Predators Place Ozzy Wiesblatt, Justin Barron On Injured Reserve
The Predators announced that winger Ozzy Wiesblatt has been placed on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury. Defenseman Justin Barron was also placed on IR with a lower-body injury (retroactive to Dec. 1). Wiesblatt will miss eight to 10 weeks, while Barron was given a week-to-week status.
Wiesblatt left last night’s overtime win over the Panthers just 15 seconds into his first shift. He collided with Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe while attempting to close him off in the offensive zone, spun out, and then got clipped by teammate Michael McCarron incidentally (via Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey). He did not return to the game.
The final pick of the first round by the Sharks in 2020, Wiesblatt had a tough go of things in their minor-league system before Nashville acquired him in exchange for the signing rights to Egor Afanasyev in the 2024 offseason. After never recording more than 15 points in a season for San Jose’s AHL club, he arrived with the Preds’ affiliate in Milwaukee last season and exploded for 15 goals and 40 points in 64 games. That effort earned Wiesblatt his NHL debut, playing five games last year on various recalls between January and March.
Wiesblatt could have been a restricted free agent last summer, but signed a two-year, two-way extension way back in November 2024 to avoid that outcome. No longer waiver-exempt and on the heels of his minor-league breakout, Wiesblatt earned a spot on Nashville’s opening night roster in October. He sat as a healthy scratch for the season’s first three games but has appeared in every contest since. He hasn’t been a significant offensive threat – he has four points in 24 games and only scored his first NHL goal earlier this week – but has been a part of one of the league’s most defensively responsible forward trios. Nashville’s fourth line of Wiesblatt, McCarron, and Cole Smith has controlled 64.3% of expected goals at 5-on-5 and is allowing just 1.58 xGA/60, fifth-best in the league among lines with at least 50 minutes together (per MoneyPuck).
Unfortunately, the Preds have only been able to ice that line in 10 of 27 games this season, in part due to Smith sitting out the last month with an upper-body injury. There’s still another couple of weeks until he’s expected to return, and they’ll now be without Wiesblatt until likely after the Olympic break. In the meantime, Wiesblatt’s absence means a longer leash for recent call-up Reid Schaefer and extra forward Tyson Jost.
Barron’s IR placement is far less consequential. He’s only carried an injury designation for the last two games after getting banged up in practice but hasn’t played since Nov. 16, sitting as a healthy scratch in five straight before sustaining the lower-body issue. His absence, though, plus an upper-body injury to Nicklaus Perbix that has him out day-to-day, has caused some lineup construction issues on Nashville’s back end. Without those two, Nick Blankenburg stands as the only righty on the roster, meaning their top four group of Nicolas Hague, Roman Josi, Brady Skjei, and Adam Wilsby is made up solely of left-shot options.
Interestingly enough, the Preds’ underlying numbers have improved with Hague-Josi and Skjei-Wilsby deployed as their top two units. They’re controlling 58.7% and 59.1% of expected goals at 5-on-5, respectively, the top two figures among Nashville d-pairings with at least 30 minutes together.
Unless Perbix is healthy enough for tomorrow’s game against the Hurricanes, the IR placements leave Nashville without an extra skater on their roster – not an ideal position for a road game, even if it’s a relatively short travel distance. With two newly-opened roster spots, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them make a recall from AHL Milwaukee tomorrow.
Latest On Steven Stamkos
In their discussions, the Devils may have considered the possibility that Stamkos’ decline in production is more attributable to the environment he’s playing in (he’s not the only Predators forward to be struggling) rather than any steep personal decline. But it’s unclear whether that line of thinking is actually fully accurate.
Worth noting is the existing connection that exists at the highest level of the Devils’ and Predators’ front offices. During his playing days, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald served as Nashville’s captain for four seasons, back when Nashville GM Barry Trotz was the club’s head coach. Fitzgerald also began his hockey operations career in the front office of the late Ray Shero in Pittsburgh. Before he was hired to run the Penguins, Shero was a key lieutenant of Hockey Hall of Fame inductee David Poile, who was the Predators’ longtime GM. Poile remains with the team in a senior advisor capacity.
Predators' Michael McCarron To Return
- It doesn’t appear that Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron will miss any more time with a lower-body injury. Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports that McCarron fully participated in practice today after missing the team’s most recent contest against the Calgary Flames. The bottom-six center has scored one goal and five points in 25 games for the Predators this season, with a 53.8% success rate in the faceoff dot.
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Latest On Barron, McCarron, Perbix
Red Wings Head Coach Todd McLellan told Daniella Bruce, Detroit’s Broadcast Reporter, that forward Mason Appleton will miss 7-10 days due to a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old longtime Winnipeg Jet, signed by the Wings to a two-year deal last summer, is a key bottom six two way forward with nine points in 26 games this season.
In a skid to close out November, Detroit’s third and fourth lines have been shaken up of late. Marco Kasper has slotted down in tonight’s game versus Boston, as the skilled 21-year-old is trying to find his groove, with just three points (all goals) so far this season. Based on the timeline, Appleton will miss the club’s next three games, and could return by December 10th in Calgary.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Brooks Bratten, Nashville’s beat reporter, shared that Justin Barron, Michael McCarron, and Nick Perbix would miss tonight’s game against Calgary, each player out day-to-day. Barron has been sidelined since the Global Series in mid-November with a lower-body ailment. McCarron, a former first rounder who has established himself as a physical fourth line center, was shaken up after dropping the gloves with Logan Stanley on Saturday. Perbix will miss his first game as a Predator after coming over from Tampa Bay on a two-year deal. He has brought needed stability to the Preds’ defense core, however unfortunately, not enough to move the needle much as the team continues to struggle.
- San Jose beat reporter Max Miller updated that center Alexander Wennberg sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s win over Utah, and he will be questionable for tomorrow against Washington. Wennberg, 31, was brought in by San Jose to hold down a second line center spot at a favorable $5MM. Now, a pending UFA, he could be an eventual trade target in the Sharks’ player recycling strategy of sorts, which has paid off consistently. The Swede has 13 points in 27 games, not yet missing a contest this season.
Michael McCarron Out Day-to-Day
- The Nashville Predators may be without towering forward Michael McCarron for a short while, as head coach Andrew Brunette revealed, per team reporter Brooks Bratten, that McCarron is currently considered “day-to-day” with an undisclosed injury. According to Bratten, McCarron “didn’t play much after his fight with Logan Stanley in the first period,” which could be the cause of his injury. If McCarron misses any games, the Predators won’t lose much offense (he has just five points in 25 games) but will likely miss McCarron’s penalty killing. He ranks second among Predators forwards in short-handed time on ice per game with 2:26.
Afternoon Notes: Nylander Out, Domi Scratched, Schaefer
This afternoon, Mark Masters of TSN shared that Maple Leafs star William Nylander will not play due to illness. Nylander was absent from practice yesterday in what was considered a maintenance day, but the Leafs will have to take on Washington without him, and hope for a return tomorrow versus Pittsburgh.
Notably, even with the open spot, Max Domi will be a healthy scratch. It has not been a fun year so far for the 30-year-old, who has experienced a gradual decline in production from a strong first season with his hometown club. In 23 games this season Domi has just six points, is a -13, and is starting to face an uncertain future with the Leafs. Despite being signed until 2027-28 at a $3.75MM cap hit, it is his first healthy scratch as a Maple Leaf, with potentially more on the horizon.
Winger Mattias Maccelli will re-enter the lineup today, after he was scratched on Wednesday.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Nashville Predators recalled forward prospect Reid Schaefer from AHL Milwaukee, and the 22-year-old is expected to make his NHL debut tonight in Chicago. Schaefer, a 2022 first round selection of his hometown Edmonton Oilers, before being traded to Nashville in the Mattias Ekholm deal, has been a top performer for Milwaukee with 14 points in 15 games. Despite the first round pedigree, and current output, Schaefer likely has a third line ceiling. Nashville hopes their prospect can pan out in a Lawson Crouse-type mold, but at the least, the 6’4” forward could become a fixture in the Predators’ new era in a bottom six role.
Predators Activate Roman Josi Off Injured Reserve
With the Predators sitting at a 6-10-4 record through their first 20 games, it’s fair to say that things haven’t gotten off to a good start this season. There is some good news coming today, however, as the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Roman Josi will return to the lineup tonight against Colorado and has been activated off injured reserve. The team had two open roster spots so corresponding moves were needed to activate him.
The 35-year-old has missed the last dozen games due to an upper-body injury sustained just under a month ago against Vancouver. He was off to a nice start as well, chipping in with five points and 15 blocked shots in his first eight outings while averaging a team-high 24:05 per night of playing time.
When healthy, Josi remains a legitimate top-pairing defender although staying healthy has been a challenge as of late. He missed the final 25 games last season and was later diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome but was cleared to return for training camp.
Arguably, Nashville’s biggest move over the offseason was the trade acquisition and subsequent signing of blueliner Nicolas Hague with the hopes that he and Josi could form the new top pairing. However, Hague missed the first eight games of the season with an upper-body injury of his own and his first game back was the first one that Josi missed. Now, more than six weeks later than expected, the Preds will get a chance to see that duo in action as they were paired together at today’s morning skate.
Trotz: 0.0% Chance He'll Return To Coaching
- With the Predators off to a tough start this season following a rough 2024-25 campaign, some have wondered if GM Barry Trotz, a long-time coach, might think about returning behind the bench if he wants to make a coaching change. Trotz poured cold water on that suggestion, telling Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean that there is a 0.0% chance he’d return behind the bench on a full-time basis. Trotz took over as GM back in 2023 and while it used to be relatively common for someone to serve as head coach and GM, those days are long gone. Nashville has won just six of their 20 games so far in 2025-26 after recording only 68 points last season.
Evening Notes: Neighbours, Kemell, O’Connor
The St. Louis Blues will get leading goal-scorer Jake Neighbours back on their current five-game road trip, per head coach Jim Montgomery. Neighbours has been out with a right-leg injury since St. Louis’ October 25th win over the Detroit Red Wings. He scored two goals in that game, bringing his year-long totals up to six goals in eight games. That mark was double any other Blues’ goal total at the time, and is still tied for the team lead despite him missing the last 11 games. He has seven points in total.
The Blues will be anxiously anticipating the return of their hot hand. They have posted a 3-4-1 record since Neighbours’ exited the lineup – the fifth-lowest point-percentage in the NHL in that span. It’s been a brutal stretch, marked by St. Louis averaging over four goals against per game. Neighbours’ confident offense, and chemistry with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, should help spur the Blues’ offense; while his physicality supports the defense. The 23-year-old could return as soon as Thursday’s game versus the Philadelphia Flyers.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Nashville Predators have reassigned winger Joakim Kemell to the minor-leagues. Kemell was recalled on November 10th, but didn’t appear in any NHL games over the last week. His only NHL action this year came in two games at the start of Nashville’s season. He managed no scoring, one shot on goal, and four hits in the pair of outings. Kemell has managed six points in six AHL games this season, making him one of three Milwaukee Admirals scoring at a point-per-game. He’ll now bring that productivity back to an Admirals team that’s 5-1-0 through November.
- The Colorado Avalanche will have to wait a bit longer to get depth forward Logan O’Connor back into the lineup. He has sustained an soft-tissue issue that will delay his return from a hip surgery he underwent in March per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. This new injury is unrelated to the surgery, per Rawal, but has still pushed back O’Connor’s original return date of early November. The 29-year-old right-winger appeared in 80 games, and scored 21 points, with the Avalanche last season. He’s become a fixture of the team’s fourth-line, and has managed at least 20 points in each of the last four seasons.
Predators Recall Joakim Kemell
The Predators announced they’ve recalled right-winger Joakim Kemell from AHL Milwaukee. He’ll be on hand for this evening’s game against the Rangers. Nashville has an open spot on the active roster, so no corresponding move is needed.
The Preds haven’t had an extra forward on hand since fellow recent call-up Zachary L’Heureux sustained a lower-body injury in practice over the weekend. With the team’s confirmation that he’ll miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury, Nashville needed another option on hand in case of further injury. Nashville can move L’Heureux to injured reserve at any time if they need to, but since they were operating with an open spot anyway, there’s no rush.
His absence opens the opportunity for Kemell’s second stint on the roster this season after he initially broke camp with the club. The 5’11” righty was the 17th overall pick in 2022. He had already broken into a regular role with Finland’s JYP organization as a teenager. He continued there in his post-draft season before Nashville brought him to North America late in the spring of 2023. Kemell’s results in the AHL have been something of a mixed bag, particularly on the defensive side, but he’s still one of the team’s highest-ceiling scoring prospects. Nonetheless, his stock has dropped – Elite Prospects ranked him 14th overall in the Nashville system during the offseason. They credit his strong all-around offensive mindset, but he hasn’t yet shown the explosiveness in the pros to compete for a top-six job, and his utility beyond being a tertiary offensive contributor and power-play specialist is questionable.
That makes this season a big one for Kemell, now 21, to prove he’s still on track to warrant a first-round pick. Cracking the opening night roster was a good first step, but he only played in two of Nashville’s first four games before they sent him to Milwaukee for more consistent playing time. He’s only scored once through six games, but has added five assists to average a point per game. He’s posted similar stat lines in his two full seasons on the farm, logging a 16-25–41 scoring line in 67 appearances in 2023-24 and a 19-21–40 line in 65 games last year. His NHL sample has yet to yield a point in four career appearances.
It remains to be seen how much playing time Kemell will get on this recall. He’s best suited for a top-nine job, but his options there are limited. Rookie Matthew Wood has all but locked down a spot, scoring three goals and seven points through 10 games. Unless the Preds shift Steven Stamkos back to center and demote the struggling Fedor Svechkov to fourth-line duties, it’s hard to see Kemell getting significant playing time.