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Kieffer Bellows Signs One-Year Deal With SHL’s Brynas IF

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Former Nashville Predators winger Kieffer Bellows has decided to take his talents overseas after reaching unrestricted free agency this summer. He has signed a one-year contract with Brynas IF of Sweden’s SHL, per a press release on the team’s website. This will be Bellows’ first stint in European pros after spending the last seven seasons split between the NHL and AHL.

Bellows never found more than a fourth-line role at the top level, and often served more as an injury fill-in through his stints with the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Predators. That role often landed Bellows on the top-line of his club’s AHL roster, where his talents as a high-motor, physical scorer shined through much clearer. He recorded 19 points and a lofty 101 penalty minutes in 73 games of his rookie AHL season, all the way back in 2018-19. He swung the needle back towards scoring in his sophomore campaign – netting 22 goals, 31 points, and 49 penalty minutes in 52 AHL games during the 2019-20 season.

That swing earned Bellows a move to the NHL in 2020 – one that wouldn’t be reversed until the 2022-23 season. By then, he had amassed 95 career games and 28 points at the NHL level – with nearly half of both coming during his 2021-22 season with the Islanders, when Bellows potted 19 points in 45 games. But his game continued to seem better-suited for the minor flight, and Bellows went on to add to his resume with 90 points and 112 PIMs through 108 AHL games between 2022 and 2025. That includes 31 points and 56 PIMs with the Milwaukee Admirals this year – a performance that was intercut by Bellows also racking up four points in 19 games with the Predators.

On the heels of that surge back to AHL success, Bellows will now opt to move to Sweden. He joins a strong Brynas roster that finished first in the league, but lost to Lulea in the championship, last season. Bellows should take up the role of top-six grinder complimenting former NHL names like Jakob Silfverberg, Oskar Lindblom, and Johan Larsson. He’ll also join up with NHL prospects Michal Svrcek (Detroit), Lucas Pettersson (Anaheim), and Gustav Hillstrom (New Jersey).

Predators Sign Nick Perbix To Two-Year Deal

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The Predators are signing right-shot defenseman Nick Perbix to a two-year contract, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports. He’ll earn $2.75MM per season, according to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff. The team has since confirmed the deal.

After acquiring Nicolas Hague from the Vegas Golden Knights yesterday, the Predators have now fully revamped their defensive core by adding Perbix. Offering more stability to their defensive core than their other internal candidates, Perbix is coming off a remarkably consistent three-year run with the Lightning.

Since debuting with the Bolts during the 2022-23 season, Perbix has scored 13 goals and 63 points in 220 career contests with a +27 rating, averaging 15:45 of ice time per night. For his metrics, Perbix offered a 51.2% CorsiFor% at even strength, and a 91.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Still, it’s interesting that the Predators have chosen to invest more capital into their defensive core, rather than their offense. The team has a few defensive metrics that could have warranted NHL playing time in the upcoming season, and it’s reasonable to assume that netminder Juuse Saros has a bounce-back campaign. Their offense was the bigger concern last season, averaging 2.59 GF/G, the second-lowest mark in the NHL.

Despite finishing 27th in goals against per game, the team’s performance was hindered largely by Saros’s disappointing season. Nashville had the seventh-best penalty kill and finished 16th in shots against. The addition of Perbix and Hague will certainly help the team keep pucks out of their net, but they will still struggle to address the offensive issues that plagued the Predators last season.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Predators Acquire, Extend Nicolas Hague

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June 30: Both clubs have made the trade official. The Predators announced they’ve retained half of Sissons’ salary, opening up an additional $1.43MM in cap space for the Knights. Vegas is also sending its 2027 third-round pick to Nashville, although it can upgrade to their second-round choice if the Knights win at least two rounds in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

June 29: The Nashville Predators have acquired Nicolas Hague from the Vegas Golden Knights and signed the defenseman to a four-year, $22MM contract extension, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. In return, the Golden Knights will receive forward Colton Sissons and defender Jeremy Lauzon, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Hague was set to become a restricted free agent on Tuesday, but will now carry a $5.5MM cap hit for the Preds. Lauzon and Sissons each have one year remaining on their contracts.

While it’s no surprise to see Hague traded, the destination isn’t expected. Nashville wasn’t one of the few clubs linked to Hague’s services earlier this month, and Hague’s name was then tossed into speculation for his potential involvement in a Mitch Marner sign-and-trade with the Maple Leafs. That Marner deal may still happen, but Hague’s rights won’t be a part of it.

Hague, while an effective piece for the Knights since they drafted him in the second round in 2017, has been deployed almost exclusively on their third pairing. He’s been good while doing it, posting 83 points and a +20 rating in 364 career games while averaging 17:33 per night, but his market value exceeded what Vegas was going to be able or willing to pay him on a new contract this summer, especially with Noah Hanifin and Brayden McNabb ahead of him on the left side.

It didn’t help matters that the Kitchener, Ontario, native is coming off something of a down year in 2024-25. His 12 points in 68 games weren’t too far south of his career average pace. It’s his career-worst possession numbers that caused concern. Hague posted a relative Corsi share of -4.9% at even strength as well as a career-low 48.3 xGF%, and there wasn’t an increase in difficulty in his minutes to explain it. He received an even 50/50 split of offensive and defensive zone starts at 5-on-5 and even saw a lower workload than usual at 17 minutes per game.

That makes Nashville’s steep commitment to the 26-year-old a risky one. A similarly-sized lefty in Kevin Bahl just received an extension at a $5.35MM cap hit from the Flames after a platform year in which he averaged north of 21 minutes per game, provided more offense, and had comparable possession impacts. He’s a year younger than Hague and received a six-year term. It makes it even more of a confusing fit when considering Hague will presumably slot in as Nashville’s No. 3 lefty as well, with Roman Josi and Brady Skjei ahead of him.

There’s now an added logjam amid left-shot depth defenders in Nashville. Andreas Englund is under contract on a one-way deal for 2025-26 and will presumably serve as a healthy extra when everyone is available. Where does that leave waiver-eligible players on two-way deals like veteran Jordan Oesterle or, far more importantly, 24-year-old Adam Wilsby, who showed solid defensive upside in a 23-game call-up last year while averaging over 18 minutes per game?

That’s the question general manager Barry Trotz will need to answer in the coming months before training camp opens. Meanwhile, Vegas immediately addresses the need for a Hague replacement in Lauzon, who fills the role for a price tag that’s $3.5MM cheaper than what Hague ended up signing for. The 28-year-old is less of an adept two-way defender than Hague but is among the most physical rearguards in the league, recording 987 hits in 240 games over the last four seasons.

Last season was a tough one for Lauzon, though. He now enters the final season of his contract after missing most of 2024-25 with a lower-body injury. He recorded one assist, a minus-four rating, and 127 hits in 28 games while averaging 17:58 per night before being shut down in January. While it’s a slight downgrade at the position for the Knights, Lauzon not only costs far less than what Hague was going to make, he also costs less than what Hague made on his expiring contract by $294K.

Not to be overlooked is Sissons, whose 13-year run in the Predators organization ends with this trade. The 31-year-old was a second-round pick in 2012 and has since grown into a quintessential middle-six checking center, ranking seventh in Predators franchise history with 690 games played. Nonetheless, he’s moved out as he enters the final season of the seven-year, $20MM contract he signed as a restricted free agent in 2019.

Sissons is also coming off something of a down year, limited to seven goals and 21 points in 72 showings in 2024-25 after back-to-back 30-point seasons. He also saw a reduction in ice time as well, going from well north of 16 minutes per game in 2023-24 to 14:22 nightly in 2024-25. He’ll get moved out as the Preds look to make more room in their lineup for their younger forwards, 2021 first-rounder Fedor Svechkov chief among them as he looks to serve as a direct replacement for Sissons in the top nine, particularly after the club also brought in center Erik Haula from the Devils earlier this month.

He’ll now serve as bottom-six depth for Vegas, a particularly necessary pickup if Nicolas Roy is moved to Toronto in the Marner sign-and-trade as rumored. That would save Vegas about $140K in cap space at the position – not much, but something for a team for which every cent counts.

As for Vegas, they’re now officially up against it cap-wise after taking on Lauzon and Sissons in this deal. They have a “full roster” at 21 of 23 players with roughly $750K in space, per PuckPedia. That projection has defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on standard injured reserve instead of LTIR, though. He’s now likely to miss the entire campaign, which would give them an additional $8.8MM in spending flexibility if his LTIR placement is executed perfectly. That, plus dealing Roy to Toronto, would leave Vegas with closer to $12.5MM in cap space – potentially enough to accommodate a Marner extension.

PHR’s Josh Erickson contributed significantly to this article.

Images courtesy of Brett Holmes-Imagn Images (Hague) and Steve Roberts-Imagn Images (Sissons).

Nashville Predators Acquire 21st Overall Pick, Select Cameron Reid

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Ottawa Senators have traded the 21st overall selection of the 2025 NHL Draft to the Nashville Predators for the 23rd and 67th overall picks. The Predators have selected Cameron Reid from the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers as the franchise’s newest player at the time of writing.

Reid joins the Predators’ system as a very high-floor defensive prospect, being projected right around the time of selection if not a few spots higher. He recently completed his second season with the Rangers, scoring 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games with a +39 rating.

Unfortunately, Reid looked a bit weaker in the postseason, tallying five assists in 14 postseason contests with a -5 rating. It was an identical output to last year’s postseason in four additional games.

Although he’s mostly associated with the two-way archetype, Reid’s offensive capabilities are the best part of his game. He is an exceptional skater with advanced hockey IQ for his age, and his draft stock rose this season due to his effortless joining of the rush.

In all seriousness, shot selection may be his only true weakness, which is true of most younger defensemen, anyway. If he continues his developmental trajectory, Reid should have no issue being a top-four blueliner on Nashville’s roster and finding a role on both special teams units.

Marchessault Not Available On Trade Market

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Despite ample trade rumors, Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz has shut down speculation surrounding veteran forward Jonathan Marchessault. Per John Glennon of the Nashville Post, Trotz stated today that there is no truth to the rumors related to Marchessault’s availability.

Just last offseason, Marchessault signed a five-year, $27.5MM free agent deal with the Predators. In 78 games, the 34-year-old posted 21 goals and 56 points, marking the eighth time he has eclipsed the 20-goal plateau. However, his goal total was half of what he produced in his final season with the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Preds finished with the third-worst record in the league. Moreover, Marchessault had the second-worst plus/minus rating on the team (minus-29), behind only fellow veteran Steven Stamkos. These factors have sparked speculation that Marchessault could draw significant trade interest, but Trotz’s comments today appear to put those rumors to rest.

  • Trotz also expressed confidence in the Predators’ roster, stating his belief that the team is built to compete in the near future. Per team reporter Brooks Bratten, Trotz noted, “We still have enough good players that if we go in the right direction, yes [we can win and compete].” Despite the team’s offensive struggles last season (finishing second-to-last in the league with 212 goals), the Preds do have pedigree at the top of their lineup with the likes of Marchessault, Stamkos, Filip Forsberg, as well as defensemen Brady Skjei and Roman Josi. Holding the fifth overall pick in the upcoming draft, the team is also expected to add an impact prospect to its pipeline.

Predators Hire Luke Richardson As Assistant Coach

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The Predators have added an assistant coach to Andrew Brunette’s staff, confirming Tuesday in a press release that they’ve hired Luke Richardson. He’s replacing Todd Richards, whom the club said will not return to Nashville in 2025-26.

Richardson, who was the Blackhawks’ head coach for parts of three seasons from 2022-23 until his firing in December and also has previous head coaching experience in the AHL, also had stints as an assistant coach with the Senators (2008-12), Islanders (2017-18), and Canadiens (2018-22). Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean notes Richardson will oversee the club’s defense corps, although Darby Hendrickson will likely remain in charge of the penalty kill after replacing Dan Hinote on the bench last offseason.

Richards, meanwhile, had been with the Preds since the 2020-21 season and even took over as interim head coach for a few games late this year when Brunette was on leave. It’s unclear whether the 58-year-old initiated the departure himself or if Nashville made the decision not to retain him. Regardless, he should have no trouble landing on his feet. He was previously the Wild’s head coach in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons and also managed the Blue Jackets’ bench from 2012 to his firing early in the 2015-16 season. He has a career record of 204-183-37 (.525) and also had stops as an assistant coach with the Sharks (2008-09) and Lightning (2016-20) before arriving in Nashville.

“Luke brings a wealth of NHL experience as both a player and coach to our staff, and we are excited to welcome him and his family to the organization,” general manager Barry Trotz said. “With that experience, we believe he will be a valuable new voice and set of eyes – not just for our defensemen, but for our coaching staff. His strong character, leadership, perspective as a former NHL head coach and ability to connect with both young and veteran players will elevate our team on and off the ice.”

While the Preds had a highly disappointing 2024-25 campaign, ending up with a top-five draft pick despite beginning the season with aspirations of a deep playoff run after multiple high-profile free agent signings, they won’t be making any more coaching changes. Trotz told reporters last month that Brunette would be back behind Nashville’s bench next year.

Del Gaizo To Test Free Agency

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  • Defenseman Marc Del Gaizo won’t be returning to the Predators next season, reports Lower Broad Hockey’s Nick Kieser (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is eligible to become a Group Six free agent next month and it appears that he’ll test the market instead of re-signing.  Del Gaizo played in 44 games with Nashville this season, picking up nine points, 53 blocks, and 71 hits while averaging 16:45 per game.  He also suited up in 30 games with AHL Milwaukee, notching eight goals and four assists after putting up at least 30 points at that level the previous two years.

Miguel Marques To Play At The University Of Maine

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  • Predators prospect Miguel Marques is the latest player to make the move from the CHL to college hockey. Larry Mahoney of the Bangor Daily News relays that the forward has made a verbal commitment to join the University of Maine next season.  The 19-year-old was a third-round pick by Nashville last year, going 87th overall after recording 74 points in 67 games with WHL Lethbridge.  Marques missed a good chunk of this season due to a broken arm and dislocated elbow but was quite productive upon his return, tallying 38 points in 29 regular season games plus 17 more in 16 playoff outings.

Predators Acquire Erik Haula From Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have traded winger Erik Haula to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defense prospect Jeremy Hanzel and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

In largely a surprise move, Nashville will take the stride to become just a bit older – and shore up their center depth in the process. They’ll do it with a familiar name, returning Haula to Tennessee four years after he spent the shortened 2020-21 season with the club. They were one of many clubs he stopped at for a year-or-less as part of a three-year journey across the NHL. That wandering came to an end when Haula was traded from the Boston Bruins to the Devils in exchange for Pavel Zacha in July 2022.

Haula was coming off a great year in the 2021-22 campaign, when he scored 44 points in 78 games. He continued to look sharp in his first year with the Devils, netting 41 points in 80 games while operating down the team’s lineup. His depth scoring was exactly what New Jersey needed behind Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, though Haula fell to just one point in five games of the Devils’ run to the second-round.

His slide in scoring continued through the last two seasons. He scored 16 goals and 35 points in 76 games last season, then dropped to 11 goals and 21 points in 69 games this year. He was hindered by day-to-day injuries in 2023-24, and an ankle sprain earlier this year.

Haula has fallen firmly into the rut of depth scorer late in his career. He was once a hot shooter for the Vegas Golden Knights, and managed a career-season in the club’s inaugural season. Haula scored 29 goals and 55 points that year, but again slid to just nine points in 20 postseason games. Throughout his career, he’s tallied up 153 goals and 337 points in 759 games. He’s also averaged an 11.5 shooting percentage. Nashville has had a knack for adding shooters to their lineup in recent years, and will find another for a cheap price in this move.

On the other side, the 22-year-old Hanzel will make yet another move before even playing in his first NHL game. The Predators previously acquired Hanzel alongside a 2025 third-round pick in the 2024 move that sent Yakov Trenin and Graham Sward to the Colorado Avalanche. Hanzel played in his first pro season in the Predators’ organization this year. Much of it was spent in the ECHL, where he totaled 22 points and a minus-24 through 61 games. Hanzel spent the four seasons prior playing with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, where he carved out a top-pair role and supported a 2023 championship run despite never scoring at-or-above point-per-game pace. He is a stocky, physical defender who is still adjusting in his ability to use size and strength against pro opponents. As those traits come along, Hanzel’s standing in the New Jersey pipeline could improve.

Roman Josi Diagnosed With Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Expecting To Play Next Season

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6/18: Predators general manager Barry Trotz released a statement acknowledging Josi’s POTS diagnosis. In it, he shared that the star defender has recovered exceptionally well following treatment, and is expected to be fully ready for training camp next season. Josi will be entering the 15th season of his NHL career, and sits 38 games away from his 1,000th appearance.

6/17: Predators captain Roman Josi was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome while recovering from his season-ending concussion, he told Swiss newspaper Blick.

The condition, widely known as POTS, causes one’s heart rate to spike abnormally when transitioning from sitting or lying down to standing up, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It almost always affects women from ages 15 to 50, but can affect men in rarer cases, particularly if they meet certain risk factors. Among those stressors is a recent head injury, per the Cleveland Clinic, as in Josi’s case.

“Over the last eight weeks, I have undergone intensive therapy, which also included taking beta blockers. I’ve been feeling much better since then,” Josi said. “I’ve regained the belief that I’ll be 100 percent fit again and can fully attack with Nashville and the Swiss national team next winter.”

Josi initially feared he’d exacerbated his initial concussion, which he sustained on a hit from Panthers center Sam Bennett on Feb. 25. He’s only sustained one confirmed concussion before at the NHL level in the 2013-14 season, but the Nashville star was still experiencing headaches well into his recovery from his recent one. Those ended up being due to developing POTS and have since improved, he said.

The 35-year-old can now resume preparation for what will be his 15th NHL season, all with the Predators, in 2025-26. He’s on track to play his 1,000th game in the upcoming season in a career that’s already cemented him as the best skater in Nashville franchise history, ranking first all-time among Preds skaters in games played (962), assists (534), points (724), and average time on ice (24:52).

Last year was an underwhelming one from the captain, though. After breaking the point-per-game mark twice in the prior three seasons, his output decreased to 38 points in 53 games. That 0.72 mark was south of his career average and his worst post-pandemic offensive performance. His -26 rating was also a career low as he got little help from Nashville’s netminders despite keeping up high-end possession play, even logging a career-high 56.2 CF% at even strength.

That latter number should indicate a rebound performance if the club’s offense, which ranked 31st in the league this year, improves around him. Of course, the Preds have little chance of improving on this past season’s 30-44-8 record next year if Josi’s absence stretches into the campaign. Thankfully, it appears that won’t be the case. He has three seasons remaining on his contract at a $9.06MM cap hit.

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