Over the last six seasons, the Nashville Predators have been among the league?s most successful and consistent hockey teams, yet no one really talks about them. They have never won their division (the Central also features Chicago, Detroit, Columbus and St. Louis) and have never won a playoff round, but Nashville has made the playoffs in five of the last six seasons ? three times finishing second in their division to Detroit ? despite operating on a budget that puts them in the bottom third of the league. Perhaps this isn?t the right time to be analyzing their success, as they are currently ninth in the conference; though they are only one point out of the playoffs and have six fewer points than the third place team. Or perhaps that is just how the Predators want things, considering they have done such a fantastic job of being overlooked and underrated. Since the franchise began in 1998, the Predators have employed the same General Manager (Dave Poile) and same coach (Barry Trotz) for the entire time. In an era where few coaches or GMs last longer than a handful of seasons (unless they are exceptional, see: Holland, Ken), this foundation is rarely seen. Organizations demand success, and if success isn?t present, people lose their jobs. The coach is usually the first take the fall; GM second. But Poile and Trotz have formed an incredible working relationship that allows them to succeed together, not in spite of one another. And it is hard to argue with the results of either. Poile is in his 28th season as an NHL GM (15 seasons with Washington prior to joining Nashville). Trotz coached in the juniors, then the AHL where he won two Calder Cups, and now has 13 years of NHL coaching under his belt along with a Jack Adams nomination last season. It is the leadership of these two men that enable Nashville to field a competitive team year-in and year-out, as they do not have the financial means to ante up for high-priced stars. The salary cap has certainly helped, though Nashville has always been closer to the salary cap floor than its ceiling. In 2008-09 when the salary cap was at $56.7M, Nashville spent approximately $44.8M; in 2009-10 it was $56.8M and Nashville spent around $46.15M ? which, according to the Predators? official profile for Poile, ranked 28th in the league. This year they have jumped to 22nd in salary, spending $50M against a $59.4M cap. They are required by league rules to stay above the salary cap floor, which is set at $16M below the salary cap ceiling. In order to succeed on a limited budget, the brain-trust has found a winning formula built largely on drafting and developing players internally. According to Poile?s profile linked above, a franchise-record 17 draft picks suited up for Nashville last year. Among those were five Olympians, including silver-medalist Ryan Suter and gold-medalist Shea Weber. And this isn?t a team hitting on all of their high first round picks to field a competitive roster; this is a team whose scouting department has netted numerous gems in the later rounds: Captain Weber was a second round pick in 2003; starting goalie Pekka Rinne was an 8th round pick in 2004; stellar rookie backup goalie Anders Lindback was a 7th round pick in 2008; stellar sophomore defender Cody Franson was a 3rd round pick in 2005; one of their main contributors this season is Cal O?Reilly, a 5th round pick in 2005; veteran Martin Erat was a 7th round pick of the Preds in 1999; and last year?s 30-goal scorer Patric Hornqvist was the last player selected in the 2005 draft, 230th overall. For the most part, when their own players have gotten too expensive, they have allowed them to leave via free agency or traded them as they are about to leave, and replaced them with prospects internally. This November, Hockeysfuture.com rated Nashville?s farm system as #1 in all of hockey, so when time comes to part ways with someone else, the cycle will continue. Among the franchise?s top prospects is captain of Team Canada?s current World Junior team Ryan Ellis. It isn?t that the Preds refuse to spend at all costs; they only do so where they feel the value of play received matches the value of money spent. They have had big-salaried players in the past like Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg, and Jason Arnott. But they have a good history of spending wisely, save for maybe two contracts taking up a good chunk of their current cap: Martin Erat?s 7-year/$31.5M contract and David Legwand?s 6-year/$27M contract, both carrying a $4.5M cap hit that far exceeds their statistical output. In fact, Poile and the Predators are approaching their most important financial decision is a long time, and perhaps in the franchise?s modest history: team captain, Olympian, pre-season Norris candidate Shea Webber is approaching his final year of Restricted Free Agency after this season. It is beyond crucial that the Predators ink Weber to a long-term commitment this offseason (or before) and avoid losing him as an Unrestricted Free Agent after next year. Because of their short existence and limited funds, the Predators have rarely had a true face of the franchise, but Weber is the exact kind of person you want to hold that title. Off the ice he is quiet, humble, and hard-working, while on it he lets his big body and bigger slap shots do the talking (the 6?4?, 230lb defenseman had 23 goals two years ago). He is also relatable, fun to watch, a good citizen, and seems to genuinely want to be a part of what Nashville is building. The organization also has to show their fans that they are capable and willing to pay to keep the franchise?s marquee players. While Nashville has respectable attendance numbers, they still typically sit below capacity and among the bottom third of the league. Fans want to relate to their team, and with Weber making a commitment to the city, the city will no doubt make a commitment to the team. The good news is Nashville only has $33.8M in committed salary next year, well below a projected cap of $62.4M and even below the cap floor. If you add an approximate cap hit of $6M for Weber (his open-market value could be closer to $7M annually), a combined $3.5M for RFA?s O?Reilly and Sergei Kostitsyn, they are still left with around $6M in their own budget to add to their offense that could use another goal scorer and some scattered depth if they don?t have any prospects immediately knocking on the door. The Predators may sit ninth today, but don?t be surprised if they make the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years. Their experienced GM and coach won?t be surprised, because they know that they have developed a formula to enable their small market team to compete year-in and year-out: drafting, developing, and spending where it makes sense. Nick is RealGM?s NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email nick.obergan@realgm.com or on twitter @NickObergan