Predators Sign Fedor Svechkov To Two-Year Extension
The Predators announced this afternoon that they’ve signed center Fedor Svechkov to a two-year extension worth $2.5MM, yielding an average annual value of $1.25MM. He was set to be a restricted free agent this summer without arbitration rights.
Svechkov, 23 next month, is in his second NHL season after being drafted 19th overall in 2021. Since making his debut for the club in November 2024, he’s been a serviceable fourth-line piece but not much more. He’s put up an 11-19–30 scoring line in 110 career games with a -23 rating. Touted as a two-way center, he’s made progress in that department this year with a 51.1 CF% and 50.7 xGF% at 5-on-5, but his limited offensive utility thus far has kept him from climbing above 11 to 13 minutes of ice time per game.
This year, he’s shooting at just 5% and has three goals and 13 points through 58 games. He’s struggled on faceoffs, although his 42.9% win rate is up from his untenable 36.7% mark as a rookie. Given that he hasn’t excelled in any particular area outside of his possession impacts this year, he’s been in and out of the lineup. The Preds took advantage of his continued waiver-exempt status to assign him to AHL Milwaukee in late January, where he had five goals and eight points in just 10 games before being added back to the roster in early March.
Nashville’s trades sending Michael McCarron and Cole Smith out of town at the trade deadline have provided more security in the lineup for Svechkov in the last couple of weeks. He’s still only averaging 11:06 per game since the deadline as the Preds’ fourth-line center between fellow developing first-rounders Reid Schaefer and Joakim Kemell, but has a 1-2–3 scoring line and 14 shot attempts in eight games in that span. His new deal, which makes him an RFA in 2028, should lock him into Nashville’s #4C slot again next season.
Nashville Predators Recall Three Players
After trading away three players in the last few days, the Nashville Predators have begun to turn over their roster towards younger players. The team announced today that they have recalled center Fedor Svechkov, winger Reid Schaefer, and defenseman Ryan Ufko from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
Each recalled player corresponds with a veteran the Predators have dealt away this week. The Predators traded big center Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild, and in doing so, lost their regular fourth-line center and a player who ranked No. 1 among team forwards in short-handed ice time per game. 
Svechkov, 22, is a 2021 first-round pick whose game has long been built around a foundation of strong two-way play. While he has only played spot duty on the penalty kill at the NHL level, he’s seen more regular short-handed time at the AHL level. It’s possible the move of McCarron is what opens the door for Svechkov to get a longer look in that role with the Predators.
Svechkov got into 52 NHL games for the Predators last season, and had some impressive moments. He finished with 17 points in 52 games, but looked the part as an NHL player.
Finding a rhythm early this season was a challenge for Svechkov, but the more consistent role afforded by McCarron’s departure could aid in his development at the game’s highest level. Worth noting is the fact that his three-year entry-level contract is set to expire this summer.
By clearing the way for Svechkov to play a more regular NHL role, the Predators will be able to enter negotiations on Svechkov’s next deal with a stronger sense of where he is in his development. Adding a second-round pick from the Wild in the process certainly doesn’t hurt, as well.
The recall of Schaefer, a winger, more directly corresponds with the trade of Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights. Like McCarron, Smith was a fixture on the Nashville penalty kill. And like Svechkov, Schaefer has gotten some regular time on the Milwaukee penalty kill. It’s possible he earns some of Smith’s vacated short-handed minutes, though some of that time could also go to the energetic Ozzy Wiesblatt, who has averaged 0:34 time on ice per game on the penalty kill this season.
Originally a first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers, Schaefer landed in Nashville as part of the 2023 Mattias Ekholm trade, late in the tenure of Hall of Fame GM David Poile. Schaefer may have more offense to give than Smith did, as he has 15 goals and 28 points in 31 AHL games this season, to go along with six points in 27 NHL games. Smith’s career-high in terms of offensive production came in 2023-24, when he scored nine goals and 23 points in 80 games.
Finally, the recall of Ufko corresponds with the team’s trade of Nick Blankenburg to the Colorado Avalanche. Ufko has arguably been the biggest riser in Nashville’s system this season. A bit undersized, like Blankenburg, Ufko leads the Admirals in scoring this season with 44 points in 50 games, a notable uptick from the 30 points in 72 games he managed last year. He quarterbacks the top power play unit in Milwaukee, and could fill Blankenburg’s vacated role as the quarterback of Nashville’s second power play unit. Veteran Brady Skjei could also see time there, though the Predators may be more inclined to test their younger players in that role.
While some Predators fans may have been discouraged by the Predators’ move to sell off veteran talent in the midst of a playoff race, the reality is their recent moves could very well be in the service of building a contending team in the long-term.
By turning over some key roles, especially on special teams, to promising young talents, the team can more confidently chart its course into the future. Despite the fact that he has announced his upcoming retirement, Predators GM Barry Trotz appears to be focused on investing in the Predators’ future, stocking the team with additional draft picks and providing greater opportunity for key prospects.
Photos courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
Nashville Predators Reassign Fedor Svechkov
The Nashville Predators announced that they’ve reassigned forward Fedor Svechkov to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Nashville has a full roster after the transaction, though they’ll likely make another recall, particularly to their forward core, before their current road trip concludes.
Svechkov’s demotion is a clear-cut case of a younger player needing a reset. The former 19th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has struggled this season, scoring two goals and nine points in 49 games while averaging 12:03 of ice time per game. His last point came via a goal against the St. Louis Blues on December 27th.
Simply put, his production has been cut in half compared to last season’s results. That’s not something the Predators can afford for an up-and-coming 22-year-old forward at this stage of their retooling efforts. Last year, Svechkov played in 52 games with Nashville, scoring eight goals and 17 points with a -17 rating.
Still, he has shown mild improvements in his possession and defensive metrics. During his rookie campaign, Svechkov finished with a 50.0% CorsiFor and 87.5% on-ice SV% at even strength. This season, he’s improved those to 53.5% and 88.8%, respectively.
He’ll return to a familiar environment where he’s already experienced some success. Although he hasn’t played in the AHL this season, Svechkov has recorded 21 goals and 51 points in 70 games for the Admirals. Additionally, he’s been a beneficial playoff performer, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 25 games during the Calder Cup playoffs.
There’s no indication that the Predators plan to keep Svechkov in the AHL for the remainder of the season. Still, the Admirals are trending toward the playoffs again, allowing Svechkov to be in a competitive environment where he can excel.
Injury Notes: Luukkonen, Lindholm, Svechkov
The Buffalo Sabres announced mid-game that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would not return against Toronto due to a lower-body injury. The goaltender’s night ended after 12:14, surrendering two goals in five shots. He looked to be bothered after Auston Matthews found the back of the net, subsequently pulling himself, leaving Colten Ellis to take over. Buffalo ended up coming away with a 7-4 win.
Luukkonen missed the start of the season with a lower-body issue, but has been healthy since then. He has been catching up with Alex Lyon, now having backstopped the Sabres in 20 games, with a respectable .905 save percentage and 2.66 goals-against-average. The 26-year-old has formed an impressive duo with Lyon, not to mention Ellis, who has led Buffalo to keep three goaltenders on their active roster.
Naturally, the club is well stocked between the pipes for now, but given their strong play of late, the hope is that Luukkonen won’t need to miss an extended period.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Boston Bruins shared that Elias Lindholm would not return against Nashville due to an upper-body injury. The top line center appeared bothered after a face-off. Lindholm had a stint on IR in November, but no issues since. Prior to tonight, the 31-year-old had six points in his last five games, on pace to exceed his 47-point output in 2024-25 by a wide margin. Sitting third in team scoring, it has been a needed return to form this year. An update should come by Thursday, as the team hosts Philadelphia.
- Boston’s opponents also lost a center tonight, as the Nashville Predators announced Fedor Svechkov would not return due to an upper-body injury which came from a hard hit in the first period. One Nashville’s more noteworthy prospects, the 22-year-old has just nine points in 49 games, a noticeable drop off from his rookie campaign where he notched 17. Despite the lack of production, he’s been a consistent presence besides a scratch over the weekend. The Predators are back in action Thursday in New Jersey, and if Svechkov will miss any time, Tyson Jost figures to slot back into the lineup.
Central Notes: Rantanen, Wallstedt, Svechkov
Mikko Rantanen‘s reaction to being traded from the Colorado Avalanche was noticeable on the ice. He scored two goals and six points in 13 games with the Carolina Hurricanes and appeared as uninterested in an extension as he did during the games. Since joining the Dallas Stars, Rantanen is enjoying hockey again.
That’s evidenced by Rantanen’s torrid start in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. He’s the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite, scoring nine goals and 19 points in 11 games. In a recent article, Peter Baugh of The Athletic explored Rantanen’s pathway to the Stars organization this season.
Baugh even spoke to one of Rantanen’s family friends, Sauli Mattila, who said, “We’re getting back to ‘same old Mikko’ in his face. The smile is coming back.” The Stars are happy to reap the rewards of Rantanen’s new spark, as he may become the first player to be acquired at the trade deadline to become the postseason’s MVP.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Now that Marc-Andre Fleury has shut the door on his playing career, Minnesota Wild netminder prospect Jesper Wallstedt has a clear pathway toward NHL minutes. Still, he’s not coming off a promising season, as injuries limited him to 27 games in the AHL, leading Wallstedt to a 9-14-5 record with a .879 SV% and a 3.59 GAA. In an interview with Joe Smith of The Athletic, Wallstedt reaffirmed his confidence in himself, saying, “I know I’m a great goalie. I know I can save the puck. I’ve done it for so many years. I’ve done it at so many different levels. I’ve done it at the AHL. So it’s more that I’m asking myself, ‘Why am I not doing it right now? What has changed?’ I just need to get a clean slate.”
- In an interview with Dave Kallmann of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nashville Predators prospect Fedor Svechkov spoke about transitioning back to AHL hockey for the Milwaukee Admirals’ pursuit of the Calder Cup. Svechkov, the team’s first-line center, is second on Milwaukee in postseason scoring with two goals and five points in five games. When pressed on re-joining the Admirals roster, Svechkov said, “It was so easy because I knew almost all the guys, and I’ve been here last year, start of this year, and I know the coaches, know all the stuff. And it was pretty easy, like I just came back to my family.“
Predators Reassign Marc Del Gaizo, Fedor Svechkov
The Predators reassigned defenseman Marc Del Gaizo and center Fedor Svechkov to AHL Milwaukee on Monday, according to a team release. The pair will aid the Admirals in their Calder Cup quest after logging significant NHL ice time in 2024-25.
Del Gaizo was eligible for reassignment after clearing waivers last week. He split the season rather evenly between Nashville and Milwaukee and spent three distinct stints on the NHL roster, including from Feb. 27 onward to the end of the year aside from a brief demotion to the Admirals on March 7 to make him eligible to suit up for them in the postseason. It’s his first season requiring waivers after signing a two-way deal last September ($775K NHL/$125K AHL) following a lengthy stint on the restricted free agent market. Nashville won’t have the opportunity to retain his signing rights via a qualifying offer this summer because he’s eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency as a player with at least three professional seasons and fewer than 80 career NHL games while also being 25 years old.
Whether Del Gaizo stays with the Predators next season remains to be seen. It’s looking unlikely after they extended Andreas Englund last week, meaning Del Gaizo is the only Nashville defenseman who ended the season on IR or the active roster who’s not signed for 2025-26. The 2019 fourth-round pick made a career-high 46 appearances for the Preds this year, posting two goals and seven assists for nine points and a minus-three rating while averaging 16:45 per game. Down in the minors, the 5’11” lefty posted 8-4–12 and a +10 rating in 30 regular-season games.
As for Svechkov, the Preds hope he’ll remain in Nashville for years to come. The 2021 No. 19 overall pick somewhat unexpectedly saw significant NHL usage this year after a strong start to the campaign in Milwaukee, posting 12 points in 13 games while spending the vast majority of the season up with the Predators. The 6’0″, 187-lb pivot played third-line minutes, scoring 8-9–17 while averaging 12:53 per game across 52 appearances. He needs some work in the faceoff dot, winning just 36.7% of his 335 draws, and had underwhelming possession impacts for his offensively sheltered usage at even strength (50.0 CF%, 47.0 xGF%). There’s no guarantee he’s on Nashville’s opening night roster in the fall, but a strong playoff run with Milwaukee could boost his chances.
Predators Place Adam Wilsby On IR, Recall Fedor Svechkov
The Predators placed defenseman Adam Wilsby on injured reserve on Friday with an upper-body issue retroactive to Dec. 30, Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game reports. Nashville recalled center Fedor Svechkov from AHL Milwaukee in a corresponding transaction, Kieser said, keeping their roster at the 23-player maximum.
Wilsby, 24, has already missed one game with the UBI, which he presumably sustained in his most recent appearance against the Jets on Monday. He logged 18:29 of ice time in that contest, his 15th of the season and of his NHL career.
Initially recalled from Milwaukee in November, Wilsby has been on the transaction wire a few times this season but was beginning to get a look as a regular amid a demotion for Marc Del Gaizo and injury troubles for Jeremy Lauzon. He remains day-to-day but will miss at least two more games with the injury until he’s eligible to return against Winnipeg next Tuesday.
Things have largely gone well for Wilsby, who the Preds selected 101st overall in the 2020 draft. He’s posted a goal and two assists with a +3 rating, averaging 18:43 per game and limiting himself to one minor penalty. The 6’1″ lefty has spent most of his time with veteran Luke Schenn at even strength to good results. The pairing has been one of Nashville’s best at preventing quality chances against, controlling 56.5% of expected goals and allowing only 1.52 xGA/60, per MoneyPuck. Both rank second on the team among pairings with at least 50 minutes together this season.
His third-pairing spot with Schenn will go to Spencer Stastney, who’s set to make his season debut tonight against the Canucks after being recalled from Milwaukee yesterday. The 24-year-old has three points and a +2 rating in 10 AHL games this season after missing the first few months of the campaign due to personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Svechkov comes up for the second time this season but may not get a look in tonight’s game, with Ozzy Wiesblatt slated to make his NHL debut after being recalled alongside Stastney. Wiesblatt will slot in for winger Zachary L’Heureux, who’s set to serve the first game of a three-game suspension handed down for slew-footing Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon.
Nashville selected Svechkov, 21, with the 19th overall pick of the 2021 draft. The Russian pivot played nine games earlier this year on his first career recall, scoring twice while averaging 11:57 per game and winning 46.2% of his faceoffs. His 0.92 points per game with Milwaukee are second on the team this season.
Predators Reassign Fedor Svechkov
The Predators announced today that they have reassigned center Fedor Svechkov to AHL Milwaukee. The move frees up a roster spot, indicating that one of their IR-bound defensemen, Alexandre Carrier and Jeremy Lauzon, could be close to returning. According to Robby Stanley of NHL.com, neither will play tonight against the Rangers but skated this morning.
It’s not an unexpected result for Svechkov, who made his NHL debut earlier in his development than most expected. Nashville selected the 21-year-old in the first round of the 2021 draft, and he’s in his second season in North America after coming over from Russia in the 2023 offseason. He got off to a hot start with AHL Milwaukee, posting five goals and eight points in seven games, earning himself a performance-based recall with the Preds struggling to generate offense.
After scoring two goals and posting a -1 rating through his first nine NHL games, he’s returned to the minors for further development. He won’t require waivers to head to the AHL until the 2026-27 campaign or until he reaches 160 career games, whichever comes first.
Over the past few weeks, Svechkov has averaged nearly 12 minutes per game. He has won 46.2% of his faceoffs and recorded four blocks and 10 hits. He’s averaged a shot on goal per game and logged underwhelming possession numbers. He only controls 49.5% of shot attempts at even strength despite starting 73.1% of his shifts in the offensive zone.
Predators To Recall Fedor Svechkov, Assign Adam Wilsby
The Nashville Predators have reportedly recalled forward Fedor Svechkov and returned defender Adam Wilsby to the AHL, per the AHL Transactions Log. It’s the first NHL call-up of Svechkov’s young career, coming after he started the season with eight points in seven AHL games. He’s one of three Milwaukee Admirals still scoring above a point-per-game pace, alongside Vinny Hinostroza (19 points in 13 games) and Zachary L’Heureux (five points in four games).
Nashville general manager Barry Trotz has been vocal about wanting to lean into the many top prospects playing in Milwaukee amid the team’s struggles. He said earlier this month that he’s responsible for buying his prospects time to develop at the NHL level – and now brings up another youngster to join L’Heureux, who has four points in his first 15 NHL games.
Svechkov has planted his feet as a strong play-driver, bringing plenty of tenacity and speed to the middle lane. Those traits helped him reach 16 goals and 39 points in 57 games as an AHL rookie last season. He looked sharp, upholding his strong production in a move from Russia to Wisconsin. The 2021 19th-overall pick will now look to maintain it through an even tougher step, likely to challenge Colton Sissons or Michael McCarron for minutes centering the team’s bottom six.
Meanwhile, Wilsby will return to the minors just one day after being recalled. He’s bounced between the two rosters all month, spending as much as a week in the NHL – though Wilsby hasn’t cracked the lineup just yet. That might be a bit of a disappointment for the 24-year-old defender, who’s yet to make his NHL debut despite three seasons of serviceable play in Milwaukee. He has three points in 11 AHL games this season, bringing him to 42 points in 144 career AHL games. Wilsby was a fourth-round pick in 2020, and spent two years after his draft selection honing his traits in Sweden’s SHL. He’ll return to the minors with an assured role, and likely another depth call-up, awaiting him.
Injury Notes: Celebrini, Karlsson, Svechkov
Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that San Jose Sharks rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini left practice today with a lower-body issue. No specifics were given to the media as the Sharks coaching staff referred to the issue as a “Little bit of everything” and they believe that the 18-year-old will practice tomorrow with the team.
The first overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft had a strong preseason debut on Sunday night against the Vegas Golden Knights scoring a goal and adding an assist. No word on whether or not the issue popped up from something that happened in the game or during training camp. The Sharks aren’t expected to compete for the playoffs this season, but it will be an important season nonetheless as they try to develop their young core.
In other injury notes from around the league:
- Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson took a maintenance day today and did not practice with the team (as per SinBin.Vegas). Karlsson’s absence is injury-related, although the ailment is being kept out of the media at this time. The 31-year-old won’t play tomorrow but Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn’t rule him out beyond tomorrow. Karlsson has been relatively durable throughout his career but dealt with a lower-body injury in the second half of last season that kept him out of action for over a month.
- Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean writes that Nashville Predators forward Fedor Svechkov will be out of action week-to-week with what appears to be a lower-body injury. The 2021 first-round pick has yet to see NHL action after he came over to North America last season and spent the year in the AHL. He appeared to be injured in the Predators preseason game against the Florida Panthers on Sunday after he took a hit from Tobias Bjornfot. Svechkov couldn’t put weight on his left leg as he headed off the ice and down the tunnel.