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Snapshots: Three Stars, EBUG, Pittsburgh

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and a great story of redemption comes in at the top. Kevin Fiala, who was made a healthy scratch earlier in the year, had four multi-point games in one week and now sits at a career-high 49 points on the season. The 23-year old forward has always oozed talent, but would disappear for stretches during his time with the Nashville Predators. In eight games with new head coach Dean Evason, Fiala has six goals and 11 points.

Second place goes to a former teammate of Fiala in Ryan Ellis, whose return to the Predators lineup was a strong one after missing time with a concussion. The defenseman recorded seven points last week and now has 36 on the year. If you hadn’t realized just how well Pavel Francouz was playing for the Colorado Avalanche, how about a 3-0 week with a .946 save percentage to let the world know. The goaltender took home the third star after receiving the top honors last week.

  • It is the first day of the GM meetings in Florida, and one of the topics of conversation was the emergency backup goaltender situation. Though there were some who have voiced concerns, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there will be no changes to the protocol. Fans of Scott Foster and David Ayres will be relieved.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a terrible slump, but might be getting some reinforcements back soon. Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Nick Bjugstad were all participating in full at practice today, though it is not clear exactly when they will return to action. With that news, the team has returned Zach Trotman to the minor leagues.

Minor Transactions: 02/27/20

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How about ten NHL games with plenty of playoff implications for your Thursday night? That’s what is on offer this evening around the league as several postseason hopefuls do battle. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers kick things off with their seasons on the line, while the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators battle to stay in the Western Conference race. As the league prepares, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Joshua Norris, the young forward who has dominated the minor leagues in his first taste of professional hockey. One of the key parts in the Erik Karlsson deal, Norris now has 30 goals and 58 points in 52 AHL games.
  • With Sami Niku dealing with an injury, the Winnipeg Jets have recalled Nelson Nogier from the Manitoba Moose. The 23-year old Nogier has 11 NHL games under his belt, and just one since the 2016-17 season.
  • Jonathan Drouin will not play tonight for the Montreal Canadiens, so the team has recalled Charles Hudon under emergency conditions. Teams have limited recalls after the trade deadline, but emergency ones do not count towards that total.
  • The Predators have sent Connor Ingram back to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, signaling that Pekka Rinne has recovered from his recent illness. Ingram had been up under emergency conditions.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Lawrence Pilut from the minor leagues, as they continue their current road trip. After facing the Colorado Avalanche last night, Buffalo will journey to Vegas, Arizona and Winnipeg before heading home.
  • Joshua Jacobs has earned his first call-up of the season from the New Jersey Devils, after clearing waivers in late September. The 24-year old has just a single NHL game under his belt to this point, despite being the 41st overall pick in 2014.
  • Once again the San Jose Sharks have involved Lean Bergmann in a transaction, this time bringing him back up from the minor leagues. The 21-year old forward has played eight games with the Sharks this season, registering one points.
  • After needing Calvin Thurkauf to fill in for a long list of injured forwards, the Columbus Blue Jackets have sent him back to the AHL. The 22-year old played in three games, but didn’t tally his first NHL point.

Nashville Predators Extend Rocco Grimaldi

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While the rest of the league is busy making trades, the Nashville Predators have decided to sign one of their players to an extension. Rocco Grimaldi has signed a two-year contract extension that carries him through the 2021-22 season. The deal will pay Grimaldi $2MM in each year.

Grimaldi, 27, has finally seemed to find a home in Nashville after bouncing around the league his first few seasons. In 58 games this year he has already set career-highs in goals, assists, points, +/-, and time on ice. Ten goals and 30 points may not be eye-popping numbers, but on a team whose identity is collective scoring he fits right into the mix.

Still, even though he has outperformed a $2MM salary, the Predators have been criticized in the past for not having any real stars to lead their group. Locking up another player like Grimaldi just leans into that even further, given how little cap space the team will be dealing with moving forward. Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith are both coming off the books, but with a huge raise coming for Roman Josi and real concern in net there won’t be a lot left.

Grimaldi would have been an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and will be a UFA in 2022.

Trade Deadline Primer: Nashville Predators

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With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the Nashville Predators.

It’s been an up-and-down year in Nashville for a team that had such high expectations. For a while, the team was floundering near the bottom of the Central Division. The team fired long-time head coach Peter Laviolette and replaced him with John Hynes. While the results have been slow-going, Nashville seems to be moving up in the standings. Suddenly, just one point out of a playoff spot, the Predators look like a team that could make a playoff run after all. That puts general manager David Poile in an interesting position at the trade deadline. Should he buy, stand still, or maybe even sell?

Record

30-23-8, fifth in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Slight Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$11.517MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: NAS 1st, NJD 2nd, NAS 2nd, MIN 3rd, NAS 3rd, NAS 5th, NAS 6th
2021: NAS 1st, NAS 2nd, NAS 3rd, NAS 4th, NAS 5th, NAS 6th

Trade Chips

One name seen often as a trade deadline candidate is Mikael Granlund. The winger was brought over from Minnesota to give the team another experienced and gifted top-six forward. However, that hasn’t happened as he struggled with a goal and five assists in 16 games with the team last season. It wasn’t much better early on as he had six goals and 14 points through 35 games under Laviolette, which has had a lot to do with the rumors. However, Granlund seems to have found his game under Hynes. He has nine goals and three assists in those 20 games. Regardless, the 27-year-old who will be an unrestricted free agent next year, still may not be the best fit in Nashville’s system and could be a target for teams that believe he’d be a better fit in their system.

Craig Smith is a somewhat different story. Also a UFA next summer, Smith could be a potential trade candidate if the team feels they can’t re-sign him, although it’s just as possible that Nashville locks him up in the near future as well. Smith has turned it on of late with six goals in his past eight games. He could be part of a package for an upgrade, if the team is ready to move on from him.

The team could find itself bringing in help on defense as the team needs depth, especially with their third pairing. It wouldn’t be surprising if the team moved one of those defenders to send back for an upgrade on defense as well, such as Dan Hamhuis, Yannick Weber or Matt Irwin.

Nashville has most of their picks, but have two second and two third-rounders in this upcoming draft. That might be the ammunition to acquire a player they covet. The team also has a few prospects and while it’s unlikely they would move their top prospect forwards in Philip Tomasino, or Eeli Tolvanen there are a number of other prospects who could interest a team, such as forward Egor Afanasyev or defenseman Jeremy Davies in the right deal.

Five Players To Watch For: F Egor Afanasyev, F Mikael Granlund, D Dan Hamhuis, F Craig Smith, D Yannick Weber

Team Needs

1) Top-Four Defenseman: Despite having one of the best top-four pieces in the NHL before this season started, the Predators knew they here hoping for a lot when they traded P.K. Subban and handing his role to rookie Dante Fabbro. He has had an up-and-down year, but injuries to other members of the top-four, including Ryan Ellis, has forced their third pairing players to move into the top four at times, which has been a disaster, which means the team could really use another top-four blueliner and move Fabbro down a notch on the depth chart. Many feel that New Jersey’s Sami Vatanen could be a good fit here.

2) Upgrade In Top-Six: The Predators have two potential unrestricted free agents in Granlund and Smith coming up and with cap considerations, they might be better off packaging them to another team in hopes of getting a forward with term that can help them both this year and in the future.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators Swap Depth Players

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The Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs connected on a trade as the Predators announced they have traded forward Miikka Salomaki to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Ben Harpur. While neither has made much of a mark on their NHL teams this year, each team bolstered their depth for their upcoming playoff run.

This deal is more likely to satisfy each team’s AHL squad. The 26-year-old Salomaki is a player who has plenty of NHL experience, but has struggled to find a full-time role and never fulfilled the potential that made him a second-round pick in 2011. He appeared in a career-high 61 games for Nashville in 2015-16 and then again in 58 games in 2017-18, but in between spent most of his playing time with the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL. This year, he has appeared in five games for the Predators with one goal, but has spent 41 games in Milwaukee with five goals and 15 points. He should provide some much needed wing depth for the Toronto Marlies, who have sent several of their top forwards to help with the Maple Leafs’ depth issues.

On the other hand, Harpur can add some depth for the Predators. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound blueliner has also struggled to realize his potential and has fared poorly with the Marlies as a third-pairing option there. The team picked him up as part of the offseason trade that saw the Toronto Maple Leafs send Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown and other parts to Ottawa for Cody Ceci and Harpur and other pieces as well. The 25-year-old hasn’t seen any NHL action this year and, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle, has wanted out of Toronto for a while. He adds a big body for a Milwaukee team and can serve as emergency insurance in case Nashville’s defense suffers injuries. He has one goal and 11 points in 33 games with the Marlies.

Minor Transactions: 02/13/20

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The entire hockey world watched two icons have their numbers raised to the rafters together in Vancouver last night, as Daniel and Henrik Sedin were honored by the Canucks. Twin brothers who were miraculously drafted second and third overall by the same franchise (after some wheeling and dealing by then-GM Brian Burke) spent 17 seasons connecting with a city and fanbase. The Sedins each scored over 1,000 points in a Canucks sweater and no one else will ever wear #22 or #33 in Vancouver. As the Canucks and other teams prepare to go back to work this evening, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • As the Dallas Stars get set to face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, they’ve placed Alexander Radulov on injured reserve. Taking his place is top prospect Jason Robertson, who could make his NHL debut. Selected 39th overall in 2017, Robertson has taken quite well to professional hockey, recording 20 goals and 35 points as a rookie with the Texas Stars.
  • The Boston Bruins have returned Jeremy Lauzon to the minor leagues, after he served the final game of his suspension by sitting out last night. Lauzon could be an option for the Bruins down the stretch, but has spent most of the season in the AHL.
  • Yakov Trenin has been sent to the AHL by the Nashville Predators, as the team readies for their matchup against the New York Islanders tonight. Trenin has played 17 games for the Predators this season and must be getting used to the trip between leagues.
  • Once again the Winnipeg Jets have recalled Andrei Chibisov, and perhaps this is the time he will make his NHL debut. The 26-year old forward has 24 points in 47 games for the Manitoba Moose in his first season in North America.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have sent Scott Wilson back to the minor leagues, as Victor Olofsson and Kyle Okposo return to the lineup tonight. Olofsson will try to resume his excellent rookie campaign and provide some more scoring punch for the Sabres.
  • Mark Barberio has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche, after playing in 14 games with the team earlier this season. The 29-year old defenseman has two points on the season.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled both Antti Suomela and Noah Gregor from the minor leagues, though the latter seems to be dealing with a minor injury. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweets that Suomela will be the extra forward for tomorrow’s Sharks’ game against the Winnipeg Jets.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Barrett Hayton from the minor leagues, sending Aaron Ness down to make room. Hayton had to come up now that his conditioning loan has expired, and will need to either stay with Arizona or go back to the CHL for the rest of the year.

Ryan Ellis Likely Won't Play On Current Road Trip

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  • Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis is with the team on their current road trip but is unlikely to play, suggests Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean. He’s working his way back from a concussion sustained back at the Winter Classic on January 1st.  With Nashville currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, he’d certainly be a welcome addition but if this holds true, the earliest he’ll be able to play is February 13th.

Trade Candidate: Mikael Granlund

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue to profile players that have a good chance to be dealt by February 24th.

Last season, the Nashville Predators made a big splash at the trade deadline with the acquisition of Mikael Granlund from Minnesota.  They had been looking for one basically all season long and it wasn’t even a rental situation.  Things were looking up, or so it seemed.

Granlund struggled down the stretch and in the playoffs last year and things haven’t gone too well for this season either.  Between that and the fact that Nashville needed a couple of wins this week just to stay out of the basement of the Central Division, it seems quite likely that he’ll on the move over the next few weeks.  Even if the Predators can stay close to the playoff picture, he could still be on the move due to his rather limited production on the team as his money could be better spent elsewhere.

Contract

Granlund is in the final season of a three-year, $17.25MM deal that he signed back in August of 2017.  The deal was slightly back-loaded as his salary this season is $6.5MM, $750K higher than his $5.75MM AAV.  He will become an unrestricted free agent in July.

2019-20

While he has performed better than he did after being acquired, Granlund has still underwhelmed, especially relative to his production in his final years with Minnesota.  Despite playing in the top six basically all season long (including more than two minutes a night on the power play), his point per game output is the lowest of any full season of his career.  The 27-year-old has a well-earned reputation for being a playmaking forward and has recorded at least 31 assists in each full season of his career.  However, Granlund has just eight helpers on the season and has gone more than a month and a half without one.  That pretty much sums up how disappointing his season has been.

Season Stats

44 GP, 10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points, -1 rating, 16 PIMS, 90 shots, 17:05 TOI, 55.3 CF%

Potential Suitors

Despite his struggles since joining Nashville, there will be several teams that look at Granlund’s body of work with Minnesota and think that a change of scenery can help get him going again.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that a $5.75MM price tag is going to limit the number of trade options; even if Nashville retains (they can hold back up to 50%), he’s still going to be too expensive for some of the cap-strapped contenders.

In the East, the Islanders stand out as a team that would be a good fit.  They are in the bottom ten in the league in goals scored and have a few players capable of scoring more than they have been.  Yes, adding another underachiever into the mix is risky but Granlund’s overall track record suggests he’d give them a boost at the very least.  They’re one of the only playoff contenders that can afford his contract outright as well.  Lightning GM Julien BriseBois isn’t bullish on adding a rental player but Granlund could fit in well with their high-skilled attack in a middle-six role.   And of course, when it comes to making splashes at the deadline, the Penguins can’t be counted off though they would need Nashville to retain some money or send a contract or two the other way.  Pittsburgh has a clear vacancy to fill with Jake Guentzel out long term and Granlund is one of the more skilled forwards that’s available.

Out West, Flames GM Brad Treliving would prefer to add someone that’s signed beyond this season but if that falls through, Granlund would be a nice pickup for their top six and give them some extra skill in that group.  However, the Michael Frolik deal last month doesn’t free up enough cap space alone to add Granlund so there would need to be some retention.  The Avalanche are still one of the top teams in the league offensively but they have plenty of short-term cap room to work with and this is a year they should be trying to go for it so don’t be surprised if they still look to bolster their attack.

Likelihood Of A Trade

While the return isn’t going to be anywhere near what it would have been perceived to be a year ago, GM David Poile has all but certainly decided that Granlund won’t be staying past this season and that his money will go elsewhere on the open market.  In this case, getting something is better than nothing, even if they wind up turning around and acting as a buyer to get a short-term replacement for him.  Barring injury or a rapid turnaround, it’s hard to envision him still being in Nashville past February 24th.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ryan Ellis Resumes Skating, Colton Sissons Should Return Later This Week

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The Predators have slipped to the bottom of the Central Division, a place that hardly anyone would have seen them being in at the start of the season.  However, some help could be on the horizon as Adam Vingan of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Ryan Ellis skated today for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury back on January 1st at the Winter Classic.  Ellis is second on the team in ice time at over 23 minutes a night while his 0.72 points per game average is the second-highest of his career.

Meanwhile, Vingan adds in a separate tweet that while center Colton Sissons won’t play tonight, he could return as soon as Thursday against New Jersey or Saturday against Vegas.  He has missed the last month due to a lower-body injury.  The Predators have an open roster spot so they won’t need to send anyone down in order to activate Sissons off injured reserve.

Poll: Can The Predators Make The Playoffs?

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Matt Duchene, the Nashville Predator’s blockbuster free agent addition of this past summer, remains very confident in his new team, despite how their season is going. Duchene, in the first season on a seven-year, $56MM contract, is one of a number of under-performing players on the Nashville roster. The team has not played up to expectations this year, which has already cost head coach Peter Laviolette his job and now threatens to cost the team a trip to the postseason. Yet, Duchene believes the team has what it takes to turn their season around and qualify. He told the media on Monday that he feels that Nashville is a playoff team and, to double down, he does not think they need to make a move ahead of the forthcoming NHL Trade Deadline.

It’s a mighty big prognostication from a player who has been part of the problem and not the solution for the Predators this year. Duchene is on pace for just 56 points this season, which would be among the worst years of his career, when he was supposed to be shine on a talented Nashville roster. He’s not alone; Filip Forsberg (59 points), Ryan Johansen (47), Viktor Arvidsson (40), Kyle Turris (36), and Mikael Granlund (30) are all on pace to finish well below what has come to be expected of them. On top of that, veteran starter Pekka Rinne and young backup Juuse Saros are both experiencing the worst campaigns of their careers. Nearly all of Nashville’s key pieces outside of Roman Josi have disappointed to this point in the season, leaving them in the basement of the Central Division and among the worst teams in the league in a number of categories.

Yet, maybe Duchene has a point. A closer look would imply that perhaps Nashville is more than their current last-place position in the Central Division. With substantial games in hand on Minnesota, Chicago, and Winnipeg, the Predators’ .543 points percentage before Monday night’s game is actually fourth-best in the division. Beyond that, while the Preds currently trail the Vegas Golden Knights by six points for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, they are really just .005 points percentage points behind. Nashville actually seems to be well-positioned to compete for a spot. Also strange is the seeming lack of correlation between the number of underachieving core producers on the Predators and the actual state of their offense. At 3.30 goals for per game, the team is tied for seventh-best in the league in offense so far this season, even if only Josi is among the top scorers at his position.

With all that said, there is no hiding the fact that the Predators have been poor defensively and on special teams this season, their goaltending situation is shaky at best, and their best forwards have not risen to the occasion all year. Will the returns of Ryan Ellis and Colton Sissons be enough to boost the team? Can their struggling stars turn things around without help?

We already know how Duchene would vote, but what say you? Can the Predators make the playoffs?

[Mobile users click here to vote]

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