Mark Jankowski Considered Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
Just before puck drop of tonight’s contest between the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers, the former announced an injury update for one of their forwards. The Predators shared Mark Jankowski would not suit up in tonight’s action as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Before tonight’s injury designation, Jankowski had suited up in all nine of the Predators’ games to start the season. He’s only tallied one assist while primarily playing left wing on the team’s third line averaging 12:43 of ice time per game. Juuso Pärssinen drew in for the injured Jankowski tonight marking his second game of the season and could draw in again on Saturday.
Nashville Predators Reassign Marc Del Gaizo
Oct. 30: It appears Del Gaizo’s demotion was a temporary one to bank cap space. He’s back up with the Preds today, the team announced.
Oct. 28: The Nashville Predators are switching things up on their blue line. The organization announced they reassigned defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
The transaction indicates the Predators are ready to re-insert defenseman Dante Fabbro into a starting role. Five defensemen on Nashville’s roster have played in each of the team’s eight games while Fabbro (five) and Del Gaizo (three) are the only two with less than eight.
Nashville won two out of the three games with Del Gaizo in the lineup with promising results from the defenseman. Del Gaizo failed to crack the scoresheet during this call-up while averaging 14:23 of ice time per game but his possession metrics proved encouraging. His 59.6% CorsiFor% and 0.8 E +/- according to Hockey Reference show that the Predators performed better with Del Gaizo on the ice despite the small sample size.
The results haven’t been as promising with Fabbro. The former 17th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft has been held scoreless after five games with Nashville this season and has produced relatively null possession metrics with a 51.6% CorsiFor% and 0.0 E +/- while averaging 13:24 of ice time.
He didn’t perform much better next to captain Roman Josi two nights ago although the team secured an overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nashville must have seen something encouraging in Fabbro’s game giving them confidence to reassign Del Gaizo.
The latter will return to an Admirals team after already registering two games played earlier in the season. The team hasn’t missed him much with a promising 6-1-0-0 record to begin the 2024-25 AHL campaign.
Blackhawks, Predators Looking To Add Middle-Six Center
The Blackhawks and Predators are among the teams looking to add an impact piece down the middle to aid their second and third forward lines, writes Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Unluckily for them, it’s a quiet trade market, as acknowledged by Nashville general manager Barry Trotz on 102.5 FM The Game recently. “No one is trading anyone right now,” Trotz said, Friedman relayed. They’re also not the only game in town. Earlier this week, Flames GM Craig Conroy spoke to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis and acknowledged/confirmed a report from Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli that he’s looking to give his upstart Calgary club a boost down the middle.
For Nashville, the need for a No. 2 behind Ryan O’Reilly is obvious. Almost nothing has gone right for the Predators, who are last in the Central Division with a 1-5-0 record after backing up the armored truck for Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei, and Steven Stamkos in free agency. But addressing what looked like the biggest hole on their roster heading into the season would likely still be a good place to start, at least once other teams start seriously considering moves.
There’s little reason to break up last year’s first line of O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, and Gustav Nyquist, which resulted in a career year for the latter and was one of the division’s best trios. That means marquee signings Marchessault and Stamkos slot in on the wings on line two, but who to center them was always a lingering question after their July 1 additions. Currently, veteran Colton Sissons is being tasked with the role, but as a checking center, he’s grossly miscast in a top-six role. He’s also been a complete non-factor to begin the season with no points and a -8 rating in six contests, averaging under 15 minutes per game. The Preds hoped Thomas Novak might also be an option, and while he’s done more offensively with three goals in six games, he’s 11 for 30 in the faceoff dot (36.7 FOW%).
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have deployed rotating personnel on their bottom three lines, with Connor Bedard off to a point-per-game start in his second NHL season. After playing most of last season on Bedard’s wing, Chicago wanted to move Philipp Kurashev back to the middle and cast him as their No. 2 center. It hasn’t worked out, though, as he’s already been a healthy scratch once and has just one goal and a -6 rating in six games. Andreas Athanasiou, a pending UFA, also doesn’t look like an option, with no points through five games. They have a few future options for the role internally, namely first-round picks Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar, but they’re understandably looking to take a small step forward out of their rebuild in the interim until they’re ready for that type of usage.
Predators Recall Zachary L’Heureux
The Predators have called up left winger Zachary L’Heureux from AHL Milwaukee, and line rushes indicate he’ll make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Bruins (per 102.5 The Game’s Nick Kieser). Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean was first to report the move, which doesn’t require a corresponding transaction with an open spot on the Preds’ 23-man roster. It appears he’s entering the lineup for Philip Tomasino, who’s headed to the press box after playing just 5:08 against the Red Wings on Saturday.
L’Heureux, 21, was the 27th overall pick in 2021. Most describe the 5’11”, 196-lb forward as an agitator, which might be a contender for hockey’s understatement of the year award. The Montreal native’s games played totals during his time in juniors with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats and Halifax Mooseheads consistently remained low due to multiple lengthy suspensions, and he wound up posting a whopping 197 PIMs in 66 games with Milwaukee last year in his first professional season.
However, that doesn’t take away from the legitimate upside in L’Heureux’s offensive game. After a 19-goal, 48-point regular season, L’Heureux led the AHL postseason in goals with 10 in just 15 games as the Admirals lost the Western Conference Final to Coachella Valley. He also led all rookies in overall scoring with 15 points.
He was also a legitimate scoring threat in juniors, totaling 190 points in 167 career QMJHL games. In February of this year, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked L’Heureux sixth in Nashville’s prospect pool. He’s not cracking many league-wide Top 75 or Top 100 rankings, but he still carries great upside. He could be legitimately impactful in a fourth-line scenario long-term, even if his offensive game never pops at the NHL level.
L’Heureux is expected to suit up on a line with Michael McCarron and Cole Smith as the Preds look to record their first win of the season tomorrow and make progress in getting out of a 0-5-0 hole.
Predators Recall Marc Del Gaizo
The Predators have added some extra depth on their back end heading into today’s game against Detroit. The team announced that they have recalled blueliner Marc Del Gaizo from AHL Milwaukee.
The 25-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into nine games with Nashville where he had three assists, 10 blocks, and 20 hits while averaging 16:28 per night. Del Gaizo spent most of the year in the minors with the Admirals, notching eight goals and 26 helpers in 60 contests.
With Spencer Stastney away from the team indefinitely for personal reasons, Del Gaizo was expected to be Nashville’s seventh defenseman heading into the season but the team elected to carry just the minimum of six. That allowed Del Gaizo to get into Milwaukee’s first two contests this season where he has been held off the scoresheet.
On the surface, it’s a bit strange and risky for a team to have only carried the minimum number of blueliners thus far, especially with the team projected to have nearly $5.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. However, $4MM of that space is in jeopardy with Ryan Johansen appealing his termination from Philadelphia. If that amount was restored by an arbitrator, then Nashville’s cap room would be more limited and the savings from Del Gaizo’s early demotion would become more important.
Now, at a minimum, Nashville has a bit of injury insurance for their back end with Del Gaizo on the roster. He’s on a one-year, two-way deal worth the minimum $775K salary in the NHL and is on track to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent next summer.
Matt Murray Re-Assigned To AHL Milwaukee
- The Predators have returned goaltender Matt Murray to AHL Milwaukee, relays Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean (Twitter link). The 26-year-old was recalled on Wednesday with Juuse Saros listed as day-to-day so it appears that Saros should be good to at least dress as the backup on Saturday against Detroit. Murray had a 3.02 GAA with a .896 SV% in 31 games in the minors last season and signed a one-year, two-way deal with Nashville this past summer.
Predators Recall Matt Murray, Juuse Saros Out Day-To-Day
11:09 a.m.: Saros has officially been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Daugherty. He hasn’t been officially ruled out for tomorrow’s game, however.
10:47 a.m.: The Predators have recalled netminder Matt Murray from AHL Milwaukee, per a team release. It’s a sign there may be an undisclosed injury bothering either Juuse Saros or Scott Wedgewood before tomorrow’s home opener against the Stars – perhaps the former after taking a maintenance day yesterday, as pointed out by Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean. Either way, the Preds have two open roster spots and ample cap space, so no corresponding transaction is required.
Murray, 26, enters the season as Nashville’s No. 3/4 option between the pipes after he inked a two-way deal with the Preds over the offseason. He’d spent the entirety of his NHL career up to that point in the Stars organization, where he landed as an undrafted free agent out of UMass in 2022. The Alberta native made four NHL starts for Dallas over the past two seasons, posting a 2-2-0 record with one shutout, a 2.53 GAA, and an .885 SV%.
Not to be confused with two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray, this Murray fared well in the AHL with the Texas Stars up until last year. His numbers fell off a cliff, limited to a .896 SV% and 3.02 GAA in 31 games after logging a .911 SV% in 34 appearances the year prior. He lost the starters’ crease to 23-year-old Rémi Poirier and, unsurprisingly, wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer by Dallas, allowing him to head to Nashville as a UFA.
Murray will battle for starts this season in Milwaukee alongside 24-year-old Magnus Chrona, who was acquired from the Sharks in this offseason’s Yaroslav Askarov trade. He passed through waivers unclaimed on Sep. 30 and can be on the NHL roster for up to 30 days (or play 10 games) until he needs them again to return to the minors.
Predators Return Tanner Molendyk To Juniors
The Predators returned defense prospect Tanner Molendyk to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades on Monday, per an announcement from the junior club.
Molendyk, 19, narrowly misses out on a roster spot in his second camp with the Preds. Nashville made Molendyk the 24th overall selection in the 2023 draft, a tad higher than some expected based on his middle-of-the-road offensive production from the blue line. But advanced metrics suggested a breakout, and he responded in kind. Molendyk erupted for 56 points in 50 games last year with a +40 rating, helping Saskatoon to a league-best 50-13-5 record.
Nashville likely would have preferred Molendyk to suit up in the AHL this season to work on his game and get adjusted to the pro level, but he’s still too young to do so under the NHL-CHL transfer agreement and must be returned to his junior club if he’s not in the NHL. His entry-level contract will slide to the 2025-26 season, and he won’t count against the Predators’ 50-contract maximum this year.
The Preds’ opening night roster now seems to be set at 13 forwards, seven defenders, and two goalies, assuming defenseman Marc Del Gaizo is sent to AHL Milwaukee today after being waived yesterday. There are no surprises at any position.
Waiver Wire: 10/6/24
Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel
Buffalo Sabres
D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek
Calgary Flames
G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt
Carolina Hurricanes
F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively
Edmonton Oilers
D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue
Los Angeles Kings
G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White
New York Islanders
D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama
St. Louis Blues
D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai
Utah Hockey Club
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg
Washington Capitals
Winnipeg Jets
Training Camp Cuts: 10/4/24
A handful of teams still have some significant cuts to make to their roster before getting down to the final few moves. With the NHL’s regular season getting an early start today with the Global Series in Prague, we should see those happening either Friday or over the weekend. As always, here’s all of Friday’s cuts:
Last updated 2:03 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)
F Sam Colangelo (to AHL San Diego)
F Nathan Gaucher (to AHL San Diego)
F Nikita Nesterenko (to AHL San Diego)
F Beckett Sennecke (to OHL Oshawa)
F Jansen Harkins (to AHL San Diego, pending waivers)
D Gustav Lindstrom (released from PTO)
D Mark Pysyk (released from PTO)
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
F Walker Duehr (to AHL Calgary)
F Dryden Hunt (to AHL Calgary)
D Jarred Tinordi (to AHL Calgary)
Florida Panthers (per team announcement)
F Rasmus Asplund (to AHL Charlotte, pending waivers)
D Tobias Björnfot (to AHL Charlotte, pending waivers)
G Cooper Black (to AHL Charlotte)
F Zac Dalpe (to AHL Charlotte, pending waivers)
F Josh Davies (to AHL Charlotte)
D Mikulas Hovorka (to AHL Charlotte)
D Jaycob Megna (to AHL Charlotte, pending waivers)
F Kai Schwindt (to AHL Charlotte)
Nashville Predators (per team announcement)
D Nick Blankenburg (to AHL Milwaukee)
New Jersey Devils (per team announcement)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
D Mikaël Diotte (to AHL Utica)
F Justin Dowling (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
F Filip Engarås (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Joseph Gambardella (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Max Graham (to WHL Kelowna)
F Brian Halonen (to AHL Utica)
F Mike Hardman (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
F Samuel Laberge (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
F Nathan Légaré (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
D Will MacKinnon (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Jack Malone (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Matyáš Melosvký (to QMJHL Baie-Comeau)
D Daniil Misyul (to AHL Utica)
F Xavier Parent (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
G Isaac Poulter (to AHL Utica)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to AHL Utica)
F Cam Squires (to QMJHL Cape Breton)
F Chase Stillman (to AHL Utica)
D Jackson van de Leest (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Maxwell Willman (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)
G Mads Søgaard (to AHL Belleville)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)
F Rodrigo Abols (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Emil Andrae (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Denver Barkey (to OHL London)
D Oliver Bonk (to OHL London)
F Oskar Eklind (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Adam Ginning (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Helge Grans (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
G Aleksei Kolosov (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Olle Lycksell (to AHL Lehigh Valley, pending waivers)
F Cooper Marody (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Hunter McDonald (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
G Calvin Petersen (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Anthony Richard (to AHL Lehigh Valley, pending waivers)
F Samu Tuomaala (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
F Corey Andonovski (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Tristan Broz (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Ville Koivunen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Owen Pickering (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)
G Yaroslav Askarov (to AHL San Jose)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
D Cale Fleury (to AHL Coachella Valley)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)
G Artur Akhtyamov (to AHL Toronto)
F Joseph Blandisi (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Nikita Grebenkin (to AHL Toronto)
F Roni Hirvonen (to AHL Toronto)
D Mikko Kokkonen (to AHL Toronto)
D Nicolas Mattinen (to AHL Toronto)
D Topi Niemelä (to AHL Toronto)
F Alexander Nylander (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Cédric Paré (to AHL Toronto)
D Matteo Pietroniro (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Jacob Quillan (to AHL Toronto)
F Logan Shaw (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Alex Steeves (to AHL Toronto, pending waivers)
F Ryan Tverberg (to AHL Toronto)
D Cade Webber (to AHL Toronto)
Winnipeg Jets (per team announcement)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to AHL Manitoba)
D Simon Lundmark (to AHL Manitoba)
F Mason Shaw (to AHL Manitoba)
F Dominic Toninato (to AHL Manitoba)