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Predators Reassign Marc Del Gaizo, Fedor Svechkov

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The Predators reassigned defenseman Marc Del Gaizo and center Fedor Svechkov to AHL Milwaukee on Monday, according to a team release. The pair will aid the Admirals in their Calder Cup quest after logging significant NHL ice time in 2024-25.

Del Gaizo was eligible for reassignment after clearing waivers last week. He split the season rather evenly between Nashville and Milwaukee and spent three distinct stints on the NHL roster, including from Feb. 27 onward to the end of the year aside from a brief demotion to the Admirals on March 7 to make him eligible to suit up for them in the postseason. It’s his first season requiring waivers after signing a two-way deal last September ($775K NHL/$125K AHL) following a lengthy stint on the restricted free agent market. Nashville won’t have the opportunity to retain his signing rights via a qualifying offer this summer because he’s eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency as a player with at least three professional seasons and fewer than 80 career NHL games while also being 25 years old.

Whether Del Gaizo stays with the Predators next season remains to be seen. It’s looking unlikely after they extended Andreas Englund last week, meaning Del Gaizo is the only Nashville defenseman who ended the season on IR or the active roster who’s not signed for 2025-26. The 2019 fourth-round pick made a career-high 46 appearances for the Preds this year, posting two goals and seven assists for nine points and a minus-three rating while averaging 16:45 per game. Down in the minors, the 5’11” lefty posted 8-4–12 and a +10 rating in 30 regular-season games.

As for Svechkov, the Preds hope he’ll remain in Nashville for years to come. The 2021 No. 19 overall pick somewhat unexpectedly saw significant NHL usage this year after a strong start to the campaign in Milwaukee, posting 12 points in 13 games while spending the vast majority of the season up with the Predators. The 6’0″, 187-lb pivot played third-line minutes, scoring 8-9–17 while averaging 12:53 per game across 52 appearances. He needs some work in the faceoff dot, winning just 36.7% of his 335 draws, and had underwhelming possession impacts for his offensively sheltered usage at even strength (50.0 CF%, 47.0 xGF%). There’s no guarantee he’s on Nashville’s opening night roster in the fall, but a strong playoff run with Milwaukee could boost his chances.

Roman Josi Suffered A Concussion

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  • Heiskanen wasn’t the only All-Star defenseman from the Central Division to have his season cut short. Nashville Predators’ captain Roman Josi has not played since February 25th due to an upper-body injury. Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean has confirmed that Josi was dealing with a concussion. Fortunately, there’s no expectation the concussion will impact Josi’s availability for the 2025-26 season, where he’ll look to rebound on a disappointing 38-point campaign. 

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Predators Re-Sign Andreas Englund

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The Predators announced today they’ve re-signed defenseman Andreas Englund to a league-minimum contract for the 2025-26 season. It is unclear whether it is a one-way or two-way deal.

Englund, 29, was set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He split the 2024-25 campaign between Los Angeles and Nashville after the Preds claimed him off waivers from the Kings in February.

Nashville claimed Englund, who was in the final season of the two-year, $2MM deal he signed with L.A. in free agency in 2023, to serve as depth support after hard-hitting defender Jeremy Lauzon sustained a season-ending lower-body injury. He played all 82 games for the Kings last year but tumbled down the depth chart in 2024-25 after L.A. signed Joel Edmundson in free agency and promoted Brandt Clarke to a full-time role.

Englund was a healthy scratch for weeks at a time in Hollywood as a result, only playing 11 games for the Kings until they waived him well past the halfway point of the season. He finished the year in far more regular usage for Nashville, recording two assists and a minus-eight rating in 24 games while averaging 14:36 per contest. To little surprise, the 6’4″, 200-lb lefty led the Preds in blocks per 60 minutes this year with 5.65 and also racked up 36 PIMs over the last two months of the campaign.

Now, he’ll return to Tennessee to serve as a No. 7/8 defender for the Preds in 2025-26. Nashville already has six defensemen signed to one-way deals for next year, not including Adam Wilsby, who emerged as a legitimate NHL option before sustaining a season-ending upper-body injury in February. They’re also likely to weaponize a good chunk of their $18MM in cap space to add a right-shot defenseman this summer to complement Roman Josi or Brady Skjei in the top four, addressing easily the biggest hole in their lineup as they attempt to retool on the fly with a veteran-heavy roster following 2024’s free agent spending spree.

Predators Send Ryan Ufko To Minors

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  • The Nashville Predators have assigned Ryan Ufko back to the minor leagues, per Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. Ufko made his NHL debut on Monday. He didn’t manage any notable stat changes in 15:37 of ice time. Ufko has emerged as a top-four defender for the Milwaukee Admirals this season. His eight goals and 29 points in 71 games lead the Admirals blue-line in scoring. Ufko is still rounding out the physical and two-way aspects of his game, but his emergence as an AHL rookie has proven promising on a Preadtors team well capable of honing defenders into NHL talents.

Predators Waive Marc Del Gaizo

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The Predators put defenseman Marc Del Gaizo on waivers Tuesday, according to PuckPedia. The move is a precursor to assigning the pending Group VI unrestricted free agent to AHL Milwaukee for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Del Gaizo, 25, already cleared waivers last month but ended up playing in 10 games since then, requiring the Preds to expose him to waivers again in order to eventually assign him to the Admirals. He’s been up and down throughout the year but has primarily been with Nashville’s roster since late February when Roman Josi and Adam Wilsby sustained season-ending injuries on the back end. Nashville did demote Del Gaizo to Milwaukee on trade deadline day in a paper transaction, though, so he’s eligible to play for the minor-league club in the postseason.

As the 2019 fourth-rounder waits to see if the Preds have an interest in extending him before he hits the open market on July 1, he closes the book on a 2024-25 campaign that saw him slot into the lineup a career-high 45 times, although that could jump to 46 if he plays in tomorrow’s season finale. He only had nine games of NHL experience entering the year, all coming in 2023-24. The New Jersey native averaged 16:43 per game for the Preds this season and scored 2-7–9 with a minus-four rating. His 51 blocks tied for ninth on the team, while his 70 hits ranked third among defensemen and ninth overall despite only being rostered for a little over half of the campaign.

Del Gaizo likely showed enough to earn another chance in Nashville as an opening-night roster hopeful next season in a No. 6/7 role. He posted solid even-strength possession metrics amid an underwhelming season for the Preds (49.1 CF%, +1.2 expected rating at even strength) in defensively-skewed deployment.

Predators Land Third-Highest Draft Lottery Odds

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  • The San Jose Sharks have mathematically clinched last spot in the NHL and earned the top odds at the upcoming draft lottery per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The Sharks will hold a 25.5 percent chance at securing first-overall for the second consecutive season, while the Chicago Blackhawks will hold a 13.5 percent chance and the Nashville Predators an 11.5 percent chance. Many have claimed OHL defenseman Matthew Schaefer as the consensus top pick, though he has only played in 17 games this season due to a collarbone fracture. If not Schaefer, the top pick is likely to go to OHL exceptional status forward Michael Misa or Boston College top center James Hagens. The NHL Draft lottery is set to be held on May 7th.

Predators’ Ryan Ufko Recalled, Set To Make NHL Debut

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The Nashville Predators have recalled defense prospect Ryan Ufko and are expected to award him his NHL debut on Monday per Nick Kieser of Nashville’s 102.5 The Game. It is the first call-up of Ufko’s pro career.

Nashville drafted Ufko with in the fourth-round of the 2021 NHL Draft, after a standout year with the USHL’s Clark Cup Championship-winning Chicago Steel. Ufko followed a breakout juniors performance and draft selection with three seasons playing for the University of Massachusetts. He carried over his red-hot play right away, netting 31 points in 37 appearances – just two points shy of Scott Morrow’s mark for the lead in scoring among Minutemen defensemen. Alongside Morrow, Ufko served in a top role for UMass as they chased a Hockey East championship.

Ufko’s scoring pace took a slight dip in his sophomore season – when he tallied just 24 points in 32 games – though he did manage to grow from five goals to eight goals. He continued that growth while finding a new gear in his junior year, ending the season with 10 goals and 26 points in 37 games. That scoring coincided with a noticeable full-ice impact and helped Ufko push his squad to a conference semi-final exit. His game was noticeably more energetic, confident, and – above all else for the five-foot-10 defender – physical than in years prior. Nashville opted to strike while the iron was hot, signing Ufko to his entry-level contract and assigning him to the AHL at the end of the UMass season.

That decision proved immediately fruitful. Ufko has found another step in the pro ranks, with six points in nine regular season games and 10 points in 15 playoff games to close out the AHL’s 2023-24 season. He’s continued to grow into form this season, netting eight goals and 29 points in 71 games while earning more-and-more ice time as the year has gone on. Ufko certainly doesn’t have the explosive scoring of some top defense prospects, but the momentum he’s gained in Milwaukee has been admirable. With their season effectively lost, Nashville will give Ufko a chance to continue his momentum into the top flight. He becomes the seventh rookie to make his NHL debut with Nashville this season.

Predators Sign Navrin Mutter To One-Year Extension

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The Nashville Predators have signed forward Navrin Mutter to a one-year, two-way, league-minimum contract for the 2025-26 season. Mutter was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, after completing his three-year, $2.3MM entry-level contract signed in 2022.

Mutter played four seasons in the OHL prior to signing his entry-level deal. His junior career started with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2017-18 season, where he quickly found a knack for gritty and antagonistic hockey. Mutter recorded 231 penalty minutes in 155 games through his first three OHL seasons, leading up to the cancelled 2020-21 campaign. He made his pro debut during the cancelled year – spending three games and recording no stats, other than a minor penalty, with the Stockton Heat. But Mutter opted to return to Hamilton for the 2021-22 campaign, and was traded to the Kitchener Rangers mid-season. Between the two squads he recorded a career-high of 22 points and 108 penalty minutes in just 62 games – good enough to convince Nashville to sign him as an undrafted free agent the following summer.

Mutter spent his entry-level contract finding his footing in the minor leagues. He played through his rookie AHL season in 2022-23 and immediately carried over his hard-hitting, dirty-area style of hockey. Mutter recorded eight points, 72 penalty minutes, and a minus-11 in 53 games as a rookie. That was enough to maintain his spot in the AHL for the start of the 2023-24 campaign, though Mutter was demoted to the ECHL in December after recording just two points in the first 12 games of the season. He went on to find a scoring streak in the third-tier league – netting five points in his first eight games. That mark rose to 11 points and 63 penalty minutes in 33 games before Mutter was recalled back to the AHL, where he finished the year with six points and 63 penalty minutes in 26 games.

With his legs under him, Mutter held onto the important role of depth enforcer for the Milwaukee Admirals this season. He only managed four points in 37 games, but did tally 87 penalty minutes – the second-highest PIMs-per-game on the team behind Kyle Marino’s 150 PIMs in 63 games. This extension will return Mutter to his bruising role in the minors with likely little upside as an everyday NHLer. But should the Predators need a hard-hitting, tough-nosed fighter to boost their lineup – winger Mutter will carry the two-way flexibility to join the NHL camp.

Predators Sign Matt Murray To Two-Year Contract

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The Nashville Predators have locked up goaltender Matt Murray to a two-year, two-way contract today, per a team release. The contract is worth $775,000 at the NHL level in both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.

Murray – not to be confused with current Maple Leaf and former Penguins standout Matt Murray – has made the most of his opportunity in the AHL this season. He has a 25-10-5 record, .930 save percentage, 2.15 goals-against average and two shutouts with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals this season. The 27-year-old has the most wins, best save percentage and fourth best goals-against average in the AHL and has been a key factor in Milwaukee giving up the second-least amount of goals in the AHL’s Western Conference. For his success on the year, Murray was selected to represent Milwaukee in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic and has helped the Admirals clinch a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

His best season as a professional comes directly following his most difficult. Last year with the Dallas Stars’ AHL-affiliate, he struggled to the tune of a 14-15-2 record, 3.02 goals-against average, and .896 save percentage. However, he has largely found success over the course of his four years in the AHL, compiling a 62-36-12 record, 2.44 goals-against average, and .916 save percentage. He has added a solid .918 save percentage in 10-career Calder Cup playoff appearances.

However, he has only appeared in four career NHL contests (all with the Stars), including a 23-save shutout against the Minnesota Wild in his only appearance last season. With his arrow pointing up, it will be interesting to see if Murray can take his career to the next level and establish himself as a trusted reserve option for the Preds moving forward. Undrafted, Murray spent five years at the UMass-Amherst and helped the Minutemen earn the 2021 NCAA championship.

Ray Shero Passes Away

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Wild senior advisor and longtime Penguins and Devils general manager Ray Shero has passed away, Minnesota’s public relations department said Wednesday. He was 62 years old.

Shero, a St. Paul native, got his start as a player at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York after attending the New Hampton School in New Hampshire. He played four seasons for the Saints as a center from 1980 to 1985, scoring 58-77–135 in 125 games while serving as captain in his senior season. While drafted by the Kings midway through his collegiate tenure, he never turned pro.

Eight years later, Shero made the NHL in a front-office role. Hired by the Senators as an assistant general manager for the 1993-94 season, their second in franchise history, that move kicked off a lifetime’s worth of executive work at the game’s highest level. The son of Stanley Cup-winning head coach Fred Shero remained in Ottawa until the expansion Predators plucked him to serve in an AGM role in 1998. Working under David Poile in Nashville, the league’s all-time leader in wins overseen by a GM, he got a chance to lead his own staff nearly a decade later when the Penguins named him GM and executive VP of hockey operations ahead of the 2006-07 season.

His task: take a young core in Pittsburgh led by Sidney Crosby, Marc-André Fleury, and Evgeni Malkin to the next level. He accomplished that feat within just two years, swinging a blockbuster deal for star winger Marián Hossa at the 2008 trade deadline to help guide the Pens to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final. While they fell to the Red Wings, they set themselves up for a rematch the year later and emerged victorious. Three years after taking over a team that posted a 22-46-14 record in the season preceding his hiring, Shero was a Stanley Cup champion.

Shero remained in his post through the 2013-14 season, helping the Penguins extend their championship contention window. He was named the league’s General Manager of the Year in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign after helping Pittsburgh capture a regular season conference title and was also an AGM for the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

While the Pens fired Shero following a first-round elimination in the 2014 playoffs, he emerged a year later with the Devils. They brought him in ahead of the 2015-16 season to replace longtime GM Lou Lamoriello. He immediately began one of the most aggressive retools of the 2010s, signing or trading for names like Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, and P.K. Subban while drafting New Jersey’s current core three forwards in Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes. He was replaced by current GM Tom Fitzgerald midway through the 2019-20 campaign.

Shero had served as a senior advisor to Wild GM Bill Guerin, who he picked up from the Islanders at the 2009 deadline to help the Pens to a Cup, since the 2021-22 season. “Whenever we ran into each other at a rink when he was scouting, it was clear he loved what he was doing and I always marveled at his infectious enthusiasm,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “The entire National Hockey League family mourns his passing and sends our deepest condolences to the Shero family and Ray’s many friends throughout the hockey world.”

All of us at PHR extend our condolences to the Shero family and his numerous friends and colleagues throughout the league.

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE.

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