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Nashville Predators Sign Cole Smith

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The Nashville Predators have signed minor league forward Cole Smith to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is worth $750K at the NHL level and $70K at the AHL level. Smith was scheduled to be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent later this month.

Now 25, Smith was an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2020 and managed to make his NHL debut with the Predators this season. The 6’3″ forward scored ten points in 23 games with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and is likely headed back to the minor leagues next season. He does represent a potential injury callup, but it’s hard to imagine him grabbing a full-time roster spot without an incredible performance in training camp.

Still, he should give the AHL club some good depth and could land a few more opportunities in the NHL throughout the season. Even though he’ll be 26 next summer, he won’t qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency as Smith will have just two years of professional experience. That means restricted free agency is awaiting him once again, hopefully with a full successful season under his belt.

Trade Rumors: Tarasenko, Buchnevich, Schmidt, Predators

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It is well-known by now that St. Louis Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko has requested a trade, but the extent to which he will go to make sure that request is honored may still be a surprise. Unlike other standout players with trade protection who simultaneously demand a trade while holding their team hostage with a limited list of acceptable destinations, Tarasenko is reportedly taking an “anywhere but St. Louis” approach. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple writes that Tarasenko, who has a full No-Trade Clause in his contract, has nevertheless provided the Blues with a considerable list of teams that he would be amenable to ending up with. Per multiple sources, Staple relays that the length of the list is “double-digits at least”. One team that is known to be on Tarasenko’s list of preferred destinations are the New York Islanders, though the salary cap implications would be tricky for such a deal. It is unknown if other teams who have checked in – the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals – are also on the list, but the odds are in their favor. One way or another, Tarasenko will be dealt, putting an end to an injury saga that was only resolved once Tarasenko went outside the organization to repair his shoulder. He should be fully healthy moving forward, but with some doubt and a hefty contract, there is some concern about what the Blues will recoup in a trade, if anything. Some have speculated that they may need to attach their first-round pick in order to move the pricey veteran, while others believe he will be exposed in the Expansion Draft in hopes that the Seattle Kraken take him for free instead.

  • While it is unclear exactly why, it has become obvious that Pavel Buchnevich’s name is being floated on the rumor mill. The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello confirms as much, but does not know the source. This could be a case of teams simply making calls to the New York Rangers about Buchnevich following a career year, creating the illusion that he is available for trade whether the team is taking those offers seriously or not. However, there is also a good chance that the Rangers are at least actively listening or even shopping Buchnevich. The 26-year-old winger has improved significantly in each of the past two years since signing his last contract with the Rangers. Now he is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and the ammunition to command a sizeable pay raise. With more depth on the wing than at center, including top picks Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, New York could choose to save the cap space for improving the center position, especially if Buchnevich can help to accomplish that goal as part of a trade. Carpiniello also notes that the Rangers have a number of young standouts who will require expensive extensions this summer and in the coming years and the team could be hesitant to let Buchnevich’s deal get in the way. Of course, this is all still speculation, but for whatever reason Buchnevich’s name is out there.
  • It was reported last week that the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Nate Schmidt could be heading for a split this summer after a less than inspiring first season. However, the team has since publicly denied any talks to trading Schmidt. Nevertheless, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli still debuted Schmidt at No. 12 on his Trade Targets board and believes that there is something to the rumors. Schmidt was not a good fit in Vancouver this season but still has value in the eyes of teams across the league; he appears to want to maintain that value by leaving the Canucks. Vancouver likely does not want to give up leverage by admitting that their is a mutual desire for a move, but could very much use his cap space.
  • The NHL Expansion Draft allows flexibility with protection schemes, offering teams the ability to protect seven forwards and three defensemen or, in the event that there is a fourth defensemen worth more than protecting three additional forwards, the eight-skater approach. However, there is not much a team can do when they want to protect five defenseman (unless they somehow feel they can afford to only protect three forwards.) The Nashville Predators appear to be facing this conundrum. Earlier in the season, the team entertained trading Mattias Ekholm because it was assumed they wanted to protect Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Dante Fabbro and seven forwards in the upcoming Expansion Draft. However, once the team began to improve and Ekholm was not moved before the Trade Deadline, it then became more likely that they would go with eight skaters instead, keeping all four defensemen. The late-season breakout of Alexandre Carrier threw a wrench in those plans though. The 24-year-old Carrier outplayed and ultimately took the job of the 23-old Fabbro and now the Predators do not want to lose either for nothing to the Seattle Kraken. It has previously been reported that Nashville is trying to construct a side deal with Seattle that would see the NHL’s newest team take a player of the Predators’ choosing with an additional cost, rather than having an open selection of all exposed players. However, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that in the even such a deal cannot be reached, the Predators will try to trade one of their top five defenders. LeBrun believes it will be one trade route or the other; Nashville will not protect all five defensemen.

Pekka Rinne Announces Retirement

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As it turns out, Pekka Rinne won’t be playing for another franchise after all. The legendary Nashville Predators goaltender has decided to hang up his pads, announcing retirement after 15 years. Rinne explained his decision in a long letter to the fans of Nashville, thanking some of the players that have meant the most to him over the years.

Rinne, 38, stands alone at the top of the mountain for the Predators, holding basically every franchise record that a goaltender can. He is the team leader in games (683), starts (667), wins (369), shutouts (60), goals-against average (2.43) and saves (17,627). He also leads all Finnish goaltenders in games, starts, wins and shutouts. Those 369 wins tie him for 19th all-time with Tom Barrasso, though he’ll likely be passed by Carey Price next season. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2018 and was a finalist three other times. He took home the King Clancy trophy this season.

Selected in the eighth round in 2004, Rinne’s is one of the best draft stories in history. Originally eligible in 2001, he was passed over three times before the Predators took a chance on him at 258th overall. Janne Kekalainen, the team’s European scout, saw Rinne playing as a backup for Niklas Backstrom in Finland, and convinced GM David Poile to spend a late pick on the overager.

Rinne was a pending unrestricted free agent this summer, and though he indicated at the end of the season he might be interested in playing, even if it meant suiting up for another franchise, he’ll finish his career playing for only Nashville. The team now turns to Vezina candidate Juuse Saros while also having top prospect Yaroslav Askarov in the pipeline after spending the 11th overall pick on him in 2020.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Free Agent Focus: Nashville Predators

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Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. A Predators legend is a UFA, but there are other, perhaps more important names for the Nashville front office to focus on.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Eeli Tolvanen – After dominating the KHL in 2017-18, many expected Tolvanen to step into the NHL as a superstar. That wasn’t even close to the case as the young sniper failed to even make the team the following season, spending two full years at the minor league level. In 2020-21 though, the Predators started to see a return on their investment, with Tolvanen eventually taking over a spot in the top-six. His development made Viktor Arvidsson expendable and should mean he is in line for even more responsibility next season. Now comes a negotiation and if GM David Poile is known for anything, it’s locking up players he believes are core pieces to long-term deals right away. Ineligible for arbitration, the only real leverage Tolvanen has is the threat of the KHL, meaning he should come back for a reasonable price unless the team starts buying out UFA time on a max-term deal.

D Dante Fabbro – Will Fabbro even be negotiating a contract with the Predators? Nashville will need to go the eight-skater protection route in the expansion draft in order to keep him away from Seattle, unless another deal is worked out in the next few weeks. If they do find a way to keep the 23-year-old defenseman, he’ll need a new contract this summer as an arbitration-eligible RFA. Fabbro is only coming off his entry-level deal, but since he signed as a 21-year-old and played ten games in his first season (including his six playoff games) he has already completed the three professional years that arbitration required.

G Juuse Saros – Don’t forget about Saros, who is also an RFA after taking complete control of the starting role this season. The 26-year-old netminder posted a .927 save percentage and finished sixth in Vezina Trophy voting, truly establishing himself among the league’s elite goaltenders. That kind of performance certainly came in a timely fashion for Saros, who is scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer and could be in for a huge payday this year. If the Predators want to lock him up long-term, he’ll be getting much more than the $1.5MM he has earned in each of the last three years. If he decides to go to arbitration, a one-year deal would walk him right to the open market.

Other RFAs: F Mathieu Olivier, F Michael McCarron, F Anthony Richard, F Rem Pitlick, F Josh Wilkins, F Tanner Jeannot, F Lukas Craggs, F Cole Smith, D Ben Harpur,  D Frederic Allard, D Jeremy Davies, D Josh Healey

Key Unrestricted Free Agents:

F Mikael Granlund – The veteran forward entered the UFA market last offseason as a top name, but ended up settling for just a one-year deal in Nashville after seeing the limited flat-cap market. He still earned a solid paycheck at $3.75MM, but is now another year older and enters free agency with more question marks. Granlund has never seemed to fit perfectly in Nashville, unable to reach the offensive heights that he found in Minnesota, and now has just 62 points in 130 games since arriving in 2019–he scored 47 goals and 136 points over his best two-year period with the Wild. Is his time as a play-driving top-six talent gone? Can he still play center on a full-time basis? It will be tough for a team to offer a long-term deal without knowing the answers to those questions, but it doesn’t really make sense for Nashville to bring him back unless it’s on another reasonable short-term contract.

D Pekka Rinne – 683 regular season games. 19,225 shots faced. 369 wins. 60 shutouts. These are all franchise records that Rinne holds for the Predators after 15 years with the organization, but a tough decision will be coming for Poile and the Nashville front office. Rinne is now 38 and has a .900 save percentage over his past two seasons. He had a losing record this year and isn’t the Vezina-winning goaltender he once was. Some would expect that means it’s the Predators or retirement, but when their season ended Rinne explained that he didn’t “want to close any doors.” Seeing the veteran netminder in any other colors would certainly be shocking, but at some point, the Predators are going to have to move on, whether he’s ready to call it quits or not.

Other UFAs: F Brad Richardson, F Erik Haula, F Sean Malone, F Michael Carcone, D Erik Gudbranson, D Luca Sbisa, D Tyler Lewington

Projected Cap Space

After moving Arvidsson’s contract the Predators have nearly $23MM in cap space to work with this summer, but a lot of that could be eaten up just by their restricted free agents. The expansion draft could provide some additional cap relief depending on who the Kraken decide to take, but it will be tough to really dole out a ton of money on the open market.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Predators Hoping To Make An Expansion Trade With Seattle

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After a lot of side deals that were made with Vegas didn’t exactly work out for the other team, some have wondered if there will be less of those this time around.  Some general managers have suggested their intentions is just to lose who they lose and be done but that isn’t the case for Nashville.  In an appearance on ESPN 102.5 The Game (audio link) following the Viktor Arvidsson trade on Thursday, GM David Poile indicated his preference would be to get a side deal in place:

Ideally, if we could strike a deal to determine a certain player who we would lose, I’d like to do that.

They effectively had an opportunity to make an arrangement with the Kraken with Arvidsson who Poile acknowledged would have been left unprotected and selected by Seattle had it not been for the trade with Los Angeles.  In the end, his preference was to get some assets in return for the veteran and they did just that by picking up second and third-round draft picks.

Nashville is in a situation where they will almost certainly want to protect four defensemen, limiting them to just being able to protect four forwards.  With that in mind, they’re likely to leave high-priced veterans in Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen.  Making a move to clear one of those contracts off the books would certainly help free up some extra flexibility but with both signed long-term at $8MM apiece, a trade like that isn’t the most realistic.

Arvidsson’s departure now allows them to protect someone like Calle Jarnkrok which would then push Nick Cousins and Rocco Grimaldi to the forefront of likely exposed forwards with veterans Matt Benning and Mark Borowiecki the notable blueliners that would be available.  On the surface, a side deal doesn’t appear to be needed as none of those are core players but evidently, Poile would like to have some more certainty surrounding who he’s going to lose.  With the expansion draft being less than three weeks away, time is quickly ticking for him to make a deal to get that certainty in place.

Offseason Checklist: Nashville Predators

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The offseason is in full flight with only two teams still standing.  We continue our series which examines what those eliminated teams need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Nashville.

It was another season of hanging around the middle for the Predators.  They managed to secure the final playoff spot in the Central before being dispatched by Carolina in the first round.  Their offense again sat around the middle of the pack once again as it was a case of history largely repeating itself with several high-priced veterans underachieving.  GM David Poile has to be encouraged by the fact they won 18 of their last 25 games to get into the postseason but despite that, the biggest part of their offseason should revolve around shaking up the core, something that is already underway.

Granlund Decision

Mikael Granlund was one of the stranger UFA cases back in the fall.  He was much better in 2019-20 after the coaching change to John Hynes and it looked like his strong finish was going to help him rebuild some value heading into the open market.  It was at the point where both sides were expected to move on as he was expected to cost more than what the Preds could afford.

That didn’t happen.  Instead, he was one of the players that couldn’t get the money he wanted at the start of free agency and tried to wait it out.  However, even that didn’t work and he ultimately returned to Nashville in late December on a small pay cut ($3.75MM) with the hopes of a repeat second half that would give him a bigger market this time around.

That didn’t really happen either.  He had 13 goals and 14 assists in 51 games this season which isn’t bad by any stretch but it’s hardly top-line production.  He logged plenty of ice time (19:28 per game which led all Nashville forwards) and he spent extended time at center for the first time since 2015-16.  Those are elements that will help his market.

In the end, Granlund’s market hasn’t changed much.  The 29-year-old is a capable second-liner who is miscast in a bigger role with Nashville.  Is he worth keeping around?  Given his role, definitely.  But at what price?  Is Granlund willing to take a multi-year deal around this price tag?  If so, they should be able to work something out.  But if he’s aiming for closer to his previous contract as he was in October, that contract probably isn’t going to come from Nashville.

Re-Sign Goalies

The Predators have their minor league goaltending situation settled for next year with a trio of players under contract.  However, the same can’t be said in the NHL as both Juuse Saros and Pekka Rinne are in need of new deals and are in very different situations.

Saros was long viewed as Nashville’s goalie of the future and after basically being in a platoon last season, he became their starter this year, getting nearly 63% of the starts.  The 26-year-old responded with the best year of his career, posting a 2.28 GAA with a .927 SV%, well above the league average on both fronts.  That has him well-positioned for a big raise from the $1.5MM he made on his bridge deal.  He’s now arbitration-eligible and is a year away from reaching unrestricted free agency, giving him some extra leverage in talks.  However, the Predators have Yaroslav Askarov in the system having made him their first-rounder last October.  He is now the goalie of the future, not Saros.  So while Saros’ performance is deserving of a long-term, big-money deal, does Poile have interest in that type of commitment?  That’s certainly not a given.  Knowing Askarov is in the system, another medium-term pact (three to five years) could be a preferable compromise, giving them some stability for now but allowing them to pivot to their top prospect when he’s ready.

As for Rinne, he was Nashville’s starter for more than a decade but his numbers have dipped considerably in the past two years to the point where they have been below the NHL average.  At 38, he is on the last legs of his career and hasn’t even committed to playing next season although he has expressed a desire to remain with the Preds if he does come back.  Given that there will be better options available that could also push Saros for playing time though, the fit may not be great aside from the element of having him be a career Predator.  At this point, Rinne will be going year to year which opens up the ability to offer bonus-laden deals which would give them some extra cap flexibility but it will come at a sharp dip in pay from the $5MM AAV he had the past two seasons.  Even half of that could be a stretch.  If they do decide to move on, the UFA market is deep enough that they’ll be able to bring in a capable replacement.

Offensive Core Shakeup

Over the past several seasons, Poile has tried to add to his core group up front, particularly down the middle.  Ryan Johansen was acquired as was Kyle Turris while signing Matt Duchene and Nick Bonino as free agents.  That’s a pretty good group of players on paper but it hasn’t panned out.  Johansen and Duchene have underachieved significantly, Bonino was traded (though Luke Kunin, who they acquired in the move, has some upside), and Turris was bought out.  Simply put, it’s not working.

The problem for Nashville is that the rest of their attack has also scuffled recently.  Viktor Arvidsson had seen his production drop sharply which helped lead to this week’s trade while Filip Forsberg’s has ticked down.  Even Granlund underachieved offensively.

To Poile’s credit, he has recognized the problem in the past and tried to address it; it just hasn’t gone well when he has done so.  But it’s time to try again.  Younger forwards like Kunin and Eeli Tolvanen can be part of the solution but they’re not ready to step into top roles and the combination of veterans they have just aren’t getting the job done under multiple coaches now.

With the flat salary cap, there could be an increase in swapping high-priced underachieving forwards and the Predators are a team that may want to look at going that route.  With nearly $23MM in cap room, there will also be an opportunity to try to add a secondary scoring piece or two which would be welcome additions but that alone won’t take them from being a below-average scoring team to an above-average one.  There’s a lot of work that needs to be done up front and bringing in a new piece or two to the top-six may very well help them go in the right direction.  A shakeup is needed and Arvidsson’s departure alone won’t be enough.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Poll: Grading The Viktor Arvidsson Trade

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The Los Angeles Kings made their first big splash of the summer yesterday, acquiring forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Nashville Predators in exchange for the 40th overall selection in this year’s draft and a 2022 third-round pick.

The deal came after two consecutive seasons where Arvidsson has come up short of expectations, with just 25 goals and 52 points over 107 combined games. That’s a big step backward for the player who racked up 34 tallies in just 58 games during the 2018-19 season, or the one that had posted back-to-back 61-point seasons the two years prior. Arvidsson has also failed to ever play in every scheduled game for the Predators, dealing with various minor injuries throughout the last several years.

Still, there’s lots of upside to the 28-year-old forward, something the Kings can take a chance on next season. Los Angeles has amassed one of the most impressive prospect groups in the NHL and didn’t have to forfeit a single one to land the talented winger. In fact, they still own a draft pick in each of the rounds they gave up, thanks to previous trades for Alec Martinez and Jeff Carter. There was an opportunity to add an established forward without drastically affecting the Kings future, and they took it.

Was Arvidsson the right choice though? That same draft capital could have been used to land someone else, and it’s not like he has provided much excess value on his $4.25MM deal the past two seasons. He immediately becomes the Kings’ third-highest paid forward and will contribute to a bit of a financial squeeze in the coming years. Even though Los Angeles has shed some of their highest-priced assets in recent years, they still have nearly $27MM tied up in the trio of Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick. As younger players start reaching restricted (or unrestricted, in the case of Calvin Petersen) free agency, they’ll need raises to keep them in the organization. Adding a $4.25MM hit doesn’t come without some risk in that regard, though if Arvidsson bounces back it won’t be much of an issue.

For Nashville, moving Arvidsson not only cleared a bit of cap, but also helped their expansion situation. Should the team decide to go the eight-skater protection route in order to keep all of their talented defensemen, the forward list is down to just a few names. Moving Arvidsson for some draft capital now allows them to protect someone else, a little extra value that should be taken into account when assessing the trade.

Filip Forsberg certainly didn’t like the deal, but how do you think each team did? Cast your vote for each side below and make sure to explain your thoughts in the comments.

[Links for mobile/app users: Predators, Kings]

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Los Angeles Kings Acquire Viktor Arvidsson

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The NHL trade market has been slow to this point, with many teams wary of making big moves that could upset their plans ahead of the Expansion Draft later this month.  However, a move was made today as Nashville announced that they have dealt scoring winger Viktor Arvidsson to Los Angeles. The Predators will receive L.A.’s 2021 second-round pick, No. 40 overall, and a 2022 third-round pick. Though the deal may lack excitement with none of the Kings’ high profile prospects going the other way, it is a solid return for Nashville, who need to restock their system. According to The Athletic’s draft pick value chart, the Kings’ second-rounder this year plus a presumptive top-half third-rounder next year is equivalent to a late first-round pick.

Arvidsson, 28, has cracked 30 goals and 60 points twice in his six-year NHL career, showing dangerous scoring ability. Even as his numbers have tailed off the past two seasons, he has maintained a half-point per-game scoring mark in all five of his full NHL seasons. It is also worth noting that his 6.6% shooting percentage this season was an extreme deviation from his career average. Positive regression likely means that more goals are on the way. Arvidsson is more than just his scoring totals, too. The undersized, but hard-working wing plays big minutes, contributes to both the power play and penalty kill, and is an excellent possession player.

[Related: Expansion Primers – Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators]

With all that said, Nashville was not wrong to be shopping Arvidsson. At times this past season, he seemed too passive and uninvolved. While he has still put up solid top-six numbers, the Predators have been relying on him as a top-line scorer and he has fallen short. It seems that both sides will benefit from this change of scenery. Nashville will certainly benefit from the expansion flexibility, cap space, and draft pick capital as they look to get back into Stanley Cup contender status after some up-and-down years.

As for the Kings, this is exactly what GM Rob Blake and company have promised their veteran core. The team plans to add established talent this year to help take their young team to the next level and to give their long-time centerpieces another chance to win. In a new place with and with a fresh group of teammates, Arvidsson could easily return to elite production. They had draft picks they could afford to move, the Expansion Draft slot to spare, and a desire to win and now they have a capable veteran in the fold as they look to get back into playoff contention.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that the Kings were acquiring Arvidsson.

Expansion Primer: Nashville Predators

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Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.

The last time around, the Nashville Predators protected eight skaters in the Expansion Draft: Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, Calle Jarnkrok, Ryan Johansen, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi, P.K. Subban,and Pekka Rinne. Look familiar? With seven of those eight players still on the team and at least five of them again locks for protection, the Predators are likely to take the same approach with Seattle as they did with Vegas.

Four years ago, the result was losing a high-priced veteran in James Neal. However, Neal was coming off consecutive strong seasons in Nashville and the Golden Knights did not hesitate to select the scoring forward. If the Predators want the Kraken to also take a pricey player, they may have to help it along. There are other more attractive and much more affordable options on the roster this time.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:
Viktor Arvidsson, Nick Cousins, Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg, Rocco Grimaldi, Calle Jarnkrok, Tanner Jeannot, Ryan Johansen, Luke Kunin, Michael McCarron, Rem Pitlick, Anthony Richard, Colton Sissons, Yakov Trenin

Defense:
Frederic Allard, Matt Benning, Mark Borowiecki, Alexandre Carrier, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, Dante Fabbro, Ben Harpur, Josh Healey, Roman Josi

Goalies:
Connor Ingram, Juuse Saros

Notable Unrestricted Free Agents

F Mikael Granlund, D Erik Gudbranson, F Erik Haula, F Brad Richardson

Notable Exemptions

F Egor Afansyev, G Yaroslav Askarov, D Jeremy Davies, D David Farrance, F Patrick Harper, F Thomas Novak, F Mathieu Olivier, F Eeli Tolvanen, F Phil Tomasino

Key Decisions

The Predators have no shortage of difficult decisions to make, but it beats the position they were in earlier this season. Off to a horrific start to the 2020-21 season and looking ahead to the Expansion Draft, Nashville had almost everyone on the trade block so that they could protect what few core players and young assets they valued in expansion. Chief among them was Ekholm, whose contract expires at the end of next season. Rather than protect four defensemen – Ekholm, fellow top defenders Josi and Ellis, and young standout Fabbro – and expose a number of forwards, the team was entertaining trading Ekholm so that they could use a 7-3 protection scheme. However, as their season turned around and Ekholm trade talks grew quiet, that possibility slipped away. Whether they plan to re-sign Ekholm or not, the Predators are not giving away any of those four defensemen for free, locking them in to the eight-skater scheme once again.

With their defensive protections locked in, as well as in goal with new starter Saros taking over for free agent and potential retiree Rinne, all of the questions for Nashville are at forward – and there are plenty. The two sure things are Forsberg and Arvidsson. Forsberg is the undisputed best forward on the team and Arvidsson, despite a down year, still has too much value to give up for free and has a team-friendly contract. Beyond that pair, GM David Poile could go in any number of directions with his final two spots. The safe guess for at least one spot though is young winger Kunin. Acquired just last summer, Kunin is young and full of potential. A potential long-term top-six forward in Nashville, Kunin is unlikely to be exposed unless the Predators see something in him that causes them doubt in his upside.

So it could be down to just one forward slot, with at least five names in contention – the downside of the eight-skater protection scheme. The big names are Johansen and Duchene, the Predators’ $8MM centers. The problem is that names is all they are right now; neither has produced up to the expectations of their pedigree in several years. Nashville seems likely to expose both in hopes that Seattle likes one of them enough to take a massive amount of cap off their payroll, which they could better use elsewhere. If one of them was to be protected, it would likely be Johansen who has more history with the team and plays a more complete game, even when he isn’t producing.

With Johansen and Duchene likely crossed off the list, that leaves long-time middle-six forwards Grimaldi, Jarnkrok, and Sissons. Jarnkrok may seem like the obvious choice; he finished second among Nashville forwards in scoring this season while Sissons and Grimaldi were tenth and eleventh, respectively. Jarnkrok also led all forwards in plus/minus and was a key cog in the power play. Jarnkrok was also protected four years ago and is still on the same bargain, $2MM AAV contract he was then. Contracts could be the key here, though. Poile has had an extraordinary ability in his career to sign players to affordable, long-term contracts, such as Jarnkrok. However, Jarnkrok is entering the final season of his long-term deal, while Sissons still has four seasons left at $2.86MM per year. Nashville’s top penalty killing forward and top face-off man is also quietly a good complementary scorer as well, scoring at close to a 30-point 82-game pace over the past four seasons. If Sissons is exposed, the Kraken have plenty of reasons to select him. Would Poile risk letting another team, a Western Conference rival at that, benefit from his negotiating handiwork or will he instead protect Sissons and his affordable contract?

If Nashville was protecting seven forwards, a strong case could be made for 24-year-old Pitlick. One lone NHL game after leaving college in 2019 is the only reason Pitlick is eligible for the Expansion Draft and the team hopes it doesn’t come back to bite them. A star at the University of Minnesota who has been stellar in the AHL through two pro seasons and earned some NHL games this season, Pitlick looks like a future top-nine forward, but the Predators don’t have the luxury of protecting potential with only four forward slots.

Projected Protection List

F Viktor Arvidsson
F Filip Forsberg
F Luke Kunin
F Colton Sissons

D Mattias Ekholm
D Ryan Ellis
D Dante Fabbro
D Roman Josi

G Juuse Saros

Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist

When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined.  Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined.  In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.

Forwards (6): Nick Cousins, Matt Duchene, Rocco Grimaldi, Ryan Johansen, Calle Jarnkrok, Yakov Trenin

Defensemen (2): Matt Benning, Mark Borowiecki

When the Predators signed Benning and Borowiecki to two-year deals last summer, it was with expansion in mind. They knew the pair were serviceable blue liners who could meet exposure requirements with bottom-pair time but also were not flashy enough for Seattle to select. In fact, if the Kraken do take a defenseman it is likely to be Carrier or Allard instead. In net, Ingram is a solid prospect who had a tremendous 2019-20 season, but his poor performance this year and his lack of waiver exemption likely makes him a non-option for Seattle.

Again, the value for the Kraken in likely to come at forward with so many names exposed. Jarnkrok, if exposed, would be affordable top-six scoring right off the bat for the new team. However, the expiring contracts for he, Grimaldi, and Cousins hurt all of their stocks. Pitlick or Trenin would be interesting project picks for Seattle, younger players who have shown flashes of great ability.

However, all eyes will be on Johansen and Duchene – and Kraken GM Ron Francis knows it. Even if he likes one of the two prime centers and even acknowledging that Seattle needs to hit $48.9MM and an $8MM salary would help, Francis also knows that the Predators have plenty of incentive to see either leave. Seattle could ask for an additional player, prospect, or pick in order to take Johansen or Duchene and Nashville will almost certainly comply. Johansen, a Vancouver native who played his junior hockey in Portland, is familiar with the area and could be an immediate fan favorite, the team’s top line center, and a captain candidate, especially if he can return to form. If he also came with another attractive asset or two, it would be a popular move by the team.

Pekka Rinne Wins 2020-21 King Clancy Memorial Trophy

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The NHL kicked off awards season on Monday night with the announcement of this year’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner for “leadership qualities on and off the ice” and “noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” The 2020-21 recipient is none other than well-respected veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, who beats out New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban and San Jose Sharks forward Kurtis Gabriel for the honor.

A career Predator, Rinne has long been making his presence felt in the Nashville community in many ways. He has been an active member of the Best Buddies program and Make-A-Wish Foundation, has organized events for the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease, and stepped up in a major way during the COVID-19 pandemic, participating in the Predators’ “Feed the Frontline” initiative that provided meals to police and firemen and partnering with Chick-Fil-A and Dunkin Donuts to provide food to Nashville doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. However, Rinne’s greatest contribution to the community has been his leadership of the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund, raising over $3MM for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Medical Center and bringing patients and their families to Bridgestone Arena to enjoy games from the 365 Fund suite, which he personally funds in full. For all he gives to his community, Rinne remains humble:

After spending 15 years with the same organization and in the same city, and with the opportunities I’ve had through local charities in my community – this is very special to me. At the same time, I want to congratulate P.K. and Kurtis on their nomination and for everything they do for their communities. I want to thank the Predators and the Predators Foundation for letting us players get involved and help in our community. I also want to recognize Shea Weber, who helped start the 365 Fund with me. This award means a lot to me and my family, and it’s a huge honor.

Predators General Manager David Poile also had plenty to say about Rinne’s deserving recognition:

I view the King Clancy Memorial Trophy as a lifetime achievement award of sorts, and Pekka winning this year is totally reflective of what he has done on the ice, but equally, if not more importantly, what he’s done off the ice in our community. For years, and for good reason, Pekka has been the face of our franchise and our most popular player. This is shown by the countless hours he’s spent working to make our community a better place and the sacrifices he’s made to make the lives of everyone around him better. Pekka is completely deserving of this honor, and our organization couldn’t be happier for him.

In honor of Rinne’s King Clancy victory, the NHL will donate $25,000 to the 365 Fund, an amount that the Predators have also promised to match. For more on Rinne’s contributions, the Predators provided this great video tribute to his work with kids. An impending free agent nearing the end of his career, if this is the last of Rinne in the NHL, it is a fitting sendoff for the star goalie.

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