- The Nashville Predators are without forward Michael McCarron tonight due to an upper-body injury reports Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean. McCarron had been enjoying a consistent role down the middle of Nashville’s fourth-line scoring two goals and four points in 18 games on the year while averaging 12:24 of ice time per game. There was no added context of how long McCarron is expected to miss.
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Predators Rumors
Predators Receiving Interest In Alexandre Carrier
After an extremely busy offseason that saw the Predators add several key veteran contributors, expectations were quite high heading into the year. However, they’re off to a sluggish 6-11-3 start to the season and while they’d like to add to their roster, it appears that teams are calling about one of their veterans as well. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Nashville is receiving inquiries about the potential availability of blueliner Alexandre Carrier.
The 28-year-old was a speculative trade candidate last season when he was playing on a one-year, $2.5MM contract. However, Nashville had an exceptional second half including an 18-game point streak, resulting in them vaulting up the standings and going from being potential sellers to light buyers at the trade deadline. Carrier went on to finish the year with 20 points in 73 games and added three more in six playoff contests.
It looked like Carrier was heading toward testing the opening market but just before free agency opened up, the two sides agreed to a three-year, $11.25MM front-loaded contract. He’s making $4.6MM in salary this season relative to his $3.75MM cap charge.
As is the case with a lot of Nashville’s veterans, things haven’t gone quite as planned for Carrier this season. He has a goal and four assists in 20 games while logging over 20 minutes a night but his pairing with Jeremy Lauzon has struggled to keep the puck out of the defensive zone and with the Preds believed to be open to adding to their back end, it stands to reason that they’re hoping to upgrade on this particular pairing.
With a track record of being a reliable and steady fourth or fifth defender and the fact he’s a right-shot player, the Predators should have some interest if they decide to make Carrier available. Whether that’s part of a bigger move or a smaller side deal remains to be seen but GM Barry Trotz will have to decide if Carrier is still as important to their plans as it seemed he was just a few months ago.
Predators To Recall Fedor Svechkov, Assign Adam Wilsby
The Nashville Predators have reportedly recalled forward Fedor Svechkov and returned defender Adam Wilsby to the AHL, per the AHL Transactions Log. It’s the first NHL call-up of Svechkov’s young career, coming after he started the season with eight points in seven AHL games. He’s one of three Milwaukee Admirals still scoring above a point-per-game pace, alongside Vinny Hinostroza (19 points in 13 games) and Zachary L’Heureux (five points in four games).
Nashville general manager Barry Trotz has been vocal about wanting to lean into the many top prospects playing in Milwaukee amid the team’s struggles. He said earlier this month that he’s responsible for buying his prospects time to develop at the NHL level – and now brings up another youngster to join L’Heureux, who has four points in his first 15 NHL games.
Svechkov has planted his feet as a strong play-driver, bringing plenty of tenacity and speed to the middle lane. Those traits helped him reach 16 goals and 39 points in 57 games as an AHL rookie last season. He looked sharp, upholding his strong production in a move from Russia to Wisconsin. The 2021 19th-overall pick will now look to maintain it through an even tougher step, likely to challenge Colton Sissons or Michael McCarron for minutes centering the team’s bottom six.
Meanwhile, Wilsby will return to the minors just one day after being recalled. He’s bounced between the two rosters all month, spending as much as a week in the NHL – though Wilsby hasn’t cracked the lineup just yet. That might be a bit of a disappointment for the 24-year-old defender, who’s yet to make his NHL debut despite three seasons of serviceable play in Milwaukee. He has three points in 11 AHL games this season, bringing him to 42 points in 144 career AHL games. Wilsby was a fourth-round pick in 2020, and spent two years after his draft selection honing his traits in Sweden’s SHL. He’ll return to the minors with an assured role, and likely another depth call-up, awaiting him.
Predators Recall Adam Wilsby From AHL
After another short stay in the American Hockey League, Adam Wilsby is back in the NHL. The Nashville Predators announced they have recalled the young defenseman from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, before their game tomorrow against the Winnipeg Jets.
Wilsby has already been on the Predators’ roster for an extended stay. The organization recalled him on November 13th before their Pacific Division road trip although he never factored into the lineup. He may make his NHL debut this week, especially considering how Nashville has played recently.
The West Coast road trip went unfavorably, with a 1-2-1 record, and Wilsby’s introduction into the lineup would provide a different look. According to MoneyPuck, the defensive pairing of Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier has provided a dismal 40.8% xGoals%, and the Predators would be wise to switch things up with their second pairing.
West Notes: Predators, Gourde, Daccord
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes that the Nashville Predators aren’t looking to move any of their three 2025 first-round picks. The news comes in as the team’s general manager Barry Trotz is reportedly shopping for a center as well as a top-four defenseman with some term left on their contract.
The Predators have had a disappointing start to the season and are currently sitting in the second-last spot in the Western Conference with a 6-11-3 record. The team had high hopes coming into the season after several high-priced free-agent acquisitions. However, it’s easy to see why Trotz is apprehensive to move out any first-round picks to try and salvage this season.
In other Western Conference notes:
- The Seattle Kraken reportedly want to keep forward Yanni Gourde in Seattle long-term (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). The 32-year-old has had a slow start to the season with just two goals and five assists in his first 20 games, but that hasn’t deterred the Kraken, who love the player. Gourde is in the final season of a six-year $31MM contract he signed back in November of 2018 while he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and would likely have a hard time matching that kind of deal in free agency. However, if the Kraken wants to keep the two-time Stanley Cup Champion in Seattle, he should still score a lucrative deal once again.
- Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord is receiving interest from two different countries for two different upcoming tournaments despite not being born in either country. Daccord was born in the United States but is reportedly receiving interest from Team Canada (as per Ken Campbell of The Hockey News) for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Daccord’s father was born in Montreal, Canada, while his mother was born in Switzerland, and he is apparently receiving interest from the Swiss team for the upcoming Olympics (as per Friedman). Daccord came out of nowhere last season, dressing in 50 games for the Kraken in his age-27 season. He put up strong numbers last year and has been even better this season, starting out the year with a 9-3-1 record and a .923 save percentage.
Evening Notes: Wilsby, Georgiev, Makar
The Nashville Predators have announced that they’ve sent defenseman Adam Wilsby to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. The 24-year-old had been up with the team since November 13th but didn’t see any NHL action. The fourth-round pick in 2020 is in his third professional season in North America and has dressed in 11 AHL games this year with Milwaukee, tallying a goal and two assists to go along with a +4 rating.
The Stockholm, Sweden native has yet to see NHL action in three seasons with the Predators organization but remains someone that team management is high on despite his lack of offensive production. Wilsby has impressed in the AHL with his skating, gap control, and defending in his zone and will likely see another call-up soon.
In other evening notes:
- Colorado Avalanche netminder Alexandar Georgiev took part in the team’s skate today and could be an option tomorrow in Washington depending on how he feels tonight and tomorrow (as per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette). The development suggests that Colorado is optimistic about the 28-year-old’s recovery and potential return to the lineup. The Avalanche badly need some better goaltending as the team has the worst save percentage in the entire NHL. Georgiev also has a vested interest in turning around the team’s fortune as he is just over seven months away from unrestricted free agency.
- Sticking with the Avalanche, David Satriano of NHL.com writes that defenseman Cale Makar is the early favourite to capture the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. NHL.com held a 15-person panel to vote on the early season winners and Makar came out ahead of Quinn Hughes and Josh Morrissey. Makar was the NHL’s First Star of the Month in October and began the season with an 11-game point streak that saw him register four goals and 15 assists. Makar is now up to eight goals and 19 assists in 19 games, which is a big reason Colorado has been able to keep pace in the Western Conference despite league-worst goaltending and a litany of injury issues.
Thomas Novak Returns From Injury
Originally announced in Elliotte Friedman’s ’32 Thoughts’ and expanded upon by Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean, the Nashville Predators are looking to buy. The Predators are looking to claw their way out of an early 6-10-3 record after spending $108MM on Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei this past offseason.
The Predators have used a combination of Juuso Parssinen and Colton Sissons as the team’s second-line centers to unfortunate results. The two have combined for seven points this season and simply haven’t generated the offense required to keep them in the top six long-term. The defensive pairing of Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier have combined for an abysmal 39.2% xGoals% according to MoneyPuck despite playing the most minutes of any defensive pair on the roster.
- Nashville could get a boost to their second line in the form of forward Thomas Novak who’s expected to return tonight after missing the team’s last six games (X Link). Novak has disappointed like many players on the Predators with three goals and four points in 13 games but is only a year removed from scoring 35 goals and 88 points in 122 games for Nashville.
Matt Irwin Announces Retirement
Unrestricted free agent defenseman Matt Irwin is stepping away from the game, the NHLPA announced. He confirms his retirement after 10 NHL seasons and 461 appearances.
“As I reflect on my career, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful and fortunate to have lived out my childhood dream of playing in the NHL,” Irwin said in a statement released by the players’ association. “My success would not have been possible without the support of my family, my in-laws and especially my wife, Chantel, and two kids, Beckem and Lennon. You all pushed me to be the best version of myself on and off the ice.”
“I’m fortunate to have been surrounded by the best group of teammates that I could have possibly asked for,” Irwin continued. “Each and every one of them made coming to the rink the best years of my life. I hope our paths cross somewhere down the road.”
Now 36, Irwin never played major junior hockey and instead jumped straight from the junior ’A’ BCHL to NCAA hockey with UMass. The left-shot defender spent two seasons there before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Sharks in 2010, kicking off his professional career.
Irwin spent two full seasons with San Jose’s AHL affiliate, then in Worcester, Massachusetts, before receiving his first NHL recall in 2012-13. He appeared in 38 of 48 games for the Sharks during the lockout-shortened season, recording 12 points and a -1 rating while averaging 19:06 per game and finishing 19th in Calder Trophy voting. Irwin also played in all 11 of San Jose’s playoff games as he got an audition in top-pairing minutes at even strength alongside Dan Boyle.
The Victoria, British Columbia native managed to stick around as a full-time NHLer for the following two seasons in the Bay Area but steadily saw his minutes reduced. After a 2014-15 campaign that saw him record a career-high eight goals, Irwin became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Bruins.
However, Irwin only made two NHL appearances in a Boston sweater, instead spending nearly all of the 2015-16 season on assignment to AHL Providence. Understandably, he was one-and-done with the Bruins, and landed a deal with the Predators in free agency the following offseason.
It was the right choice for Irwin, who ended up playing 195 games in parts of four seasons in Nashville – the most of the six NHL franchises he appeared for. Aside from four appearances for AHL Milwaukee in 2016-17, Irwin managed to avoid being sent to the minors for the next seven years, sticking around in bottom-pairing/press box roles for the Predators, Ducks, Sabres, and Capitals.
Irwin’s last NHL games came with Washington in 2022-23. He recorded five points, a -8 rating and 36 PIMs in 61 games along with 75 blocks and 117 hits. He signed a two-way contract with the Canucks for 2023-24 but didn’t make the team, instead spending all of 2023-24 on assignment to AHL Abbotsford, where he recorded 16 points (5 G, 11 A) and a +2 rating in 65 games while serving as an alternate captain.
Irwin closes the book on his NHL career with 25 goals, 68 assists, 93 points, and a -9 rating in 461 games. He also logged 211 PIMs, 725 shots and a respectable 50.6 CF% at even strength while averaging 15:26 per game. He also appeared in 47 playoff games for the Sharks and Preds in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018, most notably playing in all 22 postseason contests as Nashville advanced to the only Stanley Cup Final in franchise history in 2017.
Irwin also logged 314 AHL appearances in parts of seven minor-league seasons, totaling 32 goals and 103 assists for 135 points. All of us at Pro Hockey Rumors extend our best wishes to Irwin in retirement.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Predators Recall Adam Wilsby
The Predators have recalled defenseman Adam Wilsby from AHL Milwaukee, Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean reports Wednesday. The 24-year-old replaces the roster spot vacated by Dante Fabbro, who was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Wilsby, a fourth-round pick in 2020, is in his third season suiting up for the Preds’ farm club in Wisconsin. The smooth-skating left-shot defender has one goal and two assists for three points in 11 games this season while recording a +4 rating, tied for fourth on the team.
The Stockholm native has been under consideration for a recall for quite some time, but he’s narrowly lost out over the past couple of seasons to competitors like Marc Del Gaizo and Spencer Stastney. Del Gaizo had established himself ahead of Fabbro on the depth chart while Stastney remains on an extended personal leave, so it’s now Wilsby’s chance to compete for NHL minutes.
The last-place Predators have six healthy defensemen available, but they may look to make a lineup change after going 1-3-1 in their past five games. If so, Wilsby could make his NHL debut on Thursday against the Oilers. Either way, Nashville will have a much-needed extra defenseman on hand for their four-game road swing through Canada and the Pacific Northwest should an injury arise.
Since making his AHL debut for Milwaukee in the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs, Wilsby has 10 goals, 32 assists, 42 points, and a +21 rating in 144 regular-season minor-league games. He’ll remain waiver-exempt through 2024-25 but will require them to head to the minors beginning next season. After a brief stint on the restricted free agent market last summer, he signed a two-way deal to return to Nashville. He’ll be up for RFA status again with arbitration eligibility at the end of the campaign.
Diagnosing Nashville’s Underwhelming Start To The Season
To say the start of the 2024-25 campaign has been disappointing for the Nashville Predators is somewhat of an understatement. Nashville finished last year as the top wild-card team in the Western Conference with 99 points and handed out nearly $140MM in contracts this past offseason keeping around some old faces and bringing in some new ones.
The aggressive offseason led to skyrocketing expectations for the Predators organization, which have gone unrealized through the first month of the regular season. The team has a 5-9-2 record through 16 games, putting them dead last in the league.
This leads to the question, why exactly are the Predators not only underperforming but wholly noncompetitive?
Nashville’s special teams have been quite good to start the regular season. The team sits 11th in powerplay percentage thanks to a 22.22% conversion rate and has the league’s second-ranked penalty kill with a 90.91% success rate. Both percentages are better than Nashville’s playoff-clinching roster from a year ago with a 20-team jump in the latter category.
If the special teams are not the issue and have even improved year-on-year, reductive reasoning would indicate that the Predators’ 5-on-5 play is the culprit for the poor start. Unfortunately, although Nashville’s 5-on-5 play from last year has depressed, it doesn’t explain the discrepancy in success.
According to Hockey Reference, the Predators have managed a 51.3% CorsiFor% to start the year, which puts them around the league average. It’s a slight downturn from the team’s 51.8% output from last season, but it’s still better than six playoff-bound teams from a year ago. Outside of controlling the puck and looking primarily at offensive generation, Nashville is 15th in the league with a 31.2 xGF which is two expected goals better than the 10-2-3 Minnesota Wild.
Still, after looking further under the hood, two major areas of Nashville’s game need some work. There have been 222 high-danger chances (shots from approximately in the slot, or rebounds) generated in the Predators’ 16 matchups this year with the team earning 116 of those chances. However, they are only converting on those chances at a 7.2% rate putting them 29th in the league. On the flip side, Nashville’s opponents are converting 11.9% of the time, also 29th in the league.
The other discrepancy is the Predators’ -20 axDiff (actual goal differential minus expected goal differential) which is the worst in the league. This indicates that Nashville is generating an adequate number of good scoring chances but isn’t converting at the expected rate.
A diagnosis of the issue isn’t good enough for a team still looking to make the playoffs this season. The Predators will want a prescription to resolve the problems on the ice and there are a few different pathways they can go.
First, to put it bluntly, a playoff-caliber team can’t compete with a combination of Colton Sissons and Juuso Parssinen centering the team’s second line. The two have combined for seven points this season with a -13 rating and an E +/- of -4.6. When taking a look at high-danger conversion or prevention, there are a couple of names that could help out Nashville.
Kyle Palmieri, a veteran forward for the New York Islanders, immediately jumps off the page as an offense-generating candidate. Palmieri has accrued a 14.0 xGF this season which would be good for second on the Predators behind Roman Josi. According to Natural Stat Trick, Palmieri sits 20th in the league in high-danger scoring conversions. This would allow Nashville to move Stamkos to center the team’s second-line opening a spot on the right wing for Palmieri.
Given that Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair are currently on the injured reserve it’s unlikely the Islanders would agree to this trade now. Still, with a desperate need for cap space New York may be willing to entertain offers on any expiring contract. Unfortunately, Palmieri doesn’t project as a long-term answer for Nashville given that he’s 33 years old, but he would at least allow them to kick the can down the road for now.
If the Predators seek out a player who limits opposing teams from converting on high-danger chances look no further than the Detroit Red Wings. Andrew Copp has averaged an ’on-ice high danger shot attempts against per 60 minutes’ of 1.34 during 5-on-5 play which would put him second on Nashville just above Ryan O’Reilly. He’s also formidable enough in the faceoff dot to give the Predators the confidence to leave Stamkos on the right wing.
The downside of acquiring Copp is the contractual complications. Copp is earning $5.625MM for the next three years and has a 10-team no-trade list in his contract. This isn’t to say that Nashville is one of the 10 teams on Copp’s no-trade last but it’s still a hurdle to clear. The Predators could gauge Detroit’s interest in retaining some of the remaining salary of Copp’s deal and even include Sissons in the return package who’s making $2.86MM this year and next.
The hypothetical trade wouldn’t project as a ’season-punting’ move by the Red Wings either. They’ve already shown a willingness to trade legitimate NHL talent (i.e. Olli Maatta) to create room for some of their up-and-coming players. Detroit, a team that has struggled to produce offense this season, could strike two birds with one stone in this move by clearing a spot for Vladimir Tarasenko or Marco Kasper on the team’s second line while opening up additional cap space.
One defensive pairing sticking out like a sore thumb in Nashville is the combination of Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier. The two have played the most minutes together compared to any other combination on Nashville’s blue line (188.2) and have combined for a team-worst 40.2% xGoals % according to MoneyPuck.
Marcus Pettersson of the Pittsburgh Penguins immediately comes to mind as a viable trade candidate to replace one of Lauzon or Carrier on the team’s second defensive pairing. Petterson currently leads the Penguins in blocked shots (27) and carries a contextually impressive E +/- of -0.8 while playing next to one of the league’s worst blue-liners on the defensive side of the puck. He’s in the last year of his contract and should find himself on the trade block further down the season if Pittsburgh continues at their current pace.
This list of solutions for Nashville isn’t exhaustive as there are plenty of directions they could ultimately take. The organization could wait things out and hope the gap between expected and actual goals narrows over the next few weeks. Still, given the nature of their aggressive approach to this past offseason, the Predators may want to make a move sooner rather than later before the bottom completely falls out on their 2024-25 aspirations.