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Prospect Notes: Rasanen, Niemelainen, Berglund, Farrance, Harris

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There have been many international prospects over the years that have turned to the NCAA to try to help get ready for the NHL or bolster their chances of getting drafted.  There aren’t as many that have gone the other way but it appears that’s the case with Oilers prospect Aapeli Rasanen.  The 21-year-old recently wrapped up his junior year at Boston College but Jeff Cox of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that the forward has informed the team that he’s leaving and is returning to Finland to play professionally.  Rasanen grew up playing in the Tappara so it’s likely that he would rejoin that program.

  • Still with the Oilers, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector notes that Edmonton is hoping to sign defensemen Markus Niemelainen and Filip Berglund. Both players were draft picks in 2016 and have until June 1st to sign their entry-level deals.  Niemelainen played in 55 games with Assat Pori of the Finnish SM-liiga this season while Berglund suited up in 52 contests with SHL Skelleftea, his fourth straight year of being a regular in that league.  They’re also both under contract for next season already (Berglund for two more years) but both countries have a transfer agreement with the NHL so those deals shouldn’t get in the way.
  • Predators prospect David Farrance is coming off a very strong junior year with Boston University that saw him collect 14 goals and 29 assists in just 34 games. While it certainly seems as if he’s ready to turn pro, AHL reporter Mark Divver mentions (Twitter link) that the 20-year-old hasn’t yet decided whether or not to return for his senior season.  With Nashville’s back end being filled with low salary players, it’s quite possible that Farrance could immediately make the jump to the NHL like Dante Fabbro (a Boston University alum) recently did.
  • Canadiens prospect Jordan Harris has given a verbal commitment to return to Northeastern for his junior year, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link). Last month, GM Marc Bergevin mentioned the possibility that Harris could forego the rest of his college eligibility and turn pro but that doesn’t appear to be the plan.  Harris had 21 points in 33 games this season while chipping in with a goal in five games for Team USA at the World Juniors.

Tommy Novak Signs With Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators have rewarded a minor league forward for his hard work this season, signing Tommy Novak to a two-year entry-level contract. The 22-year old Novak spent the year with the Milwaukee Admirals on an AHL contract after finishing his career at the University of Minnesota and has now earned himself a big league deal. Nashville director of player development Scott Nichol explained exactly why the Predators signed Novak:

Tommy is a person who has earned everything that he’s been given. We’ve wanted him in our system for a long time – he signed an AHL deal with Milwaukee for this season and has had a fantastic year. We love his skillset, his hockey sense, how he makes plays and how he sees the ice so well. We’re excited to have him with us for the next couple of seasons and are looking forward to seeing him continue to grow and develop as a player.

Novak recorded 42 points in his rookie AHL season, impressive enough to obviously catch the eye of the Predators. Still just 22 until the end of April there may even be room for him to experience more improvement and be a contributor at the NHL level down the line. That’s still perhaps a distant dream, but getting an NHL contract was an important step towards it.

It’s not out of the question for a player that was originally drafted 85th overall back in 2015. If he does get to the NHL he’ll join Yakov Trenin, Anthony Richard and Alexandre Carrier as selections from that draft class that have played for Nashville, an impressive crop considering they were all drafted outside the top-50.

Connor Ingram Signs Three-Year Contract

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In classic David Poile fashion, the Nashville Predators have completed a multi-year extension with one of their much lesser-known players. Connor Ingram today has signed a three-year deal that carries an average annual value of just over $733K. The contract is two-way for both 2020-21 and 2021-22, before turning into a one-way contract in 2022-23.

Ingram, 22, came over to the Predators organization this season after a tumultuous tenure with the Tampa Bay Lightning and has posted a .933 save percentage in 33 AHL starts. Still waiting on his first NHL appearance, the third-round pick will have some safety and security with this new contract.

The deal also obviously has some expansion draft value for the Predators, who will almost surely be protecting Juuse Saros, but there is also real promise in Ingram as a future NHL option. While things didn’t work out in Tampa Bay it wasn’t because of his performance on the ice. Ingram has consistently posted strong results, only strengthening the scouting takes that had him as a top goaltending prospect in 2016.

With Pekka Rinne’s struggles this season, it’s hard to imagine the Predators extending him after his current contract ends after next season. At that point the franchise goaltender would be 38 and likely near the end of his career. Saros too will be a free agent in 2021, though he will be restricted and arbitration eligible. Locking up Ingram for the next several years at least gives them some stability at the position, even if he never does become a starting NHL option.

Stretch Run Storylines: Nashville Predators

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the coming weeks, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Central Division with Nashville.

It’s been an inconsistent season for the Nashville Predators, who many felt could challenge for the Central Division title this season. Instead, the team struggled out of the gate, which included a six-game losing streak in November and by early January, general manager David Poile made a decision to let go of long-time coach Peter Laviolette and associate coach Kevin McCarthy after the team had a 19-15-7 record. The team replaced him with recently fired coach John Hynes, who took over and saw the team fight its way back into the final wild card spot, but with continued inconsistent play and several teams breathing down their necks, the team will have to fight to remain in the playoffs.

Questionable Offense

When looking at the team’s top four point producers so far this year, the Nashville Predators have two defenseman in their top four, including defenseman Roman Josi, who leads the team in scoring by far with 65 points this season. That is fine when the team runs its offense through its defense. However, the team’s first line players, however, aren’t having great seasons, which has only made things more challenging.

While there is still plenty of time left, assuming the regular season resumes, Filip Forsberg looks to be heading for a career-low in goals. After never posting lower than 26 goals in his tenure with Nashville, the 25-year-old has just 21 goals and 48 points and still hasn’t been able to take his impressive game to that next level and develop into the star that many people had envisioned.

To make matters worse, Poile went out of his way to upgrade his defense by trading away P.K. Subban in the offseason and using that new-found money to sign center Matt Duchene to give the team a second dominant center. Duchene was expected to play the role of a major point producer after posting a 31-goal, 70-point season last year between Ottawa and Columbus. However, that hasn’t translated in his first year in Nashville as he has just 13 goals and 42 points through 66 games.

If Nashville wants to ensure a trip to the playoffs and maybe even surviving a round or two, the Predators must get more consistent play from their forwards. Even Viktor Arvidsson, who has averaged 30 goals for the three previous years has just 15 goals this season.

Goaltending Issues

A year ago, there were plenty of people that would have referred to the Predators’ goaltending tandem of Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros as one of the best in the league. However, that hasn’t been the case so far this year.

The 36-year-old Rinne started a new two-year, $10MM deal this season, but few expected a major drop-off after he posted a 2.42 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 56 appearances last year. Unfortunately for the Predators, those numbers took a nosedive. In 36 games this season, Rinne has a 3.17 GAA and a .895 save percentage, which has allowed Saros to take an even bigger role, while also leaving questions on how wise it was to give Rinne two more years.

After a slow start, Saros has been much more successful and has taken on the starting role, having appeared in 16 games since February.  The 27-year-old netminder has a pedestrian 2.70 GAA in 40 appearances (a career high), but also has a .914 save percentage, winning 10 of those appearances.

The team needs Saros to continue his conversion into the team’s everyday starter, but also needs to hope that the break rejuvenates Rinne, who the team needs to bounce back and take some of the responsibility off Saros.

Coaching Transition

Often when teams fire their coaches at midseason, like the Predators did with Laviolette in January, the team hopes the change will inspire the team to take their game up a notch and show they are as talented as management had assumed at the start of the season. So far Hynes has the team at 16-11-1, only a slight improvement, yet while the team has been inconsistent since Hynes has taken over, Nashville has three three-game and three two-game winning streaks this year.

One would have to imagine that the layoff could benefit Hynes more than anything as he has more time to study tape and adjust his coaching techniques and lines to improve the team when they get back on the ice.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extension Notes: Donovan, Svedberg, Leksands

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While Matt Donovan would undoubtedly rather remain under contract with the Nashville Predators, he will settle for staying in familiar territory and continuing his relationship with the organization. The Predators’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, announced today that they had signed Donovan to a two-year AHL contract, an extension of sorts for the veteran defenseman. While Donovan only played in two games with Nashville last season and zero this season, he has been crucial piece for Milwaukee in both campaigns. An experienced two-way defenseman who has spent time in the New York Islanders organization as well as in Sweden and in the NCAA with the University of Denver, Donovan is known as a possession defenseman who can jump up into the play but can also be relied upon for physicality and defensive awareness. A top-pair defenseman for the Admirals, Donovan will continue to play a major role for the team while he sets his personal sights on playing his way back onto an NHL contract.

  • A move that flew under the radar recently – as fans hold out hope for a continued NHL season and are not thinking ahead to free agency just yet – is goaltender Niklas Svedberg resigning in Sweden. The 30-year-old netminder, and former member of the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild, was one of the best goalies in the SHL this season. Yet, despite what could be a weak goalie market this summer, Svedberg has opted to re-up with Djurgardens IF rather than test the NHL waters again. The team announced a new two-year deal with Svedberg, retaining one of their most valuable assets for a while longer. Svedberg would be 33 before he could have the chance to suit up once again in North America, which could mean that his NHL days are over. The talented keeper never quite found the right time to break into a consistent NHL role, despite strong numbers at both the NHL and AHL level – including an AHL All-Star nod in 2012-13 – as well as some stellar seasons in the KHL and SHL. It seems the veteran goalie is simply content to stay in his native country and continue to be one of Sweden’s best at his position.
  • Staying in Sweden, Leksands IF has a lot to look forward to as they have retained two young standouts in Alexander Lundqvist and Nils Aman. The team announced two-year contract extensions with both exciting young pieces, who each made their SHL debut this season. Lundqvist, 19, is the nephew of Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and a budding puck-moving defenseman in his own right. Undrafted in 2019, Lundqvist will be up for grabs again this year and should draw more attention following a 24-point campaign in the SuperElit and an eight-game stint in the SHL. At 6’2”, 183 lbs. and lauded skating ability, Lundqvist projects as a solid two-way defenseman and should step into a regular SHL role next year. Aman, 20, has a similar stature to Lundqvist but plays up front and has the numbers to prove it. Aman posted 47 points in 30 games in the SuperElit and made the most of his own eight-game stint in the SHL with three points. Aman looks ready for the top level and should slot into a consistent role next year as well. A youth movement could be coming to Leksands, who need all the help they can get after only missing the relegation game due to the league’s recent cancellation.

Patrick Harper Signs With Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators have jumped into the fray of college signings, inking Patrick Harper to a two-year entry-level contract. The young forward recently completed his senior season at Boston University and could have become an unrestricted free agent this summer, had he waited until August. Predators director of player development Scott Nichol had this to say about his newest prospect:

Patrick is a dynamic player and with his size excels in the way today’s game is played. He’s a fun player to watch – he likes having the puck on his stick, he likes to make plays and wants to score goals every game. He fits in well on the power play and uses his biggest on-ice attribute – his hockey sense – to his advantage.

That size Nichol mentions is perhaps one of the reasons that Harper wasn’t selected higher than 138th in 2016, given he stands at just 5’7″ 150-lbs.  Size wasn’t the only obstacle that the 21-year old has faced to this point however. In 2018, just after helping Team USA to a bronze medal at the World Juniors (his second appearance at the tournament, after winning gold a year prior), Harper was sidelined due to illness and missed the second half of his sophomore season with BU.

Nothing seems able to hold him back however, as the diminutive forward climbed his way back into elite company in the NCAA and was even nominated for the 2020 Hobey Baker. His 37 points in 32 games put him 14th in the country in per-game production, something he’ll try to carry over to the Predators minor league system whenever hockey resumes.

Nashville Predators Sign Cole Smith

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The Nashville Predators have landed an interesting college free agent, signing Cole Smith to a one-year entry-level contract for the 2020-21 season. The 24-year old Smith recently finished his senior season at the University of North Dakota. Predators’ AGM Jeff Kealty released a statement explaining the signing:

He is a big, strong guy who has gotten better every year. If you talk to the people at North Dakota, they just rave about the character traits that he has – his competitiveness, his drive, his physicality, all those ingredients he adds to a team in a winning environment. We feel like he’s going to be able to add all of that to our organization.

If you’re looking for a top-six scoring threat, you won’t find it in Smith. The 6’3″ winger recorded just 24 goals and 51 points in 137 games for North Dakota, instead playing depth energy role on teams that had their fair share of dynamic scoring threats.

That energy is exactly what the Predators are banking on as they give Smith his first professional opportunity. Given that he’ll turn 25 in October, he may actually battle for a fourth-line role in Nashville quite quickly, though he’ll almost surely start at the AHL level. If he can provide some physicality and polished checking ability, perhaps he can become a regular before long.

Four Players Remain Eligible To Avoid Group VI Free Agency

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With the end of the season quickly approaching, we now have clarification on most of the players that are eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this offseason.  The full list can be found here along with the breakdown of the criteria to reach this status.  However, there are four players that could still avoid being in this situation which will be worth watching for over the last few weeks.

Colby Cave (Edmonton) – A year ago, it didn’t look like Cave would be in this situation.  He spent the majority of 2018-19 in the NHL, getting into 52 games between Boston and Edmonton but failed to earn a regular role with the Oilers this season.  Instead, he has played in 43 games with their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield this season and just 11 with the big club.  That leaves him 13 games shy of remaining RFA eligible.  While he won’t get there with regular season games, playoff games count as well and he’s likely to be up with them for their playoff run.  With AHL Bakersfield well out of playoff contention, he’s someone they could recall right away if they wanted to knock some games off before the postseason starts.

Mackenzie MacEachern (St. Louis) – Of the four, this is the likeliest one to get to 80 and remain a restricted free agent as long as he doesn’t get injured in the near future.  MacEachern has spent the entirety of the season in St. Louis, albeit in a limited role as he has averaged less than nine minutes a night in 48 games while spending a lot of time as a healthy scratch.  Nonetheless, he’s just two NHL games shy of 80 and with the Blues comfortably in a playoff spot, they can afford to toss him on the fourth line a couple more times to secure his rights for another season.

Michael McCarron (Nashville) – The 2013 first-round pick saw NHL action in each of his first three pro campaigns but hasn’t since then.  Instead, he has played a more limited role in the minors and a midseason trade from Montreal to Nashville hasn’t changed his fortunes much although he has nine goals in 26 games with AHL Milwaukee.  He’s ten NHL games shy of 80 but barring a rash of injuries, he’s unlikely to make it back to the NHL this season or at least play enough to reach the threshold.

Boo Nieves (NY Rangers) – This is another one that didn’t seem likely a year ago.  Nieves played in 43 games with New York in 2018-19 and did well enough that they gave him an early one-way contract extension to avoid him hitting the UFA market as a Group VI player last season.  However, he has played in just four NHL contests this year which leaves him four shy of reaching 80.  With the Rangers’ fourth line seeing limited minutes, it’s not crazy to think that they could bring Nieves up for a week or so to give him another look and ensure they keep his rights for next season.

If any of these players get to 80 total NHL games, they will be eligible for restricted free agency with salary arbitration eligibility this summer.

West Notes: Lindholm, Garland, Josi, Boeser, Toffoli

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While the Anaheim Ducks blueline seems to be getting healthier with the pending returns of Josh Manson, Erik Gudbranson and Cam Fowler soon, the team didn’t get a positive update for the return of Hampus Lindholm. The defenseman, who is second on the team in ice time, has no timetable for a return yet and with just 14 games remaining, it’s legitimately possible that he could miss the rest of the season, according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required).

Lindholm has missed the last five games after falling awkwardly into the boards while battling for the puck with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl. The upper-body injury is part of the problem, although Stephens added that a back issue is also part of the issue. The 26-year-old has two goals and 22 points through 55 games with 71 blocks, while averaging 23:04 of ATOI.

Regardless, the team expects Manson (upper-body injury) to potentially return as early as today, while Gudbranson (upper-body injury) and Fowler (lower-body injury) are both a week or two behind him.

  • The Arizona Coyotes announced that forward Conor Garland will be out “week-to-week” after suffering a lower-body injury Friday against Calgary. The injury occurred when Garland collided with Flames’ goaltender Cam Talbot. It’s a tough blow for Arizona as Garland leads the team in goals scored with 22.
  • The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry. The incident happened at 15:13 of the second periond (video here) in which Josi cross checked Perry in the head after the play was over. Josi received a two-minute minor, although many have suggested that he should have received a five-minute major instead. Perry was a constant target in Saturday’s game after he received a five-game suspension during the Winter Classic after knocking Ryan Ellis out with a dirty hit. Ellis missed 20 games with a concussion.
  • The Vancouver Canucks look to be getting back forward Brock Boeser soon. The 23-year-old forward, who has been out since Feb. 8 with a rib injury, and while he is not expected to play today, Boeser feels that he “is close” to returning, likely later this week, according to Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma. He participated in a game-day skate with the team in full-contact gear. Boeser has 16 goals and 45 points in 56 games and should immediately upgrade the team’s top-six.
  • Sticking with the Canucks, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that Vancouver is unlikely to be able to retain the services of Tyler Toffoli after this season. The forward was acquired from Los Angeles at the trade deadline for Tim Schaller, prospect Tyler Madden a second-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick based on whether the Canucks could sign him to an extension. Already dealing with cap issues, Vancouver still has to give out new contracts to goaltender Jacob Markstrom and defenseman Chris Tanev. Toffoli, who is currently making $4.6MM, might be too expensive to hold onto, although there is always the possiblity that the team moves out some contracts to make it happen. Toffoli has five goals and eight points in eight games since arriving in Vancouver.

Snapshots: Three Stars, EBUG, Pittsburgh

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and a great story of redemption comes in at the top. Kevin Fiala, who was made a healthy scratch earlier in the year, had four multi-point games in one week and now sits at a career-high 49 points on the season. The 23-year old forward has always oozed talent, but would disappear for stretches during his time with the Nashville Predators. In eight games with new head coach Dean Evason, Fiala has six goals and 11 points.

Second place goes to a former teammate of Fiala in Ryan Ellis, whose return to the Predators lineup was a strong one after missing time with a concussion. The defenseman recorded seven points last week and now has 36 on the year. If you hadn’t realized just how well Pavel Francouz was playing for the Colorado Avalanche, how about a 3-0 week with a .946 save percentage to let the world know. The goaltender took home the third star after receiving the top honors last week.

  • It is the first day of the GM meetings in Florida, and one of the topics of conversation was the emergency backup goaltender situation. Though there were some who have voiced concerns, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there will be no changes to the protocol. Fans of Scott Foster and David Ayres will be relieved.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a terrible slump, but might be getting some reinforcements back soon. Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Nick Bjugstad were all participating in full at practice today, though it is not clear exactly when they will return to action. With that news, the team has returned Zach Trotman to the minor leagues.

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