Predators Assign Three To AHL
While the Predators were eliminated last night by Vancouver, the season isn’t quite over for three players just yet. The team announced that they’ve assigned forward Juuso Parssinen, defenseman Kevin Gravel, and goaltender Gustavs Grigals to AHL Milwaukee.
Parssinen split this season between the Predators and Admirals. With Nashville, the 23-year-old wasn’t able to match the output from a year ago, dropping to just eight goals and four assists in 44 games; in 2022-23, he had six goals and 19 helpers in 45 contests. Parssinen also got into one game against the Canucks in the first round and was held off the scoresheet. The pending restricted free agent had a fairly productive year in the minors, however, notching seven goals and 18 assists in 36 games.
As for Gravel, he was just brought back up as injury depth following the injury to Spencer Stastney earlier in the series. The 32-year-old has 132 career NHL appearances under his belt but played exclusively in the AHL this season, picking up a goal and nine assists in 63 games. Gravel signed a two-year extension back in January, meaning he’ll be patrolling the back end in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future.
Grigals, meanwhile, served as the third-string emergency backup in the playoffs. His minor league deal was converted to an NHL agreement back in March, likely for that very reason, allowing Yaroslav Askarov and Troy Grosenick to remain with Milwaukee for the playoffs. The 25-year-old pending RFA will likely serve the same third-string role for the balance of the AHL postseason.
Predators Recall Juuso Parssinen
The Predators have recalled center Juuso Pärssinen from AHL Milwaukee ahead of tomorrow’s Game 3 of their first-round series against the Canucks, per a team announcement.
Pärssinen, 23, began the season on the Nashville roster but was assigned to Milwaukee in late January. He’s remained in the minors since, not appearing in an NHL game since a 3-2 loss to the Coyotes on Jan. 20. Before being sent down, the 2019 seventh-round pick had eight goals and 12 points in 44 games.
The quickly-rising Finn unexpectedly logged top-nine minutes for the Preds much of last season, posting six goals and 25 points in 45 appearances. It was his first full season in North America after two very productive campaigns with TPS in the top-level Finnish Liiga, where he scored the most points by a junior-aged player in 2020-21 and helped TPS advance to the championship series in back-to-back years, although they lost both times.
That showing earned him a deserved opening-night job this year, but his production and overall effectiveness took a step back despite receiving roughly the same amount of ice time (14:20 last year, 14:36 this year). His points per game rate dropped by over half, and he became nearly unusable in the faceoff dot, winning 37.5% of draws after being over 50% in 2022-23. Pärssinen’s possession metrics took a tumble, too, posting a 46.4 CF% at even strength compared to 47.2% last year despite Nashville being a much-improved team at controlling shot attempts.
He responded well to his demotion, though, racking up seven goals and 25 points in 39 games and a +12 rating in Milwaukee to end the season. including five points in his final three games. With Milwaukee finishing first in the Central Division and earning a First Round bye, their Calder Cup Playoff schedule won’t start until next week, so they’re not taking Pärssinen out of important action for their AHL club with today’s recall. He’ll be available for tomorrow’s Game 3 after Nashville tied the series with a Game 2 win Tuesday, but it’s unclear if he’ll draw into the lineup.
Nashville Predators Assign Juuso Parssinen To AHL
Per a team announcement, the Nashville Predators have sent down forward Juuso Parssinen to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. Since being recalled by the Predators on November 12th of last season, Parssinen has managed to stick around for quite some time for Nashville, but will now play in the AHL for the first time in over a year.
After scoring 25 points in 45 games for the Predators last year, Parssinen has seen a real depression in his production this season, having only eight goals and 12 points in a similar amount of games played. For the first half of the season, Parssinen was garnering nearly 15 minutes of ice time a night, scoring six goals and nine points in the process. However, in his last six games played, even though he’s tallied three points, Parssinen has seen his ice time cut by nearly two minutes and has been healthy scratched altogether in the team’s most recent contest.
Seemingly fallen out of favor with head coach Andrew Brunette, Parssinen will now try his luck up in Milwaukee, a team that he has had a moderate amount of success in very limited action. Only two years removed from making his way to North America, Parssinen has only suited up in 10 games for the Admirals, all coming early last year, putting up nine points overall.
Still carrying a 22-man roster, and the adequate play of Denis Gurianov since his recall on January 6th, the team more than likely felt comfortable moving Parssinen to the AHL to regain confidence in his play. Much unlike the Predators, Parssinen will now join an Admiral team alone in first place in the AHL’s Central Division.
Roman Josi Listed As Day-To-Day
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that Roman Josi is day-to-day after leaving the Nashville Predators 3-2 overtime loss to Winnipeg yesterday. Josi did not make Nashville’s scheduled trip to New York for tonight’s game against the Rangers.
Not much is known about Josi’s injury as he joins a long list of Predators players who are out of the lineup. Nashville is already short on manpower as they are without the services of Ryan Johansen, Juuso Parssinen, Alexandre Carrier, Filip Forsberg, and Ryan McDonagh. Now they will be forced to navigate Josi’s injury as they try and chase down a wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Nashville has struggled to score this season with just 191 goals in 67 games, good enough for 28th in the NHL. Josi’s injury could further complicate matters as he leads the Predators in scoring with 59 points on the season. Despite the offensive struggles, Nashville sits just five points back of Winnipeg for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with three games in hand.
It seems improbable that Nashville could make the playoffs given the recent injuries as well as the recent trade deadline sell off, but somehow they have hung around, largely due to the play of Josi and goaltender Juuse Saros. Josi has been a horse for the Predators having averaged over 25 minutes of ice time a night. The former Norris Trophy winner hasn’t had the kind of offensive production he enjoyed last season, but he has led a defensive unit that is ranked ninth in the league in goals against.
January Calder Trophy Watch: Forwards
The middle of the season is a common time for awards check-ins in the NHL, and for good reason. Enough sample size is under our belts to cross off some early-season hot and cold streaks, and it’s given some time for players to grow into impact roles for new teams.
That’s especially true with the Calder Trophy, tracking the best rookie in the league. Young players are especially susceptible to streakiness, for better or for worse. Many players’ seasons have evened out somewhat, and it’s as good a time as any to take a look at where things stand for a handful of top Calder Trophy candidates, this time at the forward position.
Forwards
Matthew Beniers, Seattle Kraken
Beniers stands as the clear front-runner for the Calder in most circles, and for good reason. He leads all rookies in goals (17) and points (36), and is playing serious minutes at 17:05 per game. He’s one point behind Andre Burakovsky for the Kraken lead in scoring, and he’s been a crucial part of Seattle’s improvement from basement dweller to playoff contender in 2022-23.
The 2021 second-overall pick was a “safe floor, unsure ceiling” type of player when he was drafted. With this kind of production so early in his career, Seattle can be optimistic that Beniers will hit his first-line center ceiling as his defense improves. He’s a poor 43.7% in the faceoff dot, but that’s been a problem for the entire Kraken squad, as they don’t have a single player over 50%.
Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets
Along with the rest of the Jets, Perfetti is thriving offensively under head coach Rick Bowness. He had a solid seven points in 18 NHL games last season, maintaining his rookie status, but this season leads rookies with 20 assists.
While he has thrived playing with some of Winnipeg’s top talent, Perfetti’s point production is impressive in its own right. Very little of his scoring has come on the power play, he has just four points there. He’s sixth on the Jets in scoring, and while he isn’t receiving top minutes quite yet, nearly 15 minutes a night is still fine for a player his age. Look for his goal-scoring to improve throughout the season, too; he’s shooting at just 8.2%.
Mason McTavish, Anaheim Ducks
After a 2022 World Juniors for the ages, McTavish has transitioned well to the NHL on a struggling team. Anaheim’s systems have been a mess all season, but McTavish has still managed 27 points in 45 games and is drawing some tough matchups in the top six.
Used on and off at the center position, McTavish is scoring without much support. He’s third on the team in points and his -14 rating is actually one of the better ones on the team. Selected immediately after Beniers in 2021, it’s looking like an incredibly strong top-five from that class.
On the cusp: Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther (ARI), Kent Johnson (CBJ), Jack Quinn and John-Jason Peterka (BUF), Wyatt Johnston (DAL), Juuso Parssinen (NSH), Noah Cates (PHI)
Predators Recall Juuso Parssinen, Assign Jordan Gross To AHL
Juuso Parssinen’s strong start in the minors has earned him his first NHL opportunity as the team announced that they’ve recalled the forward from AHL Milwaukee. To make room for him on the roster, the Predators assigned defenseman Jordan Gross to the Admirals.
Parssinen is in his first full season in North America after getting a taste of AHL action late last season when he played in nine games during Milwaukee’s playoff run. The 21-year-old is tied for third in scoring for the Admirals with two goals and seven assists through his first ten games which is certainly appealing to a Nashville squad that has averaged just 2.71 goals per contest through their first 14 games this season while sitting 29th in power play percentage.
As for Gross, his demotion is a bit of a curious one. It’s not for a lack of production, as the 27-year-old has two goals in three games with the Preds this season while picking up seven points in six contests with Milwaukee. The move also leaves Nashville with just six healthy blueliners and 15 forwards on their active roster, a combination teams don’t like to stick with for long. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gross or another defender recalled in the coming days with a forward going down to balance things out a little.
Juuso Parssinen Assigned To AHL
The Nashville Predators may have found another late-round Finn that can help the organization. Juuso Parssinen has been assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, after his season in Finland came to an end in the finals.
Parssinen, 21, was the 210th overall pick in 2019, just a handful of selections from the end of the draft. After all, he had played just seven games at the Liiga level to that point and hadn’t stood out in any of them. Things have changed now, as Parssinen has been one of the most consistent young playmakers in the league the last two years, racking up 74 points in 95 games.
It was his performance in these playoffs that really showed what he is now capable of though, as he added four goals and 12 points in 18 games for TPS. Signed to his entry-level contract last May, he’ll now join the Admirals for his first taste of North American hockey. The team will start the Calder Cup playoffs on Friday when they take on the Manitoba Moose.