Snapshots: Smith, Schenn, Second Round, DiPietro
Forward Cole Smith was held out of Friday night’s Game 6 lineup due to a lower-body injury, per the team (Twitter link). Smith was replaced by Juuso Parssinen making his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut. Parssinen took on a larger role than Smith’s received, stepping into the team’s second line and bumping Mark Jankowski down the lineup. Only three Predators forwards, including Smith, have failed to record at least one point through their first five playoff games. Parssinen will need to quickly join that list, with Nashville down 3-2 in the series.
The Predators also welcomed Luke Schenn back to the lineup, after he missed Game 5 with illness, shares The Athletic’s Thomas Drance (Twitter link). Schenn’s absence made way for Tyson Barrie to return to the lineup. Barrie brought speed and tempo to the lineup, even recording an assist in Nashville’s eventual 2-1 win. But with elimination so close, the Predators opted for the more physical and defensive presence of Schenn.
Other notes from around the league:
- The NHL has announced the start times for the Second Round’s Eastern Conference matchups. The round will begin with Game 1 between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers on Sunday, while the Florida Panthers will take on the winner of Toronto versus Boston on Monday. Start times for each of these games haven’t yet been announced. This schedule marks a quick turnaround for Boston or Toronto, while each of Carolina, New York, and Florida will have at least five days off.
- The Boston Bruins have returned goaltender Michael DiPietro to the minor leagues, per NHL.com’s Mark Divver (Twitter link). DiPietro has served as Boston’s emergency third-string goalie for a handful of playoff games, though he’s yet to play his first game as a Boston Bruin. He instead spent all season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, where he recorded 18 wins and a .918 save percentage in 30 appearances. He’ll now return to a prime role for Providence, as they prepare to take on one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Charlotte, or Hartford in the Atlantic Division’s Semifinals.
Predators Sign Cole Smith To Extension
The Predators signed forward Cole Smith to a two-year, $2MM ($1MM AAV) contract extension on Wednesday, per a team announcement. The deal begins next season and keeps Smith under contract through 2026.
Smith, 28, is playing the 2023-24 season on a one-year, league-minimum contract that was set to make him a UFA this summer. This is his first multi-year contract with Nashville after signing four consecutive one-year deals since turning pro in 2020.
The Predators’ undrafted pickup out of the University of North Dakota is transforming into a solid bottom-six presence, pacing himself for career highs with five goals and 16 points in 46 games while averaging a career-high 13:30 per game. His individual possession numbers are underwhelming (a 47.2% Corsi share at even strength), though, and his line with Colton Sissons and Yakov Trenin is near the bottom of the league in terms of generating quality scoring chances, per MoneyPuck.
That being said, Smith’s $1MM cap hit is fully buriable in the minors and would not count against the team’s salary cap if they opted to waive him. If he can round out his game, it’s a solid bet on the part of Predators GM Barry Trotz to get a 25-to-35-point scorer locked in at an affordable rate for the next pair of seasons.
Since signing with the Predators in 2020, Smith has nine goals, 24 assists, 33 points, and averages 12:43 per game through 124 contests. The extension will make him a UFA for the second time in his career at age 30 in 2026.