Preds would want Thuresson over another player.

Maybe his previous NHL experience. Maybe he fits tonight’s game plan better than others. Maybe they were tired of dressing Wade Belak and wanted someone who could play some D. Maybe it’s just for depth. 

I am an adamant supporter of the notion that you do not always want the most skilled player, you want the right player for the job. It is a belief that I’ve held since I was a junior varsity athlete. It is also why I believe that Alex Ovechkin was not the best choice of captain of the Washington Capitals when you’ve got guys like Brooks Laich in the locker room.

After Nashville’s game against the San Jose Sharks I think anyone would be hard pressed to say that Thuresson wasn’t the write man for the job. He came out, played a solid physical, defensive minded game, and skated for just over 14 minutes. A major problem for the Predators this season is that injuries hampered the team’s ability to run complete scoring lines. A player like Thuresson is able to come on board, play the grinding role, and allow for the offensive to get things done in the offensive zone.

On a team of decimated centers it has to be frustrating to never get a call from Nashville, but the Predators do not seem to believe that Lundmark one of the pieces needed to help the work through the injury woes. Lundmark may have had an opportunity one day with the Preds, but after spending eight years trying to become an NHL regular I’m sure that the European pastures seem quite a bit greener.