Dante Fabbro Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury
- The Predators were on the losing end of a wild finish yesterday in Minnesota, as Wild head coach John Hynes pulled the goalie in overtime for an extra skater and took home a crucial two points thanks to a Matt Boldy game-winner. However, it wasn’t the only loss they suffered yesterday, as newly-extended defenseman Dante Fabbro sustained an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return. This is Fabbro’s first injury of the season; all his previous absences have been due to healthy scratches. The 25-year-old, who inked a one-year, $2.5MM extension on deadline day, has not yet been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Jets. Tyson Barrie could re-enter the lineup instead of Fabbro after serving as a healthy scratch against Minnesota if the latter isn’t cleared to play.
Predators Sign Dante Fabbro, Two Others To Extensions
Predators GM Barry Trotz has announced the signings of defenseman Dante Fabbro and forward Mark Jankowski to one-year and two-year extensions, respectively (via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). Fabbro’s deal sees him earn $2.5MM next season, per a team release, and is paid entirely in base salary. Jankowski’s deal will pay him $775K in 2024-25 and $825K in 2025-26, per the team, translating to an $800K cap hit. Additionally, the team has signed undrafted free agent goaltender Gustavs Grigals to a one-year, two-way deal for the remainder of the season, worth $775K at the NHL level.
Fabbro and Jankowski will be UFAs at the end of their respective deals. Nashville was set for a potential arbitration hearing with Fabbro if he did not re-sign before the summer, while Jankowski was a pending UFA upon completion of the one-year, $775K extension he signed nearly a year ago.
The Predators drafted Fabbro, 25, with the 17th overall pick in 2016. He turned pro at the end of the 2018-19 campaign and has since appeared in 304 games for the Preds, recording 71 points and a +11 rating while averaging 18:10 per game. He’s slipped to a more limited role this year, averaging only 16:34, but he’s been effective in that sheltered even-strength role with 12 points, a +11 rating, and career-best possession numbers in 51 games.
Oddly enough, that career-best-showing hasn’t earned him the full trust of head coach Andrew Brunette. Fabbro was a healthy scratch for Nashville’s season opener and has been on 12 other occasions this season as part of a rotation with Tyson Barrie, Alexandre Carrier, Jeremy Lauzon, and Luke Schenn for depth minutes.
Jankowski, 29, has spent the last two seasons in the Predators organization. The 2012 first-round pick stayed mostly in the NHL in 2022-23, recording seven goals and 12 points in 50 games, but has spent most of this year on assignment to AHL Milwaukee. He’s been a top performer there, notching 47 points and a +29 rating in 40 games, which has earned him some more NHL ice as of late. Aside from a few paper transactions, he’s stayed on the roster since Feb. 12 and has two goals and an assist in 14 NHL contests.
A one-way deal indicates the Predators envision Jankowski on next season’s opening night roster, but if he doesn’t make the cut, he’d have to clear waivers. The Hamilton, Ontario, native has also spent time with the Flames, Penguins and Sabres over his eight-year, 336-game NHL career.
By inking Grigals to an NHL contract, the Predators add a potential Black Ace for the postseason and give themselves the option to retain his exclusive signing rights with a qualifying offer this summer. The 25-year-old Latvian has spent most of the season with their ECHL affiliate, the Atlanta Gladiators, where he has a 3.68 GAA, .898 SV%, 7-15-0 record, and one shutout in 26 games. He fared poorly in his lone AHL showing with Milwaukee on New Year’s Eve, posting a .846 SV% in a 4-3 loss to the Rockford IceHogs. He’s in his first professional season after four seasons with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and a graduate transfer season with UMass-Lowell last year.
Philadelphia Trades Wade Allison To Nashville For Denis Gurianov
The Philadelphia Flyers have sent depth forward Wade Allison to the Nashville Predators for winger Denis Gurianov, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Allison’s move was first reported by The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco.
Allison has spent the entirety of the season in the AHL, scoring a measly 10 goals and 17 points in 46 games – matching his scoring in 28 AHL games last season. He’s lost his grip on the NHL role he earned last season, when he played in 60 games and scored 15 points while averaging a commendable 13 minutes of ice time. Last year marked Allison’s first full-time NHL role, though he had played 15 games between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons as well. In total, he’s managed 75 career NHL games, with 13 goals, 22 points, and 40 penalty minutes. The 26-year-old winger hasn’t quite found his groove in the pros since making his debut in 2020-21 and was likely due for a change of scenery. He’ll now move to Nashville, who has focused on bringing in depth forwards this Trade Deadline – also acquiring Jason Zucker and Anthony Beauvillier via trade, and Jaret Anderson-Dolan off of waivers.
Gurianov will move to his fourth team in the last three seasons, moving from Dallas to Montreal last season, and signing a one-year, $850K contract with the Predators last summer. He started the season in the minor leagues, scoring 30 points in 27 games with the Milwaukee Admirals, before getting called up in early January. He’s since managed just two points, split evenly, in 14 games with the Predators. The performance has brought his career totals up to 113 points across 294 games, though much of that scoring came during a three-season stretch from 2019 to 2022, when Gurianov scored 29, 30, and 31 points respectively while serving in Dallas’ top-nine. He was traded to Montreal in the subsequent 2022-23 season in a one-for-one swap with Evgenii Dadonov, and has struggled to regain his scoring touch since.
Moving Gurianov not only nets Nashville a depth forward with potential in Allison – it also gives the team much more flexibility to deploy their newest additions, with Allison not likely to rival an immediate NHL role. Gurianov was averaging over 12 minutes of ice time with Nashville, rotating between the team’s second and third lines. His role will now likely move to Zucker, who has a much more commendable nine goals and 25 points this season, and is coming off a 27-goal, 48-point performance last year. Added lineup flexibility could be enough to bring Zucker back to his high-scoring ways, or offer a chance for Beauvillier to once again become comfortable in a contending lineup.
Predators Acquire Jason Zucker
The Nashville Predators have acquired veteran forward Jason Zucker from the Arizona Coyotes, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Zucker was scratched in Arizona’s Thursday night game for trade-related reasons, along with defenseman Matt Dumba. The Coyotes will be receiving Dallas’ 2024 sixth-round pick in return, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. Nashville acquired the pick at the 2023 draft when Dallas traded up into the third round. The deal notably comes with no salary retention. The teams later made the trade official.
Zucker is in his first year with the Coyotes, signing a one-year, $5.3MM contract with the team on July 1st. He’s since had a modest year, scoring nine goals
and 25 points in 51 games – a step down from the 27 goals and 48 points he managed in 78 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year. He’ll now change hands once again, joining the fourth team of his career in Nashville. While his high scoring last season seemingly came out of nowhere, with Zucker failing to even reach 20 points in the two seasons prior, his performances in Arizona have shown he can still bring a punch to the depths of a lineup, even in year 13.
Zucker joins Anthony Beauvillier as Nashville’s newest additions – with both players likely to round out the team’s third line, filling the hole left by Yakov Trenin, who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. The Predators also acquired flexible forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan off of waivers from the Los Angeles Kings. The new pieces will help Nashville round out a bottom-six that features just three players who have crested 20 points this season. Their presence likely forces Mark Jankowski out of the lineup, while Kiefer Sherwood and Cole Smith will now have to compete for their roles.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Everything On The Table In Regards To Carrier
Earlier this morning, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun commented that everything was still on the table in regards to Nashville Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier. Taking a mixed approach to the trade deadline, the Predators have resigned Thomas Novak, and brought in Anthony Beauvillier and Jaret Anderson-Dolan, while shipping out Yakov Trenin.
Much like they did with their other rental options this past week, the Predators are weighing the option of signing Carrier to an extension, trading him, or using him as their rental. With less than 24 hours leading up to the trade deadline, Nashville does not have the luxury of time to make their decision.
As far as his value compared to other moves that have been made already this deadline season, the Predators could conceivably command a second-round pick for Carrier’s services. In 58 games for Nashville this season, Carrier has scored four goals and 19 points, averaging just under 18 and a half minutes a night.
Predators Trade Yakov Trenin To Avalanche
The Avalanche have acquired forward Yakov Trenin and the signing rights to defense prospect Graham Sward from the Predators, per a team release. The Predators received defenseman Jeremy Hanzel, who signed his entry-level deal with the Avs earlier Thursday, and a 2025 third-round pick in return.
Trenin was one of a few depth forwards the Preds have been shopping, but he’s the only one they’ve sold so far. Another, Thomas Novak, inked a three-year extension earlier this week and will remain in Nashville past the deadline.
The 27-year-old Trenin has broken out as one of the more fearsome checkers in the league since breaking into the majors full-time in 2021. A second-round pick of Nashville in 2015, Trenin has scored 46 goals and 79 points in 283 games in parts of five seasons with the Preds, averaging solid top-nine minutes (14:01 per game) during his time there. He’s posted middling possession numbers with a 48.8 CF% at even strength and a career 47.5 xGF%, although those numbers aren’t bad considering he’s started 66.4% of his even-strength shifts in the defensive zone.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 201 lbs, Trenin hits – a lot. He’s averaged 2.36 per game throughout his career and has generally had more takeaways than giveaways, so his shot suppression and possession quality share numbers being below average are likely a result of his extreme D-zone usage.
Theoretically, Trenin can play both center and wing, although he’s barely suited up at center during his time in Nashville. He’s won 55 of his 137 career faceoff attempts (40.1%), so if the Avs decide to shift him behind Nathan MacKinnon, Casey Mittelstadt and Ross Colton as their fourth-line center on a bang-and-crash line with another trade pickup, Brandon Duhaime, he likely won’t be relied upon for many draws and will be paired with a winger who has more success in the faceoff dot.
Colorado GM Chris MacFarland’s directive has been clear – fill out their depth with more defensive responsibility and physicality, adding a similar element to what Nicolas Aubé-Kubel brought to the squad that won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Along with defense pickup Sean Walker, Trenin is likely to factor in on the Avs’ penalty kill and take the onus off of effective two-way players like Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin, who can now be used a bit more at even strength.
Trenin will be a UFA this summer upon completion of the two-year, $3.4MM deal he signed with Nashville in 2022. After today’s moves, Colorado has $2.13MM in cap space with a full 23-man roster.
In Sward, the Avs also get an intriguing left-shot defense prospect in the same age range as Hanzel. The 20-year-old Langley, British Columbia native is in his fifth WHL season and is an alternate captain with the Wenatchee Wild, where he leads their blue line with 15 goals, 73 points and a +40 rating in 58 games. Nashville selected Sward in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, and the Avs must sign him to an entry-level deal by June 1 to retain his NHL rights.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Predators Claim Jaret Anderson-Dolan Off Waivers From Kings
The Predators have claimed forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan off waivers from the Kings, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.
Anderson-Dolan, 24, was a second-round pick of the Kings in 2017. Placed on waivers yesterday by Los Angeles in an effort to create roster flexibility ahead of the trade deadline, the Canadian forward had just four points in 30 games this season while averaging 10:57 per game.
For now, he’ll likely serve as extra forward depth for Nashville and aim to get into some games down the stretch as the Preds look to secure the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. He’ll be battling for ice time with newcomer Anthony Beauvillier, as well as depth skaters like Denis Gurianov and Mark Jankowski, as GM Barry Trotz performs a refresh of the team’s second, third and fourth lines. The team also shipped out Yakov Trenin to the Avalanche on Thursday, creating some more internal turnover.
The Calgary native was on a solid development path in the minors, churning out 47 points in 54 games for AHL Ontario in 2021-22, but he hasn’t been able to consistently elevate himself into a top-nine role in the NHL. The Kings briefly let him become a free agent last summer after not issuing him a qualifying offer, but they brought him back anyway on a one-year, $775K deal. Nashville will maintain his signing rights this summer if they opt to qualify him, as he’s a pending RFA with arbitration rights.
After today’s moves, the Preds are at a full roster of 23 players with $33.9MM available in cap space at tomorrow’s deadline.
Blackhawks Trade Anthony Beauvillier To Predators
Forward Anthony Beauvillier is on the move for the second time this season, heading from the Blackhawks to the Predators, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that Nashville is sending Chicago a 2024 fifth-round pick in return.
The Blackhawks brought in Beauvillier in November, parting with a fifth-round pick of their own to acquire him from the Canucks. The 26-year-old is in the final season of a three-year, $12.45MM contract with a $4.15MM cap hit. There’s been no indication that Chicago is retaining part of Beauvillier’s salary.
Beauvillier’s had a short but difficult tenure in Chicago, missing most of the last two months with a wrist injury. He potted six points in 23 games while averaging 14:22 per game, a slight uptick from the 13:39 per game he saw through the first 22 games of the season with Vancouver.
The one-time 20-goal scorer is now on his fourth team in the past two seasons after heading from the Islanders to the Canucks at last year’s deadline in the Bo Horvat trade. He looked decent in a middle-six role with Vancouver after the trade, posting 20 points in 33 games, but struggled to carry over his momentum and had only two goals and eight points in 22 games to begin this season.
In Nashville, Beauvillier reunites with former Isles head coach Barry Trotz, now the Preds’ GM. He’s a more experienced option for Nashville to insert in their middle six down the stretch and carries much more offensive upside than current third-line left wing Mark Jankowski, whom he could replace in the lineup alongside Luke Evangelista and the newly-extended Thomas Novak for a more formidable depth scoring line.
Chicago’s four months of Beauvillier’s services end up being a wash, parting with the acquisition cost in today’s trade. The Predators had a massive $37.2MM figure in deadline cap space, so taking on the entirety of Beauvillier’s cap hit is no issue, considering he’ll hit the UFA market this summer if not re-signed by Nashville.
Predators Sign Tommy Novak To Extension
12:25 p.m.: Nashville has made the deal official, confirming the length and value.
12:10 p.m.: The Predators are signing center Tommy Novak to a three-year contract extension, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Per Friedman, the deal carries an AAV of $3.5MM, working out to $10.5MM in total value.
As such, one of the top value center options available at the trade deadline is likely off the market. Novak, 26, has been one of the best per-minute producers in the league since last season, accumulating 30 goals and 77 points in 102 games while averaging only 14:31 per contest.
It’s a considerable raise for Novak, who inked a dirt-cheap one-year, $800K extension to remain a Predator in February 2023. The Minnesota native was a third-round pick of the squad in 2015, although he played a full four seasons of college puck with the University of Minnesota and another two years of AHL and ECHL hockey before making his major-league debut in 2021-22.
Now solidified as a full-time NHLer, Novak will continue to take advantage of some lesser competition while shouldering third-line minutes at even strength. An unexpected offensive breakout from shutdown center Colton Sissons has allowed him to occupy a second-line center role behind Ryan O’Reilly, taking difficult defensive matchups off Novak’s hands.
In 51 contests this year, Novak has 13 goals, 21 assists, 34 points, and a -7 rating while averaging 14:22 per game. Perhaps his most significant deficiency is his skill in the dot — he’s won just 44.2% of his draws — but he’s made up for it by dominating his matchups possession-wise with a 55.8 CF% at even strength. That’s because he’s among the league leaders in even-strength offensive zone time at 45.3%, sitting in the 95th percentile among NHL forwards this season, per NHL EDGE.
Nashville GM Barry Trotz has his best bottom-six threat locked in through 2027, at which point he’ll be a UFA. The Predators now have $22.4MM in projected cap space in 2024-25 with a roster size of 13, which could be a tight squeeze to fill 10 roster spots. However, the Predators don’t have many high-caliber pending free agents, so Trotz should have some flexibility to continue retooling Nashville’s roster as they attempt to ascend from playoff hopeful to championship contender.
Predators Looking To Weaponize Cap Space At Deadline
With the Predators hanging around the playoff race, it’s unlikely they’ll be significant buyers or sellers by Friday’s trade deadline. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t be active on the trade front. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that the team has made it known that they’re open to weaponizing their cap space – more than $37MM available on deadline day, per CapFriendly – to add assets. That could come in the form of being a third-party retainer although they only have one retention slot left. Alternatively, they could take on an undesirable contract or two while adding future assets in return for taking those on. If they’re willing to do so, GM Barry Trotz will undoubtedly have some teams calling him to see what the price of that might be.