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Eeli Tolvanen Placed On Waivers

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According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the Nashville Predators have placed former top prospect Eeli Tolvanen on waivers this afternoon. While the merits of putting the once-elite prospect on waivers could be debated, the move is also interesting in that it comes roughly an hour after the team learned it would be losing forward Michael McCarron for an indefinite period of time as he enters the Players Assistance Program. No corresponding move related to either player, has been announced at this point.

The 30th overall selection in 2017 by Nashville, Tolvanen quickly became one of the game’s more exciting prospects in short order. Considered a pure sniper, the winger was expected to change the face of Nashville’s offense and add a compliment to already-established stars like Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Johansen. Now 23, Tolvanen hasn’t exactly been a bad NHLer, but hasn’t lived up to the hype that had been surrounding him when he came into the league. This season, the forward has four points, two goals and two assists, in 13 games. For his 135 game NHL career, he has 25 goals and 26 assists.

Seeing a player with Tolvanen’s career path hit waivers surely isn’t unprecedented, however some may argue that the decision feels a bit soon, given his age and especially his track record of performance at the NHL level. In other words, though he’s not the player many were hoping for, he has shown he can certainly play at this level and at 23, there could be room to grow from it. Tolvanen’s placement does feel similar to the New York Islanders waiving of Kieffer Bellows earlier this year. Once one of their top prospects, Bellows put up 19 points in 45 games last season, then after suiting up for one game with the Islanders in 2022-23, was placed on waivers, claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Michael McCarron Enters Players Assistance Program

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The NHL and NHLPA jointly announced this afternoon that Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron has entered the Players Assistance Program effective immediately. McCarron will be away from the team for an indefinite amount of time while he receives the care he needs through the program.

McCarron will be eligible to return to on-ice activity once cleared by the program administrators, per the release. His care will be administered pursuant to the NHL/NHLPA assistance program.

The 27-year-old, a former first-round pick, has played parts of six seasons with Nashville and the Montreal Canadiens. The forward has split this season between the AHL and NHL, last playing on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Everyone here at PHR wishes McCarron the very best while he gets the help he needs.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Nashville Predators

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With American Thanksgiving now behind us and the holiday season coming up, PHR continues its look at what teams are thankful for in 2022-23. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Nashville Predators.

Who are the Predators thankful for?

Filip Forsberg.

There isn’t much that instantly stands out from this Predators season for the franchise to be thankful for. While the Predators seemed to cruise to another playoff spot last year, powered by the heroics of Juuse Saros, the early part of this year has been more of a challenge. The Predators are 12-10-2 with 26 points, just a single point behind the Minnesota Wild for the Central Division’s third playoff spot.

That on its own isn’t a bad spot for the Predators to be, but it’s the way they’ve gotten there that’s raised eyebrows. Outside of a core four players who are lugging the Predators to wins each night (Forsberg, Matt Duchene, Roman Josi, and Mikael Granlund), the number of players on the Predators roster who are playing to or above expectations is decidedly slim. Due to those circumstances, then, it gives the Predators all the more reason to be thankful for their leading scorer.

The Predators made a major investment in Forsberg last summer, committing $8.5MM against the cap per year until the summer of 2030. Some questioned that investment in Forsberg seeing that in his platform year he flew past his career highs in production, raising the issue of if his brilliant 2021-22 performance was the exception rather than the rule.

So far this year, Forsberg has been exactly what the Predators wanted him to be when they signed him to that major extension. In 24 games Forsberg leads the team with 23 points, and if he does end up finishing the season around a point-per-game mark, the Predators will surely consider that $8.5MM cap hit money well spent.

What are the Predators thankful for?

Struggling Central Division teams.

While the Predators have had a bit of a slower start than they’d likely have hoped to have, they remain just a single point out of the Central Division’s last playoff spot. Thankfully for Nashville, other teams expected to be their major competition for a Central Division playoff spot have had their own struggles to start the season.

The Minnesota Wild, the current owners of that last playoff spot, have seen major regression from important centers such as Ryan Hartman and Frederick Gaudreau. That, combined with lackluster play from starting netminder Marc-Andre Fleury and some other underperformances have led to their regression from their 2021-22 form, where they were one of the more dominant teams in the NHL.

The St. Louis Blues were also expected to be a Central Division contender, but their season has been a disaster so far. The Blues are 3-7 in their last ten games and have been giving up goals at an alarmingly high rate. The Colorado Avalanche, the defending Stanley Cup champions, were rightly expected to be a powerhouse team but have thus far seen injuries lay waste to their hopes for a dominant regular season.

So while the Predators haven’t had the start they’ve wanted, their competitors have left them room to still find their way to Stanley Cup contention. That’s definitely something to be thankful for.

What would the Predators be even more thankful for?

Better play from Saros.

As previously mentioned, a major factor in the Predators’ run to the playoffs last season was the stellar play they received from Saros, their starting netminder.

In 67 games played Saros had a 38-25-3 record with a .918 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against-average, a performance that made him a Vezina Trophy finalist.

This season, Saros’ play has been more uneven. In 18 games Saros has a 9-7-2 record, a .905 save percentage, and a 3.05 goals-against-average.

The Predators are still treading water in the Western Conference’s playoff race, but in order to really build positive momentum they’ll need Saros to play a bit better than he’s done so far this year.

What should be on the Predators’ holiday wishlist?

A productive top-six center.

In the press conference announcing Ryan Johansen’s eight-year, $64MM extension in 2017, Predators general manager David Poile referenced the rarity of number-one centers across the league and the difficulty associated with acquiring one as a major part of the justification for Johansen’s hefty extension. At that point, Johansen was coming off of a season where he scored 61 points, and the Predators had just made a run to the Stanley Cup Final.

A few years later, though, it became clear that Johansen was more of a second-line center than a true top-of-the-lineup pivot. Johansen hasn’t crossed the 70-point mark since 2014-15, and recognizing his team’s need for a truly dynamic center, Poile signed Matt Duchene to a seven-year deal with an AAV identical to Johansen’s.

While Duchene has undoubtedly been productive (he scored 43 goals and 86 points last season) he’s been largely shifted away from the center position in recent years. So, the Predators’ longstanding need for a top-of-the-lineup center has persisted into this year as well. As things currently stand, rookie Juuso Parssinen, with a grand total of ten NHL games to his name, is the Predators’ first-line center.

Poile signed his team’s core to extensions with the idea that the Predators would be trying to compete for the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup championship. Unless Parssinen manages to author a rookie season for the ages, the Predators will be in the position of needing to win a Stanley Cup without a true top-line center. That’s an extremely challenging prospect, and the lack of a top centerman is something that has doomed many a Stanley Cup hopeful.

Picture courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ryan McDonagh Placed On Injured Reserve

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One of the trades that probably didn’t get as much attention as it should have this offseason was one that sent Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators. Essentially a salary dump by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 33-year-old defenseman was acquired for almost nothing, despite being one of the most experienced postseason players in the league.

Though it got off to a rocky start, the Predators-McDonagh partnership has been strong of late, resulting in a 7-2-1 record in their last ten. Unfortunately, things will stop there, at least for a little while. McDonagh has been placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss two to four weeks. Jordan Gross has been recalled in his place.

McDonagh is dealing with an upper-body injury, taking more than 20 minutes per night out of the Nashville lineup. The veteran was facing all of the top competition and logging heavy defensive deployment, while anchoring the team’s penalty kill.

Without him, even more responsibility will likely be placed on Mattias Ekholm, in order to keep Roman Josi free to deliver offensive results. In Friday’s game, when McDonagh left early, Alexandre Carrier also saw a season-high 21:39, a good sign that he will be leaned on heavily in the interim.

NHL Reschedules The Two Postponed Games From November

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  • Last month, the Predators had a pair of their games postponed due to a water main break in their arena. Today, the league announced the makeup dates for those contests.  Nashville will host the Blue Jackets on January 17th while they will host the Avalanche on April 14th, one day after the regular season is set to conclude.

Cody Glass Out Day-To-Day

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  • The Nashville Predators announced in advance of tonight’s game against the New York Islanders that forward Cody Glass would not play due to injury. Per the announcement, Glass is dealing with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. The 2017 sixth-overall pick has three points in 14 NHL games so far this year and scored 62 points in 66 AHL games last season.

West Notes: Predators, Pietrangelo, Oettinger

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The Nashville Predators home game tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks will go on as scheduled after a water main break in the arena forced the team to postpone their Friday and Saturday night games. While team president Sean Henry said that “most fan-facing amenities will be functional,” he noted that the complete extent of repairs and restorations to Bridgestone will take months.

The league has yet to reschedule Nashville’s missed games against Colorado and Columbus, but Bridgestone will get a bit of a break on the hockey side soon. While there are occasional concerts there, Nashville’s home game against Anaheim is their last until December 9.

  • According to the team, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo didn’t suit up for tonight’s game against Columbus for personal reasons. Pietrangelo is having an electric start to his third season in Vegas with 21 points through 23 games. Hopefully, everything is well with Pietrangelo and his family.
  • Jake Oettinger was expected to start tonight for the Dallas Stars, but he’ll be relegated to a backup role as he deals with an illness, according to the team. He’s run into a bit of a cold streak his past few games, with his season totals dropping to a still very respectable .917 save percentage and 2.52 goals-against average. He’ll likely start in Dallas’ next matchup against Anaheim on December 1.

Predators Believed To Be Open To Trading A Defenseman

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It has been a bit of a tough start to the season for the Predators.  While they sit fourth in the Central entering today’s action, they’re among the lowest-scoring teams in the league, ranking 29th in goals scored at the moment.  With that in mind, they may have to look outside the organization to try to add some scoring help.  One possible option is to move a defenseman and in his latest column for the Toronto Star, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports that Nashville GM David Poile would like to move a defenseman, suggesting that Dante Fabbro could be had for the right price.

The 24-year-old locked down a regular role in 2019-20, logging over 19 minutes a game and it looked as if the Predators had found yet another quality young defender that they could mold into a core piece.  However, he hasn’t really progressed much since then.  His playing time continued to hover around the 19-minute mark until this season as it’s down to just 16 minutes a night while he has just four assists in 19 games.

While he’s still holding down a regular role, his usage has dipped to that of a number six defenseman which, at a $2.4MM price tag, is a bit pricey for that spot on the depth chart.  Notably, Fabbro will be owed a qualifying offer this summer at that same price point while also being arbitration-eligible and if he rides out the season in the role he has now, he could very well be a non-tender candidate in the summer.  Accordingly, moving him now might make sense.

Among Nashville’s other defenders, it’s safe to say that Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan McDonagh aren’t going anywhere.  Jeremy Lauzon has three years remaining after this one on his deal at a $2MM AAV which could be intriguing to some teams if they feel he can be more than a third-pairing option while Alexandre Carrier has taken a step back this season after a breakout 30-point campaign last year.  Veteran Mark Borowiecki is currently injured so he’s unlikely to move either.

That makes Fabbro the logical choice to move if Poile decides that he wants to move a defender and while his trade value has undoubtedly dipped compared to what it would have been a few years ago, it’s also possible that it drops even further if they get to the offseason with him being questionable to be given his qualifying offer.  If they feel that Jordan Gross (who presently is with AHL Milwaukee but has two goals in three NHL games this season) can fill a similar role that Fabbro is now, Fabbro certainly could be an interesting addition to the trade market in the coming weeks.

Today’s Nashville-Colorado, Tomorrow’s Nashville-Columbus Game Postponed

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3:16 pm: Not much of a surprise, the NHL has announced that tomorrow’s game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena has been postponed as well. Like today’s game, this one also has not yet been rescheduled. The Blue Jackets host the New York Islanders tonight, but will now stay home to take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. Nashville’s next game is currently scheduled for Tuesday at home against the Anaheim Ducks, but the team hits the road after. The NHL hasn’t announced a decision on Tuesday’s game just yet.

8:58 am: Happy Thanksgiving, Nashville – the rink is flooded. The NHL has announced that because of a water main break in Bridgestone Arena, today’s game between the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche will be postponed. There has not yet been a makeup date announced.

The “significant impact” on the event level has even put tomorrow’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in jeopardy, though the league has not made a decision yet on whether it will be held.

That means it could be a rather significant break for the Predators, who last played on Wednesday and wouldn’t again until Tuesday if tomorrow’s match is also postponed. With that much time off now, it just means that later down the road the schedule will be even tighter.

After losing on Wednesday, Nashville is now treading water with a 9-9-2 record and sit sixth in the Central Division.

Colorado, meanwhile, got the rare opportunity of spending Thanksgiving in a Nashville hotel – flying in, staying overnight and now leaving for their home game against the Dallas Stars tomorrow night.

Wayne Simmonds, Zach Sanford Clear Waivers

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Nov 23: While Hellberg was claimed yet again, both Simmonds and Sanford have cleared and can be sent to the minor leagues.

Nov 22: The NHL waiver wire is busy today, with three names available for claim. Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets reports that Wayne Simmonds of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Zach Sanford of the Nashville Predators, and Magnus Hellberg of the Seattle Kraken have all been placed on waivers.

For Simmonds, this isn’t much of a surprise. The 34-year-old has already passed through waivers once this season in early October. No longer a regular in the Toronto lineup, he has bounced up and down between the NHL and AHL whenever necessary, playing in just four games to this point. He’ll likely continue to do the same thing, but needed to have his waiver clock reset after 30 days on the active roster had passed.

Hellberg, meanwhile, will just have to hope he doesn’t have to move again. The veteran netminder signed with the Seattle Kraken but when the team tried to waive him early in the year, the Ottawa Senators grabbed him while they dealt with goaltending issues. While he was taken back by the Kraken, he hasn’t actually played for them yet and is now at risk of another claim. Given his success in the KHL and .935 save percentage in one game with Ottawa, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Hellberg on his way to a new team tomorrow.

It’s Sanford that is somewhat surprising among the three players, as this will be his first time on waivers. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $850K contract with the Predators in the offseason after splitting last year between the Senators and Winnipeg Jets. In eight games so far he has just two points, and saw fewer than 13 minutes in last night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Notably, he took an interference penalty in a tie game with only 2:52 remaining that could have easily cost the Predators the game, though they would eventually kill it off and win in a shootout.

Because of his size, inexpensive contract, and history of success in the league – Sanford scored 16 goals and 30 points in 58 games during the 2019-20 season – there’s a reasonable argument to be made for a team to claim him. If he isn’t taken, though, clearing waivers will give the Predators a bit more roster flexibility.

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