- With Nino Niederreiter gone, the Nashville Predators have recalled Zach Sanford from the minor leagues. The big forward has nine goals and 19 points in 32 games with the Milwaukee Admirals but just two points in eight NHL contests so far this season.
Predators Rumors
Barry Trotz Will Replace David Poile As Predators GM
The Nashville Predators will soon have a new general manager for the first time in franchise history, but it will be a very familiar face. David Poile will retire as GM and president of hockey operations effective June 30th, staying in a consulting role afterward. Barry Trotz is expected to be hired immediately and officially take over the position this summer.
Poile, 73, has led the Nashville franchise since 1997 before they were even known as the Predators. He navigated the expansion process, bringing hockey to a market where few believed it would be successful. The team, even without a Stanley Cup championship, has become one of the league’s most stable organizations, drawing strong crowds and reaching the playoffs in 15 of the last 18 seasons.
This season, he became the first executive in NHL history to serve as general manager of a franchise for 3,000 games, combining his time in Nashville with years leading the Washington Capitals previously. This is his 41st consecutive season as an NHL GM.
Trotz, 60, was a big part of bringing hockey to Nashville as well. The team’s first head coach, he was behind the bench for the first 15 years of Predators hockey, leading them to a 557-479-60-100 record. He would then, coincidentally, head to Washington, where he won a Jack Adams and Stanley Cup with the Capitals, and then to the New York Islanders, where he would take home his second Coach of the Year award.
After leaving the Islanders, Trotz has spoken publicly about his desire to get into an NHL front office. The Predators are the perfect fit, given his ties to the organization and the need for something of a new voice in the front office.
Poile’s direction has been questioned in recent years, as the Predators struggled to stay among the league’s elite after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. The books are filled with long, expensive contracts for veteran players, and a potential teardown may be in the cards at some point.
That was signaled with this weekend’s trade of Nino Niederreiter, but there is a lot more surgery to be performed on this roster if Trotz is to lead them to a championship. The Predators are expected to be serious players in the next few days, and the incoming executive will likely be involved in many of those decisions, even if his title won’t be official for a few months.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter.
Winnipeg Jets Acquire Nino Niederreiter
The Winnipeg Jets have added to their forward group, acquiring Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2024 second-round draft pick. Winnipeg then sent Axel Jonsson-Fjallby to the AHL to open the roster spot.
The 30-year-old has been a reliable secondary scorer for the majority of his career and continued that trend in his first season with Nashville. This season, Niederreiter has 18 goals and 10 assists in 56 games, good for second on the Preds in goals (just one behind Filip Forsberg). He has reached the 20-goal mark in six of the last eight seasons and should certainly bolster Winnipeg’s scoring depth, especially with Cole Perfetti likely out for the remainder of the regular season and potentially into the first round.
Notably, Niederreiter isn’t a rental acquisition for Winnipeg as he still has one year remaining on his deal after this season with a $4MM cap hit. They already had more than $66.5MM in commitments for next season to just 13 players per CapFriendly, a total that will jump to over $70.5MM. Notably, that figure does not include an expected new deal for RFA center Pierre-Luc Dubois who is heading for a sizable raise on his current $6MM salary. With that in mind, it’s quite possible that from here on out, the Jets will be focusing on rental players.
As for Nashville, this year hasn’t gone as planned for the Preds. After being 12th in goals scored in 2021-22, they’ve struggled offensively this season, sitting 26th in that department even with the addition of Niederreiter who was supposed to help bolster their attack. The end result is that they find themselves fifth in the Central Division and seven points out of a Wild Card spot heading into today’s action. It appears that GM David Poile has settled on his course of action after previously suggesting he wasn’t entirely sure if he’d be a buyer or seller.
While the Preds don’t have a strong list of pending UFAs – it’s basically backup goaltender Kevin Lankinen and injured blueliner Mark Borowiecki – they do have some other players that are signed or under team control beyond this season that could be of interest. Pending RFA defenseman Dante Fabbro has been in recent speculation while veteran rearguard Mattias Ekholm has previously been suggested as someone that could move if they look to undergo a longer-term retooling process.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman broke the news (Twitter link) that Niederreiter was headed to Winnipeg.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ryan Johansen Undergoes Surgery
The Nashville Predators won’t have Ryan Johansen back this season, as the team officially released his post-surgery timeline. The veteran forward will be out for 12 weeks following a procedure on his right leg. The team has recalled Kiefer Sherwood to take his roster spot.
Johansen’s leg was cut by the skate blade of Quinn Hughes when the Predators faced the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. The injury is an unfortunate end to another disappointing season for the 30-year-old forward.
Last year, it seemed Johansen (and much of the Predators’ forward group) had found his way back to form, scoring 26 goals and 63 points in 79 games. That was his best goal-scoring total since the 2014-15 season, when he was still with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Alas, it didn’t last, as Johansen’s numbers plummeted back to earth this year, with just 12 goals and 28 points in 55 games.
Playing fewer than 16 minutes a night for the first time since his rookie season, Johansen’s $8MM cap hit looks one of the worst in the league. The deal extends through 2024-25, and his future is now also clouded by major injury.
For the Predators, removing Johansen from the lineup shouldn’t really change their deadline plans. Yes, they could now add a ton of salary, with a significant amount of current space, and added LTIR flexibility on top of that. But the team still doesn’t look ready to compete for the Stanley Cup as currently constructed.
David Poile has gone on record to say they won’t be buyers, and Johansen’s injury should only confirm that further. Whether they decide to sell core pieces or just nibble around the outside of the roster remains to be seen.
Latest On Dante Fabbro
While the Nashville Predators haven’t missed the playoffs since 2013-14 (excluding a qualifying-round loss during the 2020 bubble) this season is certainly trending in that direction.
The production of some of Nashville’s key players has regressed, leaving coach John Hynes’ squad seven points behind the Minnesota Wild for the last Wild Card spot. While the team is 6-4 in its last ten games, they just recently lost Ryan Johansen to an injury that could keep him out for a while.
This has led many to believe that the best path forward for the Predators would be to punt on this season and look to begin a rebuild. Some in-market observers view the best path for the franchise to be a pivot to fully focusing on building for the future. Given the track record of GM David Poile and the Predators as a whole, though, it does seem unlikely that a full tear-down would be considered.
Instead, the Predators may prefer to work around the margins of their roster, hoping that a resurgence from their core players and smaller-scale additions could help the team return to contention.
One of those smaller-scale moves Nashville may be considering is trading defenseman Dante Fabbro. Speaking on the Jeff Marek Show today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Predators “have explored moving” Fabbro, and specifically references the San Jose Sharks as a potential destination.
While the basement-dwelling Sharks may not seem like a natural fit to add a player, Fabbro will turn 25 in June, meaning he’s still young enough to be a legitimate consideration for the Sharks’ plans.
Moreover, acquiring Fabbro now rather than in the offseason (where he will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent) would give the Sharks a valuable run of games of Fabbro in their lineup, so they could see how he fits in their organization and evaluate their plans for his next contract.
The smooth-skating 2016 first-round pick was a key blueliner for Sharks head coach David Quinn during his time at Boston University, and while his offensive production has cratered this season (to just eight points in 52 games) if there’s anyone that could get the best out of Fabbro, it’d be Quinn. This could be an opportunity for San Jose to buy relatively low on an asset that could grow into something more if he clicks with his new environment.
For the Predators, the rationale for trading Fabbro could center around how they view the prospect of heading to arbitration with him. Last season’s breakout defenseman Alexandre Carrier will also be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in the summer, as will Tanner Jeannot and Cody Glass. It’s possible that the Predators simply view getting an asset in return and moving on from Fabbro as the best path forward for both the player and the team.
In any case, Fabbro will be a name to watch leading up to the March 3rd trade deadline, as a Fabbro trade could either be a relatively minor move, or even the opening salvo of a long-awaited rebuilding process in Nashville.
Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Ryan Johansen Out Of The Lineup After Surgery
Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen will be out of the lineup after surgery this morning. While little is known about the specifics of the procedure, it is worth noting that Johansen left the Predators’ 5-4 shootout win last night with an apparent leg injury.
Johansen has struggled at times throughout this season, with just 28 points in 55 games. Nashville as a team has failed to live up to pre-season expectations and could be an interesting team before the trade deadline as they sit seven points out of the final wild card position. Predators GM David Poile has never been shy about adding to his team in previous deadlines, but Johansen’s injury may push the veteran GM to be a seller.
Mark Jankowski Clears Waivers
Feb 21: Jankowski has cleared and can now be returned to the minor leagues.
Feb 20: The Nashville Predators have placed Mark Jankowski on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Jankowski cleared at the beginning of the season but would need to again before being assigned to the minor leagues.
The 28-year-old forward was scratched for yesterday’s game against the Minnesota Wild and hasn’t been in the lineup for a week now, as the team leans on younger options in the bottom six. If the club wanted to add another player to the roster, they need to send someone down, as they are currently carrying the limit of 23. Jankowski seems a reasonable bet to clear, again, given his lack of production the last several years, so he is likely headed back to the Milwaukee Admirals.
With just seven points this season, the 2012 first-round pick seems ages away from the 32-point campaign he recorded in 2018-19 with the Calgary Flames.The big-bodied forward hasn’t been able to establish himself as much of a contributor ever since, racking up just 30 total points in the four years since.
Nashville is an interesting team to watch at deadline time, given their struggles this season, aging veterans on big contracts, and limited cap space moving forward. At some point they will likely have to dismantle some of the core they have built. Whether that comes in the next two weeks, or in the summer, remains to be seen. Jankowski getting waived over some of the other waiver-exempt options might be the first sign that they are ready to transition to a younger group on a regular basis.
Nashville Predators Attempting To Extend Tanner Jeannot
It seems there is still some speculation around whether the Nashville Predators will buy or sell at the deadline, despite general manager David Poile being rather clear with his comments a few days ago. One thing that is perhaps adding some confusion is that the Predators don’t have many pending UFAs to dangle at the deadline.
Selling, then, would consist of moving players with team control – though many of those also come with hefty cap hits. One that doesn’t (at least not yet) is Tanner Jeannot, on the second season of a two-year, $1.6MM contract and due for arbitration-eligible restricted free agency this summer.
According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the Predators are trying to sign Jeannot to an extension. If they can’t, Poile is expected to re-engage with teams that had previously expressed interest.
In Jeannot’s case, arbitration may be what Poile and the Predators want to avoid. The 25-year-old forward had a breakout season last year, scoring 24 goals and 41 points, while racking up 130 penalty minutes and more than 300 hits. He finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting, and was considered a unicorn player in the league – tough as nails, with a scoring touch that could get him into the top six.
Things haven’t gone quite so well this year. Jeannot’s shooting percentage has dropped from a sky-high 19.4 to 6.0, and his production has fallen off a cliff. With just five goals and 14 points so far, he isn’t the same difference-maker, even if his physical style is still very effective in a bottom-six role.
The arbitration process might not see it that way though, with counting stats from 2021-22 being presented in favor of a substantial raise. The Predators then would have to bet on his production returning, which may not be a game they can play given how many other expensive contracts they have in place.
On the market, there would certainly be plenty of contenders who want to add Jeannot’s hard-nosed game for the playoffs, or even some bubble teams that have enough cap space to handle an arbitration award and want to add to their group. The Predators wouldn’t have trouble finding suitors if he ended up on the market. The New York Rangers, according to Brooks, are one of those interested teams.
Predators "Won't Be Buyers" At Deadline
The Nashville Predators aren’t going to be buyers this year. That’s according to general manager David Poile, who joined Nashville radio this morning to explain his trade deadline plans.
The Predators sit fifth in the Central Division, and despite a 25-20-6 record, actually have a negative goal differential on the year. However, what they would sell isn’t clear, given the only pending UFAs on the roster are Mark Jankowski and Kevin Lankinen. Teams rarely target players with long-term contracts at the deadline, and the Predators have 10 of 23 roster spots inked through at least 2024-25.
Valtteri Pulli Drawing NHL Interest
Most of the news right now revolves around the NHL trade deadline, as media members try to find out where everyone will be playing when the dust settles. But yesterday, Jeff Marek squished in another interesting nugget during the 32 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet.
Valtteri Pulli, an undrafted Finnish defenseman, is drawing interest from several NHL clubs.
A number of teams that have shown interest but at varying degrees. I’ve heard of a couple different teams that are really hot on him, and a couple that just will kick tires. I’m having a hard time trying to figure out who is really aggressive and who is just curious.
It sounds like the teams with interest (and again to varying degrees) are the San Jose Sharks…the Winnipeg Jets, the Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks, the Nashville Predators, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the New York Islanders.
Pulli, 21, is a 6’6″ left-shot defenseman who is in his first full season for TPS in the Finnish Liiga, and has three goals and 14 points in 47 games. While those numbers don’t sound too impressive, he has shown flashes of high offensive potential, as he learns to use his massive frame to protect the puck and get it to dangerous areas.
Of course, flashes of potential don’t get you NHL minutes, and Pulli is by no means a finished product. He’ll turn 22 next month, though, meaning teams will have lots of time to try and develop him into an impact player.
Since he turns 22 next month, Pulli will be limited to a two-year entry-level contract when he does sign.