Cody Glass Placed On Injured Reserve; Out Week-To-Week
Last night, the Nashville Predators made an impressive comeback against their Central Division rival, the Colorado Avalanche, scoring two goals in the final minute of the game to earn the victory. Unfortunately, in his fourth game back after recovering from a lower-body injury, forward Cody Glass left the game with just over two minutes left in the third period.
In an update this afternoon, the Predators announced that Glass would be headed back to the injured reserve, this time with an upper-body injury. Looking to build on a strong 2022-23 regular season, Glass is struggling to stay healthy early in the season.
Last year, Glass had somewhat of a breakout season compared to the rest of his career, suiting up in 72 games in Nashville, scoring 14 goals and 21 assists. In the three seasons prior, Glass played in 74 games total between the Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights, only mustering nine goals and 14 assists.
There was some injury concern earlier in Glass’ career with the Golden Knights, as he missed one month of the 2019-20 regular season with a leg injury, before finally having his season ended by a knee injury in early March. However, since his arrival in Nashville, the same injury concern has not plagued Glass until this year.
This year, when healthy, Glass has played in nine out of a possible 17 games for the Predators, adding his first point on the year via an assist in last night’s contest against the Avalanche. Moving forward, as they have operated for the majority of their games this season, the team will be without Glass at the center position for the foreseeable future.
Predators Assign Del Gaizo To AHL, McDonagh Set To Return
Playing without one of their best defensemen, Ryan McDonagh, since their November 2nd game against the Seattle Kraken, the Nashville Predators are expected to get him back in the lineup according to Michael Gallagher of Nashville Hockey Now. In the same update, Gallagher confirms the Predators have sent defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, to make room for McDonagh on the blue line.
So far, this year, McDonagh has played in 10 games for Nashville in his second season with the organization, tallying two assists while averaging exactly 20 minutes of ice time per night. In McDonagh’s absence, the Predators have produced a 1-4-0 record, being outscored by five goals over that span.
Receiving a call-up shortly after it was announced McDonagh would be out with a lower-body injury, Del Gaizo did well in his first few games in Nashville. In five games, playing on the team’s bottom defensive pairing, Del Gaizo chipped in with three assists and carried a +2 rating over that time. Nevertheless, for the time being, he will return to Milwaukee, where has spent the entirety of the last two seasons.
Trotz: Preds Intend To Keep Saros Long-Term
When the Predators started to move out their core veterans, many wondered if Juuse Saros would be among them. However, GM Barry Trotz told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (subscription link) that he intends to keep the netminder in the fold:
The 28-year-old is signed through the end of next season which means he isn’t even eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2024. At that point, Saros will be owed a significant raise on his current $5MM AAV, one that has been a significant bargain. On that deal, he has led the NHL in games played by a goalie in each of the last two seasons (and is the early leader this year) while posting a .916 SV%. Saros has also finished no lower than fourth in Vezina voting the last two years so basically, the Predators have been getting top-level goaltending for a bit more than the price for a platoon option. That will be changing soon enough.
Nashville Predators Place Tommy Novak On IR
The Nashville Predators have placed forward Tommy Novak on injured reserve. According to the team, Novak will be out for four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury.
In a corresponding move, the Predators have recalled defenseman Spencer Stastney from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
The loss of Novak, 26, for this extended timeframe is a significant one for both Nashville and Novak himself.
For Nashville, the team is losing its second-line center, one of its most reliable offensive producers, and someone who stands behind only Filip Forsberg on the club’s scoring leaderboard.
For Novak, this injury represents a moderate setback in a crucial platform season.
Although Novak has been undeniably stellar since breaking into the NHL last season, (he scored 17 goals and 43 points in 51 games last year) he doesn’t exactly have the largest sample size of success at the game’s highest level.
Sure, Novak was moderately productive for four seasons as a Minnesota Golden Gopher and hovered around the point-per-game mark at times for AHL Milwaukee, his NHL resume, outside of last season and the start to this year, is relatively thin.
That’s relevant for Novak specifically, as he’s a pending unrestricted free agent and could very well want to cash in on the open market. Missing four-to-six weeks not only costs Novak a chunk of games in which he could again showcase his talent, it also confirms that he will, barring an extension, enter the open market without a single complete NHL season of productivity.
Assuming he gets there, will he still be an in-demand player on the open market? Absolutely, as he won’t even turn 27 until April and has so far scored 12 points in 14 games. If he can put together a near-point-per-game season, he’ll still be hitting free agency as a relatively young, highly productive pivot. Those types of centers almost never hit the open market.
But even though Novak will likely still be in a solid position to hit free agency, the reality is that this injury is a setback in terms of Novak’s ability to reach the apex of his earning power this summer.
Replacing Novak on the Predators’ roster is Stastney, a 23-year-old left-shot defenseman. The Illinois native has been a developmental success story for the Predators, as he’s begun to establish himself as a quality depth defenseman, someone who can hold down a top-four role in the AHL and then survive in the NHL when called upon.
That’s a better-than-expected outcome for a fifth-round pick, and the silver lining to Novak’s injury is that the Predators will get another chance to see what Stastney can do at the NHL level.
With this recall, the Predators are now carrying eight defensemen on their roster, though with Ryan McDonagh out of the lineup Stastney could see some ice time should head coach Andrew Brunette prefer him to Marc Del Gaizo, who brings more offensive touch but a bit less defensive reliability compared to Stastney.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Predators Activate Cody Glass From IR
The Nashville Predators activated center Cody Glass from injured reserve on Saturday, a team statement relays.
Glass will be eligible to return to the lineup Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes. The 24-year-old was a full participant in practice earlier in the day and is listed as a game-time decision, per Nick Kieser of Nashville Hockey Now.
The 2017 sixth-overall pick missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury sustained in the first period of an October 19 game against the New York Rangers after failing to record a point in his first five outings. At the time, head coach Andrew Brunette said the team only expected Glass to miss seven to ten days.
Nashville acquired Glass in the summer of 2021 in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights that revolved around defenseman Ryan Ellis. The youngster finally held on to a full-time NHL role last season, notching 14 goals and 35 points in 72 games, along with solid possession numbers, avoiding an AHL assignment for the first time in his pro career.
If Glass can get back to (or improve) on last season’s production, it will be a sizable boost to a depth offense that’s lacked much punch this season. He may never hit the offensive potential he hinted at when he registered over 1.8 points per game in his age-19 season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. However, he did show the ability to serve as a capable middle-six center last season and is likely slated for third-line minutes behind Ryan O’Reilly and Thomas Novak for the remainder of the season.
Kings Claim Samuel Fagemo Off Waivers From Nashville
Samuel Fagemo is once again a member of the Kings. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Los Angeles has claimed the winger off waivers from Nashville. Back in training camp, the Predators had claimed him off waivers from the Kings.
The 23-year-old was a second-round pick of Los Angeles back in 2019 (50th overall) and is waiver-eligible for the first time this season. Fagemo has shown a scoring touch in the minors, notching 27 goals with AHL Ontario in his first year in North America in 2021-22 and followed that up with a 23-goal effort last season. Despite that, he didn’t see much action with the Kings, seeing just 13 games over those two campaigns.
With Los Angeles not having much in the way of cap and waiver flexibility, Fagemo was waived back in training camp where Nashville scooped him up. However, he didn’t get much of an opportunity with them either, playing in just four games, scoring once while averaging just under ten minutes per game. That was still enough for the Preds to decide that his roster spot would be better used elsewhere.
Because the Kings were the only team to claim Fagemo, they were allowed to send him down to Ontario, a move they have now announced (Twitter link). Jordan Spence, who was papered down yesterday, has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Predators Place Samuel Fagemo On Waivers
The Nashville Predators placed winger Samuel Fagemo on waivers Friday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports.
If another team places a claim for Fagemo, it will end a very short stint for the Swedish winger in Music City. Nashville claimed Fagemo off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings just before the 2023-24 season started.
Fagemo, 23, has appeared in four out of 13 games for the Preds this season, serving as a healthy scratch for the other seven. He recorded a goal, four shots, and a season-high 12:30 of ice time in his Predators debut, which came October 21 against the San Jose Sharks, but he hasn’t gotten back on the scoresheet since.
Head coach Andrew Brunette has scratched Fagemo in three straight contests. His last appearance was November 2 against the Seattle Kraken, in which he registered two shots on goal in 8:44 of ice time.
The 50th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft carries significant goal-scoring upside. He’d notched north of 20 goals in his last two seasons in the minors, including 23 in just 56 games last season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
He’s received minimal chances to show he can translate that ability to NHL ice thus far, though. Fagemo only appeared in 13 NHL games with the Kings before they waived him, meaning he’s made 17 NHL appearances over three seasons. He’s lit the lamp three times but averaged under ten minutes per game.
His limited usage in Nashville is curious, especially given the lack of offensive production coming from their bottom six. Yakov Trenin, who’s appeared in all 13 contests and is averaging north of 15 minutes per game, has yet to record a point. Veteran center Colton Sissons has been one of their few sources of offense coming from their third and fourth lines, registering five goals and adding one assist in 13 games.
If Fagemo clears waivers, the Predators can assign him to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals tomorrow. However, if the Kings opt to put in a claim and are the only team to do so, they may send him directly to their affiliate in Ontario.
Lower-Body Injury For Ryan McDonagh
- Also a late scratch from the Edmonton-Nashville game today was defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The Predators announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner is dealing with a lower-body injury and that he’s listed as day-to-day. The 34-year-old has played in ten games so far this season, picking up a pair of assists while averaging exactly 20 minutes a night, his lowest ATOI since his rookie year back in 2010-11. Marc Del Gaizo made his NHL debut in McDonagh’s absence.
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Predators Place Cody Glass On IR, Recall Marc Del Gaizo
The Nashville Predators have placed centerman Cody Glass on injured reserve, announcing that he’s likely to miss another one to two weeks of action with a lower-body injury. Glass has been sidelined since he exited the team’s October 19th game early. In response to the IR move, Nashville has recalled defender Marc Del Gaizo from the AHL.
Glass has managed five games this season, going without a point and recording a +2 +/-. It’s his third year in Nashville, with last season being the first time he played in more than 40 games in a single season. The former sixth-overall picked tallied 35 points in 72 games over the course of the year while averaging just under 15 minutes of ice time each game. His ice time has increased through the early going this year, averaging roughly 15-and-a-half minutes each game.
Nashville has cycled in a slew of forwards in response to Glass’ absence, with Liam Foudy, Michael McCarron, and Samuel Fagemo all playing in a handful of games through the season’s early going. The former of the three players is the only one to go without a point in the ice time he’s received.
Del Gaizo has played in five AHL games so far this season, recording a single assist. He’ll be playing in his NHL debut if he’s able to slot into the lineup, after playing in 152 career AHL games. As it stands, Del Gaizo slots into the team’s seventh-defender role – a spot that’s been left vacant since Luke Schenn was moved to injured reserve.
Predators Claim Liam Foudy Off Waivers From Blue Jackets
The Predators have added some extra forward depth as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed forward Liam Foudy off waivers from the Blue Jackets.
The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Columbus back in 2018 (23rd overall) out of OHL London. While he put up a point per game with the Knights in his post-draft season, consistent production has been tough to come by in the pros. Foudy has just seven goals and 12 assists in 90 career NHL contests over parts of five seasons. Things have gone a lot better for him in the minors with AHL Cleveland as he has 35 points in 41 appearances at that level but needed to clear waivers to get back there. Clearly, that didn’t happen.
Once viewed as a possible important part of their rebuild, the Blue Jackets have since stockpiled several young middlemen which effectively pushed Foudy, a natural center, to the wing. While the position swap worked better for him as a speedster, their extra depth ultimately knocked him out of the lineup first and now off the roster entirely.
Meanwhile, Nashville is in the midst of shaking up its forward group under new GM Barry Trotz. Bringing in Foudy is a no-risk proposition for them as he’s on a contract that’s below the league minimum and he will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. Notably, the Preds had a full roster so a move needed to be made to add Foudy to the active roster. That move was done by placing defenseman Luke Schenn on IR. Schenn was injured in the season opener and was given a four-to-six-week recovery timeline.