Michael Del Zotto sat out Wednesday's game against Vancouver as a healthy scratch, the Tennessean reports. "[Del Zotto]'s game has slipped, and our coaching staff has talked to him about making solid decisions, solid plays and he has gotten away from that

Del Zotto sat out Wednesday's game against Vancouver as a healthy scratch, the Tennessean reports. "[Del Zotto]'s game has slipped, and our coaching staff has talked to him about making solid decisions, solid plays and he has gotten away from that a little bit," coach Barry Trotz said.

Analysis:

When the Preds acquired Del Zotto from the Rangers back in January, Trotz originally said they were going to "let him loose" in order to capitalize on his offensive abilities, but that philosophy seems to have changed. In the 18 games he's played as a Predator, Del Zotto has zero goals and just three assists. Furthermore, he's been a dreadful liability in his own zone lately, with a combined minus-6 rating over his last three games, which no doubt prompted Wednesday's benching. Anyone who was expecting Del Zotto to return to his high-scoring ways from two seasons ago has been sadly disappointed. At this point, it remains to be seen when, or even if, he will get a chance to get back into the lineup.