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Predators Assign Spencer Stastney To AHL

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The Nashville Predators have assigned defenseman Spencer Stastney to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Stastney was recalled on November 14th, a move that coincided with Thomas Novak’s move to injured reserve. Stastney has since played in five games with the Predators, scoring his first NHL goal and recording a +4. He has also played in 10 AHL games this season, scoring four points.

Stastney was drafted by the Predators in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He went on to play four years at the University of Notre Dame, signing with Nashville following the conclusion of his senior year. Stastney totaled 143 career games in college and scored 63 points. Stastney played in his first full professional season last year when he recorded 13 points in 56 games with the Admirals. He also received his NHL debut last season, playing in eight games with the Predators and netting two assists.

Stastney’s assignment to the AHL lines up with Luke Schenn’s return to action. Schenn was activated on November 26th and played in his second game of the season, after suffering a lower-body injury that held him out for roughly six weeks. Schenn is in his first year with the Predators, making Nashville the eighth club that he’s played games for. The Predators signed Schenn to a three-year, $8.25MM contract on July 1st. He brings 935 games of NHL experience to the club, netting 191 points and 3161 hits in that span. With the assignment of 23-year-old Stastney, and the return of 34-year-old Schenn, the average age of Nashville’s blue line goes from 28.5 to 30.

Predators Activate Luke Schenn

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The Predators announced Sunday evening that they’ve activated defenseman Luke Schenn from injured reserve. Schenn will return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Jets.

Today’s appearance will be Schenn’s first since sustaining a lower-body injury after the NHL season-opening game against the Lightning on October 10. Within a week of Schenn exiting the lineup, the Predators announced he was expected out of the lineup for four to six weeks. His return comes right on schedule within that recovery timeframe.

The 34-year-old has had somewhat of a career renaissance over the previous two seasons. The fifth-overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Maple Leafs, Schenn was almost out of the league entirely in the mid-to-late 2010s and earned multiple demotions to the AHL. After capturing two Stanley Cup rings with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021 while playing an extremely limited role, Schenn once again became an everyday NHLer after signing a two-year deal with the Canucks in 2021.

Over the last two seasons, Schenn remained in a somewhat limited role but was a regular appearance in the lineup, playing in 136 games with the Canucks and Maple Leafs after a 2023 deadline deal sent him back to Toronto. He’s notched 39 points, a +23 rating, and 145 penalty minutes in that time.

An especially strong finish to 2022-23, riding shotgun at times on Toronto’s top defense pairing with Morgan Rielly, earned Schenn a significant three-year, $8.25MM commitment with the Predators when free agency opened on July 1. It’s a bit of a risky gamble for a player who will be 36 at the end of the deal, but Predators GM Barry Trotz hopes Schenn will add a physical element to Nashville’s back end and provide some protection for star puck-moving defender Roman Josi.

The Predators had room on the 23-man roster to execute this move, meaning no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Ryan McDonagh Could Play Tonight

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Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic is reporting that Florida Panthers star center Aleksander Barkov will not dress tonight for the Panthers matchup with the Boston Bruins. It will be the second game in a row that the 28-year-old has missed after suffering a knee injury in Friday night’s win over the Anaheim Ducks. Knee injuries can be tricky, and it appears that the Panthers are opting to proceed cautiously with Barkov’s return to the line-up.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice did tell Florida play-by-play broadcaster Doug Plagens that Barkov could return as early as Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. If he can return, Barkov and the Panthers will have dodged a major injury scare as the collision that sidelined Barkov could have been much worse. Barkov currently sits second on the Panthers in scoring with six goals and 11 assists in 16 games.

In other injury notes:

  • Tampa Bay Times writer Eduardo A. Encina is reporting that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper told reporters today that there is a very good chance that star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will play on the team’s upcoming road trip. Vasilevskiy took part in Tampa Bay’s morning skate today but still is not ready to play. The Lighting will open their three-game road trip this Friday in Carolina and then get a few days off before they play a back-to-back in Colorado and then Arizona next Monday and Tuesday. Given that timeline, it is possible that the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner will make his season debut in the next week.
  • Nashville Predators reporter Michael Gallagher tweeted that Predators defenseman Ryan McDonagh skated with Roman Josi at practice this morning and is expected to return to game action this evening against the Calgary Flames. McDonagh has been out of action with a lower-body injury since November 2nd, missing the Predators last seven games. While he doesn’t offer much offensively, Nashville’s goaltenders badly missed the veteran. McDonagh is still a terrific penalty killer and does a very good job limiting his opponent’s offensive opportunities. Nashville gave up 20 goals in a four-game losing streak in McDonagh’s absence but has rallied off two straight wins since. They currently sit sixth in the Central Division with a 7-10 record.

Cody Glass Placed On Injured Reserve; Out Week-To-Week

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Last night, the Nashville Predators made an impressive comeback against their Central Division rival, the Colorado Avalanche, scoring two goals in the final minute of the game to earn the victory. Unfortunately, in his fourth game back after recovering from a lower-body injury, forward Cody Glass left the game with just over two minutes left in the third period.

In an update this afternoon, the Predators announced that Glass would be headed back to the injured reserve, this time with an upper-body injury. Looking to build on a strong 2022-23 regular season, Glass is struggling to stay healthy early in the season.

Last year, Glass had somewhat of a breakout season compared to the rest of his career, suiting up in 72 games in Nashville, scoring 14 goals and 21 assists. In the three seasons prior, Glass played in 74 games total between the Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights, only mustering nine goals and 14 assists.

There was some injury concern earlier in Glass’ career with the Golden Knights, as he missed one month of the 2019-20 regular season with a leg injury, before finally having his season ended by a knee injury in early March. However, since his arrival in Nashville, the same injury concern has not plagued Glass until this year.

This year, when healthy, Glass has played in nine out of a possible 17 games for the Predators, adding his first point on the year via an assist in last night’s contest against the Avalanche. Moving forward, as they have operated for the majority of their games this season, the team will be without Glass at the center position for the foreseeable future.

Predators Assign Del Gaizo To AHL, McDonagh Set To Return

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Playing without one of their best defensemen, Ryan McDonagh, since their November 2nd game against the Seattle Kraken, the Nashville Predators are expected to get him back in the lineup according to Michael Gallagher of Nashville Hockey Now. In the same update, Gallagher confirms the Predators have sent defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, to make room for McDonagh on the blue line.

So far, this year, McDonagh has played in 10 games for Nashville in his second season with the organization, tallying two assists while averaging exactly 20 minutes of ice time per night. In McDonagh’s absence, the Predators have produced a 1-4-0 record, being outscored by five goals over that span.

Receiving a call-up shortly after it was announced McDonagh would be out with a lower-body injury, Del Gaizo did well in his first few games in Nashville. In five games, playing on the team’s bottom defensive pairing, Del Gaizo chipped in with three assists and carried a +2 rating over that time. Nevertheless, for the time being, he will return to Milwaukee, where has spent the entirety of the last two seasons.

Trotz: Preds Intend To Keep Saros Long-Term

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When the Predators started to move out their core veterans, many wondered if Juuse Saros would be among them.  However, GM Barry Trotz told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (subscription link) that he intends to keep the netminder in the fold:

The 28-year-old is signed through the end of next season which means he isn’t even eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2024.  At that point, Saros will be owed a significant raise on his current $5MM AAV, one that has been a significant bargain.  On that deal, he has led the NHL in games played by a goalie in each of the last two seasons (and is the early leader this year) while posting a .916 SV%.  Saros has also finished no lower than fourth in Vezina voting the last two years so basically, the Predators have been getting top-level goaltending for a bit more than the price for a platoon option.  That will be changing soon enough.

Nashville Predators Place Tommy Novak On IR

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The Nashville Predators have placed forward Tommy Novak on injured reserve. According to the team, Novak will be out for four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury.

In a corresponding move, the Predators have recalled defenseman Spencer Stastney from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

The loss of Novak, 26, for this extended timeframe is a significant one for both Nashville and Novak himself.

For Nashville, the team is losing its second-line center, one of its most reliable offensive producers, and someone who stands behind only Filip Forsberg on the club’s scoring leaderboard.

For Novak, this injury represents a moderate setback in a crucial platform season.

Although Novak has been undeniably stellar since breaking into the NHL last season, (he scored 17 goals and 43 points in 51 games last year) he doesn’t exactly have the largest sample size of success at the game’s highest level.

Sure, Novak was moderately productive for four seasons as a Minnesota Golden Gopher and hovered around the point-per-game mark at times for AHL Milwaukee, his NHL resume, outside of last season and the start to this year, is relatively thin.

That’s relevant for Novak specifically, as he’s a pending unrestricted free agent and could very well want to cash in on the open market. Missing four-to-six weeks not only costs Novak a chunk of games in which he could again showcase his talent, it also confirms that he will, barring an extension, enter the open market without a single complete NHL season of productivity.

Assuming he gets there, will he still be an in-demand player on the open market? Absolutely, as he won’t even turn 27 until April and has so far scored 12 points in 14 games. If he can put together a near-point-per-game season, he’ll still be hitting free agency as a relatively young, highly productive pivot. Those types of centers almost never hit the open market.

But even though Novak will likely still be in a solid position to hit free agency, the reality is that this injury is a setback in terms of Novak’s ability to reach the apex of his earning power this summer.

Replacing Novak on the Predators’ roster is Stastney, a 23-year-old left-shot defenseman. The Illinois native has been a developmental success story for the Predators, as he’s begun to establish himself as a quality depth defenseman, someone who can hold down a top-four role in the AHL and then survive in the NHL when called upon.

That’s a better-than-expected outcome for a fifth-round pick, and the silver lining to Novak’s injury is that the Predators will get another chance to see what Stastney can do at the NHL level.

With this recall, the Predators are now carrying eight defensemen on their roster, though with Ryan McDonagh out of the lineup Stastney could see some ice time should head coach Andrew Brunette prefer him to Marc Del Gaizo, who brings more offensive touch but a bit less defensive reliability compared to Stastney.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Predators Activate Cody Glass From IR

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The Nashville Predators activated center Cody Glass from injured reserve on Saturday, a team statement relays.

Glass will be eligible to return to the lineup Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes. The 24-year-old was a full participant in practice earlier in the day and is listed as a game-time decision, per Nick Kieser of Nashville Hockey Now.

The 2017 sixth-overall pick missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury sustained in the first period of an October 19 game against the New York Rangers after failing to record a point in his first five outings. At the time, head coach Andrew Brunette said the team only expected Glass to miss seven to ten days.

Nashville acquired Glass in the summer of 2021 in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights that revolved around defenseman Ryan Ellis. The youngster finally held on to a full-time NHL role last season, notching 14 goals and 35 points in 72 games, along with solid possession numbers, avoiding an AHL assignment for the first time in his pro career.

If Glass can get back to (or improve) on last season’s production, it will be a sizable boost to a depth offense that’s lacked much punch this season. He may never hit the offensive potential he hinted at when he registered over 1.8 points per game in his age-19 season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. However, he did show the ability to serve as a capable middle-six center last season and is likely slated for third-line minutes behind Ryan O’Reilly and Thomas Novak for the remainder of the season.

Kings Claim Samuel Fagemo Off Waivers From Nashville

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Samuel Fagemo is once again a member of the Kings.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Los Angeles has claimed the winger off waivers from Nashville.  Back in training camp, the Predators had claimed him off waivers from the Kings.

The 23-year-old was a second-round pick of Los Angeles back in 2019 (50th overall) and is waiver-eligible for the first time this season.  Fagemo has shown a scoring touch in the minors, notching 27 goals with AHL Ontario in his first year in North America in 2021-22 and followed that up with a 23-goal effort last season.  Despite that, he didn’t see much action with the Kings, seeing just 13 games over those two campaigns.

With Los Angeles not having much in the way of cap and waiver flexibility, Fagemo was waived back in training camp where Nashville scooped him up.  However, he didn’t get much of an opportunity with them either, playing in just four games, scoring once while averaging just under ten minutes per game.  That was still enough for the Preds to decide that his roster spot would be better used elsewhere.

Because the Kings were the only team to claim Fagemo, they were allowed to send him down to Ontario, a move they have now announced (Twitter link).  Jordan Spence, who was papered down yesterday, has been recalled in a corresponding move.

Predators Place Samuel Fagemo On Waivers

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The Nashville Predators placed winger Samuel Fagemo on waivers Friday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports.

If another team places a claim for Fagemo, it will end a very short stint for the Swedish winger in Music City. Nashville claimed Fagemo off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings just before the 2023-24 season started.

Fagemo, 23, has appeared in four out of 13 games for the Preds this season, serving as a healthy scratch for the other seven. He recorded a goal, four shots, and a season-high 12:30 of ice time in his Predators debut, which came October 21 against the San Jose Sharks, but he hasn’t gotten back on the scoresheet since.

Head coach Andrew Brunette has scratched Fagemo in three straight contests. His last appearance was November 2 against the Seattle Kraken, in which he registered two shots on goal in 8:44 of ice time.

The 50th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft carries significant goal-scoring upside. He’d notched north of 20 goals in his last two seasons in the minors, including 23 in just 56 games last season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

He’s received minimal chances to show he can translate that ability to NHL ice thus far, though. Fagemo only appeared in 13 NHL games with the Kings before they waived him, meaning he’s made 17 NHL appearances over three seasons. He’s lit the lamp three times but averaged under ten minutes per game.

His limited usage in Nashville is curious, especially given the lack of offensive production coming from their bottom six. Yakov Trenin, who’s appeared in all 13 contests and is averaging north of 15 minutes per game, has yet to record a point. Veteran center Colton Sissons has been one of their few sources of offense coming from their third and fourth lines, registering five goals and adding one assist in 13 games.

If Fagemo clears waivers, the Predators can assign him to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals tomorrow. However, if the Kings opt to put in a claim and are the only team to do so, they may send him directly to their affiliate in Ontario.

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