Transaction Notes: Chrona, Makiniemi, Senyshyn
Nashville Predators AHL goalie Magnus Chrona will head overseas to the SHL next season, according to a report from Aftonbladet’s Simon Eld. Per the report, Chrona has signed a contract with Swedish club Brynäs, and will join the team starting in the 2026-27. The 25-year-old is currently playing out a one-year, two-way contract with Nashville, and is set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent unless he plays in 19 NHL games this season. Getting into that many NHL games at this point appears to be almost impossible for Chrona, as veteran Matt Murray appears to be clearly ahead of him in terms of who would receive a recall to Nashville in the event of an injury to Juuse Saros or Justus Annunen.
An NCAA national champion and former NCHC Goalie of the Year, Chrona has had an up-and-down pro career to this point. He was forced into some difficult on-ice situations in his rookie season as a member of the Sharks, and was dealt to Nashville in the summer of 2024 as part of the trade that sent Yaroslav Askarov to San Jose. He’s been the No. 2 goalie for the AHL Milwaukee Admirals since the deal, playing behind Murray. He posted a .903 save percentage in 30 games last season, and has duplicated that mark in 13 AHL games this season. Looking ahead to next season, one wonders if either goalie playing for the Predators’ ECHL affiliate, the Atlanta Gladiators, might get a shot to earn a regular role in Milwaukee. 2019 fifth-rounder Ethan Haider has a .926 save percentage in 16 ECHL games this season, and won his lone AHL start of the year. 23-year-old T.J. Semptimphelter, a former Hobey Baker nominee, has a .942 save percentage through the first 18 games of his ECHL career. Both players are playing out one-year contracts this season.
Other notable recent transactions from around the hockey world:
- Another former Sharks netminder signed a contract this week, with Finland’s Eetu Makiniemi signing a one-year contract extension with his current club, Liiga’s TPS Turku. Makiniemi played in two NHL games for the Sharks in 2022-23 before playing through the 2024-25 season at the AHL level. He elected to leave the AHL after playing just five games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, and has been solid for TPS. Playing in a tandem with 20-year-old Noa Vali, Makiniemi has a .903 save percentage in 22 games. He’s been the more reliable netminder in the tandem for TPS this season, as Vali has an .887 save percentage through 20 games this year.
- 2015 Boston Bruins first-round pick Zachary Senyshyn has agreed to a contract termination with his DEL club, the Schwenninger Wild Wings. Senyshyn was in the middle of a third consecutive DEL campaign with the club, where he has been a reliable top-six goal scorer. Senyshyn, who has over 300 games of AHL experience, left North America at the end of 2022-23 to sign in the DEL, and he has helped the Wild Wings reach at least the playoff qualifiers in both of his prior seasons in Germany. He’ll now look to continue his career elsewhere, and there is no word at this point as to where he might end up signing. He had 10 goals and 15 points in 31 DEL games this season.
Nashville Predators Reassign Fedor Svechkov
The Nashville Predators announced that they’ve reassigned forward Fedor Svechkov to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Nashville has a full roster after the transaction, though they’ll likely make another recall, particularly to their forward core, before their current road trip concludes.
Svechkov’s demotion is a clear-cut case of a younger player needing a reset. The former 19th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has struggled this season, scoring two goals and nine points in 49 games while averaging 12:03 of ice time per game. His last point came via a goal against the St. Louis Blues on December 27th.
Simply put, his production has been cut in half compared to last season’s results. That’s not something the Predators can afford for an up-and-coming 22-year-old forward at this stage of their retooling efforts. Last year, Svechkov played in 52 games with Nashville, scoring eight goals and 17 points with a -17 rating.
Still, he has shown mild improvements in his possession and defensive metrics. During his rookie campaign, Svechkov finished with a 50.0% CorsiFor and 87.5% on-ice SV% at even strength. This season, he’s improved those to 53.5% and 88.8%, respectively.
He’ll return to a familiar environment where he’s already experienced some success. Although he hasn’t played in the AHL this season, Svechkov has recorded 21 goals and 51 points in 70 games for the Admirals. Additionally, he’s been a beneficial playoff performer, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 25 games during the Calder Cup playoffs.
There’s no indication that the Predators plan to keep Svechkov in the AHL for the remainder of the season. Still, the Admirals are trending toward the playoffs again, allowing Svechkov to be in a competitive environment where he can excel.
Latest On Fedor Svechkov
- Boston’s opponents also lost a center tonight, as the Nashville Predators announced Fedor Svechkov would not return due to an upper-body injury which came from a hard hit in the first period. One Nashville’s more noteworthy prospects, the 22-year-old has just nine points in 49 games, a noticeable drop off from his rookie campaign where he notched 17. Despite the lack of production, he’s been a consistent presence besides a scratch over the weekend. The Predators are back in action Thursday in New Jersey, and if Svechkov will miss any time, Tyson Jost figures to slot back into the lineup.
Nicolas Hague Out Week-To-Week
It hasn’t been a great first season with the Predators for defenseman Nicolas Hague. Nashville’s key trade acquisition missed the first few weeks of the season with an upper-body injury and now it appears he’ll be out for a while once again. The team announced (Twitter link) that Hague is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
The Preds surprisingly traded for the 27-year-old, sending a pair of useful veterans in Jeremy Lauzon and Colton Sissons (with 50% retention of his contract) to Vegas to acquire him. More surprisingly, they then handed him a four-year, $22MM deal despite the fact Hague spent a lot of his time with Vegas on the third pairing. Clearly, the contract indicated a belief that the Predators felt that he was capable of playing a bigger role.
Not surprisingly, Hague is indeed playing more than he has before with his 19:20 ATOI being the highest of his seven-year NHL career. It hasn’t resulted in a big uptick in production, however, as he’s sitting at two goals and nine assists in 41 games, output that’s right in line with his career production. Hague is averaging two minutes per game on Nashville’s penalty kill and his absence will be felt in that regard.
It’s not all bad news for Nashville, however. On the one hand, a week-to-week designation isn’t ideal but we’re less than two weeks away from the Olympic break and a three-week shutdown. Accordingly, it’s possible that he misses a little more than a month of action but is only sidelined for seven games overall.
Meanwhile, Hague was replaced in today’s lineup by blueliner Adam Wilsby who returned from a lower-body injury himself, one that kept him out of the lineup for a week and a half. The 25-year-old has a goal and six assists in 35 games so far this season while averaging just under 17 minutes per night of playing time.
Nashville Predators Activate Ozzy Wiesblatt From Injured Reserve
Ahead of tonight’s game against Buffalo, the Nashville Predators announced that Ozzy Wiesblatt has been activated off injured reserve. The forward had missed the team’s last 21 games due to an upper-body injury. As they reassigned Reid Schaefer to AHL Milwaukee earlier today, no corresponding transaction is required.
A first round selection of San Jose in 2020 (31st overall), Wiesblatt returns to the lineup with the Predators unexpectedly back into the playoff hunt, having found their game in the last month. With it becoming apparent that his offensive upside was not panning out with the San Jose Barracuda, Wiesblatt was loaned to the Predators’ affiliate in Milwaukee, where he caught their attention, and was subsequently traded to Nashville in exchange for Egor Afanaseyev in June 2024.
After his best season as a pro in 2024-25, where he recorded 40 points in 64 AHL contests, Wiesblatt broke through with the Predators. Since then, he’s brought energy to the team’s fourth line, a nice fit alongside tall grinders Cole Smith and Michael McCarron. Wiesblatt was actually injured by his own center in McCarron, as they collided against Florida on December 4, costing him action for the last month and a half.
Before going down, Wiesblatt notched four points in 24 games, output actually surpassed by Schaefer in his absence, but the smaller winger offers more speed and skill, while Schaefer goes back down for now.
Signed through next season, the 23-year-old could be a mainstay on the Preds’ bottom six for years to come. Despite their success without him, the Alberta native is back into the lineup tonight as the Predators continue to push for Wild Card territory.
Latest On Bunting, Smith, McCarron
- Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz told reporters, including Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Pucks, that he has yet to speak to pending unrestricted free agents Michael Bunting, Michael McCarron, and Cole Smith. All aged 30 as the Predators build for the future, Bunting especially could bring intrigue to contenders, although he has a $4.5MM cap hit. The agitating winger has continued his steady offensive output this season, on pace for 20 goals. Bunting has also stayed out of the penalty box, an improvement from previous seasons. On the other hand, McCarron and Smith are both pillars on Nashville’s fourth line, and could be candidates for reasonable extensions rather than Trotz taking limited trade returns for his towering role players.
Nashville Predators Reassign Reid Schaefer
According to a team announcement, the Nashville Predators have reassigned forward Reid Schaefer to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The transaction opens a spot on the active roster for Ozzy Wiesblatt, who has been made a game-time decision for tonight’s contest.
Schaefer, 22, was initially recalled on November 28th for his NHL debut. Back in February of last season, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked Schaefer as the ninth-best prospect in the Predators’ organization. Despite losing most of last year due to an injury, Schaefer had spent the previous two seasons playing exclusively for AHL Milwaukee, scoring 15 goals and 35 points in 82 games with a +6 rating.
His strong start to the 2025-26 season made him a candidate for early recall by Nashville. Through the first 15 AHL games of the year, Schaefer scored four goals and 14 points with a +1 rating. Despite missing the last two months, Schaefer remains ninth on the team in scoring.
Unfortunately, his NHL debut didn’t get off to as good a start. Throughout 25 games with the Predators, Schaefer scored four goals and six points with a -9 rating, averaging 10:30 of ice time in a bottom-six role. Still, he amassed 63 hits over the duration of his recall, averaging out to approximately five hits every two games.
Meanwhile, Wiesblatt is expected to return soon after being sidelined for nearly seven weeks due to an upper-body injury. His return is ahead of schedule, as he was initially given a recovery timeline of eight to 10 weeks. Similar to Schaefer, Wiesblatt has been isolated to a bottom-six role when healthy, scoring one goal and four points in 24 games, averaging 10:38 of ice time.
Stamkos Fined For Unsportsmanlike Conduct
- The league announced that Predators forward Steven Stamkos has been fined $2.5K for unsportsmanlike conduct for an incident with Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon during Saturday’s game. The fine money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Predators Reassign Andreas Englund To AHL
Saturday: It was a one-and-done promotion for Englund as Nashville has assigned him back to the Admirals, per the AHL’s transactions log. As expected, he was the reserve defender for their game last night against Colorado.
Friday: The Nashville Predators announced they’ve recalled defenseman Andreas Englund from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. He’s expected to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman tonight as Adam Wilsby works his way back from a minor injury.
Englund, 29, joined the Predators last season after being claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Kings. He enjoyed a consistent role in Nashville for the remainder of the season, registering two assists in 24 games with the club, averaging 14:36 of ice time per night.
After two months with the team, the Predators signed Englund to a one-year, $775K extension for the 2025-26 campaign. Unfortunately, he wasn’t guaranteed a spot on the roster this year, and Nashville sent Englund through waivers shortly before the start of the regular season.
Being his first recall of the year, the 6’3″, 201lbs blue liner has spent the entire campaign with AHL Milwaukee up to this point. He has been relatively productive, scoring two goals and six points in 30 games with a +2 rating. He’s third on the team with 44 PIMs.
Regardless, Englund should expect his current recall to be short-lived. At the time of writing, Wilsby has a day-to-day recovery timeline, meaning he could return by the end of the weekend. Nashville now has 22 players on their active roster.
Injury Notes: Vladar, Wilsby, Colton
The Philadelphia Flyers could avoid the worst after taking a blow to their goalie room. Daniel Vladar is only expected to be out short-term after sustaining an injury in the first period of Wednesday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres, per Kevin Kurz of The Athletic and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan during Thursday’s broadcast. Vladar was replaced by Samuel Ersson while Alexei Kolosov was recalled on Thursday morning.
Vladar has led the charge for the Flyers goaltending room with 16 wins, a .905 save percentage, and a 2.46 goals-against-average in 28 games. He is the only Flyer with a save percentage north of .900 – with Ersson sporting a .853 in 18 games and Kolosov a .886 in three games. The two goalies split the next in Philadelphia’s 3-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They each allowed three goals, though Kolosov had 16 saves to Ersson’s 14. The two will continue an even battle for starting minutes, while Philadelphia hopes for more good news around Vladar’s timeline.
More injury updates from around the league:
- Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury per Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. It is unclear when Wilsby sustained the injury. He played more than 21 minutes of Nashville’s overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, the fourth-most ice time of any Predators skater. Wilsby recorded one assist and a plus-one in the outing with no clear sign of wear. Either way, Wilsby will be expected to miss Friday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche and could be doubtful for Saturday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Sitting out the back-to-back road games will give Wilsby four days to rest up before Nashville returns home next Tuesday. The 25 year old has seven points and a minus-four in 36 games this season.
- The Colorado Avalanche also face a hole in the lineup. Forward Ross Colton is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury and questionable for Friday’s game against Nashville, head coach Jared Bednar told Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. Colton played through regulation, but sat out of the overtime period, in Monday’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He recorded five shots on goal that game. Colton has been a relentless piece of Colorado’s bottom-six this season. He has four points in his last three games, bringing his year-long totals up to 20 points in 45 games. That performance has made Colton a focal piece of Colorado’s gameplan. His absence would likely prompt the Avalanche to once again recal winger Ivan Ivan, who has one assist in five NHL games this season. Ivan has also scored eight points in 31 AHL games.