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Who is Nashville’s most frustrating player?

Jason Arnott

** FILE ** In this Feb. 28, 2009 file photo, Nashville Predators center Jason Arnott waves to the stands after scoring his third goal of the game for a hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn. Arnott scored 33 goals for the season despite being out most of March with a concussion as the Predators missed making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

AP

Every now and then, Pro Hockey Talk will ask for insight from some of the best team bloggers out there. For this feature, we asked a simple question: “Who is your team’s most frustrating player?” Just for fun, Brandon and I also provided our “guesses” as to who that player might be. First, here are our guesses for Nashville.

Brandon: Jason Arnott

There’s no way you can watch Arnott night after night, and not think of how he’ll always be a guy with a lot of potential. He’s good, for sure, but dang he could have been great.

James: Jason Arnott

Is it human nature to expect too much from bigger players? Maybe. Still, from his injury history to his dazzling talents and size, it’s frustrating that Arnott is somehow less than the sum of those parts.

We asked Chris Burton to represent the Nashville Predators. Chris is a member of the On the Forecheck staff and also contributes to my “other” blog Cycle like the Sedins. Make sure to check out his work.

Chris: Jason Arnott

I see you, Stars and Devils fans. You’re nodding your heads already because you know whats coming. While the spotlight may not be as bright as it was in Dallas or New Jersey, the head scratching is the same. Jason Arnott is a player with all the tools. On paper or in the workout room, he’s a superstar. You’d be hard pressed to find many other 6'5 centers with good hands, great face-off skills, good skating ability, and a monstrous slap shot. But those same tools are what makes him my biggest source of frustration.

More from Chris on Arnott after the jump

Arny can’t seem to decide whether or not he wants to be Nashville’s most dominant offensive player. When he flips that switch, there’s no one better on the roster, as he showed last year during a stretch which saw him set the franchise record for goals in a season by scoring 17 points (12 goals) in 9 games. Unfortunately, you’re likely to only get two of these stretches per year. The rest of the time, he’ll have 2 goals and 4 assists in 12 games and look like he’s playing with cinder blocks for skates. If that weren’t frustrating enough, he’s also the team captain. Take an inventory in your mind of the league’s older and more accomplished captains. Langenbrunner, Iginla, Morrow - I can’t remember the last time one of those guys took a game, or even a shift off. Arnott seems to be asleep at the wheel multiple times a game. I can’t understand why a player with the immense talent that Jason has doesn’t take over contests on a regular basis, but then again, I’ve never played NHL hockey.

Jason has elite level skills, and has pretty much played on the Predators’ top line since he arrived in town. What we’ve gotten, however, is second line production. For a guy whose contemporaries are Chris Pronger, Paul Kariya, Kimmo Timonen, Saku Koivu, Pavol Demitra, and others, its a little disappointing. I can’t complain too much, though. When motivated, Arnott is a joy to watch, and he’s brought good on and off-ice leadership to a young Nashville team that sorely needed it.

(Thanks to Chris for his great response. Again, you can follow his work at On the Forecheck and Cycle like the Sedins.)