Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Predators Rumors

Mark Jankowski Clears Waivers

at CDT | by 13 Comments

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

at CDT | by 5 Comments

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

at CDT | by 6 Comments

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

at CDT | by 3 Comments

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.

Nashville Predators Recall Philip Tomasino

at CDT | by 5 Comments

One of the most confusing things about the Nashville Predators season so far has been the absence of Philip Tomasino. The young forward played the entire season in the NHL last year and faired well, racking up 32 points in 76 games. This year he has that same total in the minor leagues through 38 games without a single appearance with the Predators.

Now, perhaps that is about to change. Tomasino has been recalled from the Milwaukee Admirals and will join the Predators ahead of their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes.

The 21-year-old Tomasino is an interesting case of COVID-affected development. After being selected 24th overall in 2019, he returned to the OHL for his post-draft season with championship sights. After dominating with the Niagara IceDogs through the first half, but still losing nearly all of his games, Tomasino was sent to the Oshawa Generals for a playoff run. It would be just 26 games (and 43 points) before the season was shut down, ending his year early.

In 2020-21, the OHL never ran at all, meaning he was stuck playing in the AHL even as a teenager. For many prospects, that might be overwhelming, but Tomasino showed off his offensive upside by scoring 32 points in 29 games. That led to him making the NHL club last season and showing well despite limited minutes. While prospects taking a step back isn’t uncommon, it was always sort of puzzling why he hasn’t received a single call-up this season.

With Filip Forsberg now out with injury, this is a huge opportunity for Tomasino to show he doesn’t belong in the minor leagues anymore. This team has only two forwards over the 30-point mark on the season and one that could certainly use some offensive juice inserted into the lineup. Even when Forsberg is back, there’s a reasonable case for Tomasino to stay, should he prove he’s ready over the next little while.

Filip Forsberg Out Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

at CDT | by 8 Comments

  • The Nashville Predators have announced that star forward Filip Forsberg is out with an upper-body injury. Per the team, his status is to be considered day-to-day. The loss of Forsberg, even for just a few games, is a significant one for the Predators as he is their leading scorer among forwards with 42 points in 50 games. This is a crucial stretch of their season, as they have games in hand on both the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, the two teams ahead of them for the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot. If the Predators, who are just four points out of that spot, want to keep pushing for the playoffs they’ll have to hope that this absence is a minor one for Forsberg.

Zachary L'Heureux Indefinitely Suspended By QMJHL

at CDT | by 11 Comments

  • Nashville Predators 2021 first-round pick Zachary L’Heureux was indefinitely suspended by the QMJHL today. The Nashville Post’s Michael Gallagher reports that the incident in question saw L’Heureux allegedly poke a 16-year-old fan with his stick after his game against the Gatineau Olympiques. While these developments have no direct impact on the Predators’ chase of a playoff spot this season, what it could impact is their deadline possibilities. L’Heureux is one of the Predators’ top-ranked prospects and would have been one of their more valuable assets to be able to surrender in exchange for an impact NHL-er. With this indefinite suspension, it now seems highly unlikely that L’Heureux would figure in any deadline deal, meaning the team’s possibilities for who to acquire could change.

Poile: Hynes' Job Not In Jeopardy

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Even though the Predators find themselves outside the playoff picture and have been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league this season, don’t expect a coaching change for the stretch run.  GM David Poile told Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean that John Hynes’ job is “absolutely not” in jeopardy and that he feels the coaching staff is doing a great job.  Nashville had quite a few players have career years in 2021-22 but that hasn’t been the case through the first two-thirds of this season.  They’ll need a few players to catch fire if they want to stay in the mix down the stretch; they sit four points out of both third place in the Central Division and the Western Wild Card race.

Nashville Predators Extend Tommy Novak

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Nashville Predators have signed another depth forward to an extension, inking Tommy Novak to a new one-year deal for next season. The contract comes with a salary of $800K, a nice reward for a player who has been in the organization for several years.

Novak, 25, was a third-round pick of the Predators back in 2015, but didn’t make his NHL debut until last season. This year, after lighting up the minor leagues (again), he was given a chance to play meaningful minutes and has scored four goals and 11 points in 20 games.

A contract like this doesn’t guarantee his spot in the lineup moving forward, but does serve as a bit of financial security for the depth forward. This will be his first one-way deal, and keeps him away from Group VI unrestricted free agency, which he would have qualified for this summer.

The Predators have now inked two depth pieces this week, after signing Cole Smith on Monday. These bargain-basement contracts will help them spend elsewhere on the roster, though they likely won’t have a huge impact on the scoreboard.

Given that he will be a UFA when this contract does expire, Novak will certainly be motivated to put up even bigger offensive numbers. Whether he’s given that opportunity remains to be seen.

Nashville Predators Extend Cole Smith

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Nashville Predators have decided to reward one of their depth forwards with a contract extension, signing Cole Smith to a one-year, $775K contract for the 2023-24 season. Smith was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Signed to a one-year, two-way contract for this season, Smith is a 27-year-old rookie at the NHL level. The undrafted forward never did much scoring during his time at the University of North Dakota but found a new level last year for the Milwaukee Admirals, racking up 21 goals and 41 points in 59 games.

This year, with Nashville, he has two goals and 11 points in 42 games while playing a physical, in-your-face style every night. His 112 hits and 43 penalty minutes trail only Tanner Jeannot among Predators forwards, despite playing fewer than 12 minutes a night.

Getting him to sign on again for the league minimum is certainly a win for Nashville, even if he isn’t going to light up the scoreboard much. Smith is a great bottom-six option that will allow the Predators to spend a little bit more money elsewhere.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top