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Marc Del Gaizo

Predators Reassign Marc Del Gaizo, Fedor Svechkov

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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 Waive Marc Del Gaizo

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The Predators put defenseman Marc Del Gaizo on waivers Tuesday, according to PuckPedia. The move is a precursor to assigning the pending Group VI unrestricted free agent to AHL Milwaukee for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Del Gaizo, 25, already cleared waivers last month but ended up playing in 10 games since then, requiring the Preds to expose him to waivers again in order to eventually assign him to the Admirals. He’s been up and down throughout the year but has primarily been with Nashville’s roster since late February when Roman Josi and Adam Wilsby sustained season-ending injuries on the back end. Nashville did demote Del Gaizo to Milwaukee on trade deadline day in a paper transaction, though, so he’s eligible to play for the minor-league club in the postseason.

As the 2019 fourth-rounder waits to see if the Preds have an interest in extending him before he hits the open market on July 1, he closes the book on a 2024-25 campaign that saw him slot into the lineup a career-high 45 times, although that could jump to 46 if he plays in tomorrow’s season finale. He only had nine games of NHL experience entering the year, all coming in 2023-24. The New Jersey native averaged 16:43 per game for the Preds this season and scored 2-7–9 with a minus-four rating. His 51 blocks tied for ninth on the team, while his 70 hits ranked third among defensemen and ninth overall despite only being rostered for a little over half of the campaign.

Del Gaizo likely showed enough to earn another chance in Nashville as an opening-night roster hopeful next season in a No. 6/7 role. He posted solid even-strength possession metrics amid an underwhelming season for the Preds (49.1 CF%, +1.2 expected rating at even strength) in defensively-skewed deployment.

Predators Place Marc Del Gaizo, Kieffer Bellows On Waivers

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March 27: Bellows and Del Gaizo cleared waivers, Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game reports. Both remain on Nashville’s roster for now.

March 26: The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Marc Del Gaizo and left-winger Kieffer Bellows on waivers per PuckPedia. Del Gaizo has been with the NHL club since late February, while Bellows was called up on March 7th.

Serving as the Predators’ de facto defense call-up, Del Gaizo has split the season between the major and minor league rosters. He’s recorded eight points and 17 penalty minutes in 35 NHL games this season, making this year Del Gaizo’s formal rookie season after playing in nine games, and netting three points, in the NHL last year. He’s also added eight goals, 12 points, and 16 penalty minutes in 30 AHL games this season. That mark sits as a slight downtick from the 34 points he scored in 60 AHL games last year, and the 31 points he scored in 71 games of the 2022-23 season. The 25-year-old defender has found a niche as a stout defender away from the puck, though his menial scoring wasn’t enough to earn an everyday spot this season.

Bellows hasn’t found his NHL scoring this season either, with just three points in 13 games this season. He’s been far more productive in the minors, where his 14 goals and 29 points in 41 games ranks sixth on the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring. Bellows’ 54 penalty minutes also ranks fifth on the squad. He’s playing through his first season with the Predators organization after posting an impressive 27 goals and 49 points in 52 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies last season. The Canadian stint was part of what’s turning into a journeyman career for Bellows, who’s played with the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Predators within the last four seasons.

Both players seem likely to clear waivers and head back to the minor leagues, but their status will be important to watch. Should either player be claimed, they would be ineligible to be recalled to the NHL for the rest of the seasons. Both players are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, which could mean they’ve played their last NHL games of the year – should another team want to bolster their minor-league lineups ahead of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Predators Recall Marc Del Gaizo

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The Predators announced they’ve recalled defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from AHL Milwaukee. Fellow blue-liner Jake Livingstone is headed down to the minors in a corresponding transaction to keep Nashville’s active roster with one open spot.

The recall marks Del Gaizo’s first time on the roster since mid-December, when he cleared waivers on his way down to Milwaukee. It was the second time the 25-year-old had cleared waivers this season after doing so late in training camp, but after starting the season in the AHL, he received his first recall less than two weeks into the regular season. He spent nearly two months up in the NHL aside from a handful of paper transactions, making a career-high 21 appearances with three assists and an even rating.

Del Gaizo’s only previous NHL experience came in Nashville last season, when the 2019 fourth-rounder posted three assists and a plus-two rating in nine games amid call-ups in November and March. The former UMass standout has had underwhelming possession impacts when given the chance with the Preds, posting a 47.3 CF% and -0.7 expected rating across 30 games since his debut. The 5’11” lefty does block shots with aplomb, averaging 5.11 per 60 minutes, and also averages just over three shot attempts per game.

You could do worse for a depth call-up, especially one who led Milwaukee defenders in scoring last season with 8-26–34 in 60 games. He hasn’t quite matched that pace this year with 8-4–12 through 30 appearances, although he does rank second on the club with a +10 rating.

This latest audition will be an important one for Del Gaizo, who will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. He’ll draw into the lineup tonight against the league-leading Jets after captain Roman Josi sustained an upper-body injury against the Panthers on Tuesday. The latter is now listed as day-to-day, per head coach Andrew Brunette (via the team’s Brooks Bratten).

Nashville recalled Livingstone last week before announcing Adam Wilsby would be done for the year with an upper-body injury. He did not draw into the lineup and instead served as a healthy scratch for three contests. He returns to Milwaukee, where he has 5-4–9 in 40 appearances with 33 PIMs and a plus-nine rating.

Predators Assign Kevin Gravel, Marc Del Gaizo To AHL

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The Nashville Predators have assigned defensemen Kevin Gravel and Marc Del Gaizo to the AHL. Del Gaizo passed through waivers on Thursday. The moves follow the arrival of new trade acquisition Justin Barron, who joined Nashville’s practice for the first time on Friday per NHL.com’s Brooks Bratten. Star defender Roman Josi also returned to team practice on Friday, one day after he was placed on injured reserve retroactive to December 10th.

Nashville will soon get to see what their blue-line looks like at full strength, after parting ways with Dante Fabbro and Alexandre Carrier, and sending Del Gaizo to the minors. Josi and Jeremy Lauzon will fill vacancies on the left-hand side, while Barron brings much-needed depth on the right.

The new look couldn’t come at a better time. Only two Predators defenders – Adam Wilsby (3) and Brady Skjei (2) – have recorded multiple points since the start of December. Josi will quickly address that lacking production, soon to return to his 23 points in 29 games this season. Nashville will hope that scoring can rub off on Barron and Lauzon, who each have just one point in 17 and 23 games respectively.

Meanwhile, Gravel will return to productive years in the minors. He serves as the Milwaukee Admirals’ captain, and has five points in 20 games this season, already halfway to his 10-point total from last year. Gravel will be joined by Del Gaizo, who played in just two AHL games before becoming an injury fill-in on the NHL roster. He hasn’t yet recorded any minor league scoring, but did post 34 points in 60 AHL games last year – a mark that led all Admirals defensemen.

Predators Place Marc Del Gaizo On Waivers

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The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Marc Del Gaizo on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Del Gaizo has cleared through waivers once already this year, joining the long list of players to be waived and assigned to the minors before the season started.

Del Gaizo was recalled a few times in October but received a call that’d stick on October 30th. He’s stepped into 20 of Nashville’s 23 games since then, recording three assists, a -1, 28 blocked shots, and 32 hits. The appearances officially cement this season as Del Gaizo’s rookie year, after he played in nine games last season. He recorded a surprisingly similar stat line in those appearances as well – ending the 2023-24 NHL season with three assists, a +2, and 20 hits. Del Gaizo’s impact has been much clearer in the minor leagues. He has been a proud member of the Milwaukee Admirals blue-line since the 2021-22 season, after starting his pro career with a brief, nine-game stint with the Chicago Wolves in 2020-21. In total, he has recorded 89 points, 114 penalty minutes, and a +11 in 209 games and five seasons in the minor leagues.

Del Gaizo’s waiving suggests that one of Nashville’s many injured defenders could return soon. The team is currently without superstar Roman Josi, lineup pillars Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier, and depth defender Spencer Stastney. Lauzon and Josi are both listed as day-to-day and both participated in Nashville’s practice on Tuesday. Stastney and Carrier are on injured reserve and would need to be activated to rejoin the lineup.

Nashville Predators Reassign Marc Del Gaizo

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Oct. 30: It appears Del Gaizo’s demotion was a temporary one to bank cap space. He’s back up with the Preds today, the team announced.

Oct. 28: The Nashville Predators are switching things up on their blue line. The organization announced they reassigned defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

The transaction indicates the Predators are ready to re-insert defenseman Dante Fabbro into a starting role. Five defensemen on Nashville’s roster have played in each of the team’s eight games while Fabbro (five) and Del Gaizo (three) are the only two with less than eight.

Nashville won two out of the three games with Del Gaizo in the lineup with promising results from the defenseman. Del Gaizo failed to crack the scoresheet during this call-up while averaging 14:23 of ice time per game but his possession metrics proved encouraging. His 59.6% CorsiFor% and 0.8 E +/- according to Hockey Reference show that the Predators performed better with Del Gaizo on the ice despite the small sample size.

The results haven’t been as promising with Fabbro. The former 17th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft has been held scoreless after five games with Nashville this season and has produced relatively null possession metrics with a 51.6% CorsiFor% and 0.0 E +/- while averaging 13:24 of ice time.

He didn’t perform much better next to captain Roman Josi two nights ago although the team secured an overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nashville must have seen something encouraging in Fabbro’s game giving them confidence to reassign Del Gaizo.

The latter will return to an Admirals team after already registering two games played earlier in the season. The team hasn’t missed him much with a promising 6-1-0-0 record to begin the 2024-25 AHL campaign.

Predators Recall Marc Del Gaizo

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The Predators have added some extra depth on their back end heading into today’s game against Detroit.  The team announced that they have recalled blueliner Marc Del Gaizo from AHL Milwaukee.

The 25-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into nine games with Nashville where he had three assists, 10 blocks, and 20 hits while averaging 16:28 per night.  Del Gaizo spent most of the year in the minors with the Admirals, notching eight goals and 26 helpers in 60 contests.

With Spencer Stastney away from the team indefinitely for personal reasons, Del Gaizo was expected to be Nashville’s seventh defenseman heading into the season but the team elected to carry just the minimum of six.  That allowed Del Gaizo to get into Milwaukee’s first two contests this season where he has been held off the scoresheet.

On the surface, it’s a bit strange and risky for a team to have only carried the minimum number of blueliners thus far, especially with the team projected to have nearly $5.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  However, $4MM of that space is in jeopardy with Ryan Johansen appealing his termination from Philadelphia.  If that amount was restored by an arbitrator, then Nashville’s cap room would be more limited and the savings from Del Gaizo’s early demotion would become more important.

Now, at a minimum, Nashville has a bit of injury insurance for their back end with Del Gaizo on the roster.  He’s on a one-year, two-way deal worth the minimum $775K salary in the NHL and is on track to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent next summer.

Waiver Wire: 10/6/24

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Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.

Boston Bruins

F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel

Buffalo Sabres

D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt

Carolina Hurricanes

F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki

Chicago Blackhawks 

D Isaak Phillips

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue

Los Angeles Kings

G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka

Nashville Predators

D Marc Del Gaizo

New Jersey Devils

F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White

New York Islanders

D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek

New York Rangers

D Matthew Robertson

Ottawa Senators

F Adam Gaudette
F Jan Jenik

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama

St. Louis Blues

D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen

Toronto Maple Leafs

G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai

Utah Hockey Club

G Matt Villalta

Vancouver Canucks

D Erik Brannstrom

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg

Washington Capitals

G Hunter Shepard

Winnipeg Jets

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Predators Re-Sign Marc Del Gaizo To Two-Way Deal

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The Predators have re-signed defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to a two-way contract, per a team announcement. The restricted free agent will earn a $775K salary if on the NHL roster next season and $125K in the AHL, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports.

Del Gaizo, 25 next month, was a fourth-round pick of the Preds in 2019. He made his NHL debut last season, recording three assists and a +2 rating while averaging 16:28 across nine appearances in a pair of call-ups in November and March.

The New Jersey native is coming off a career-best season in the minors with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. On assignment to the Ads, he set new career highs in goals (8), points (34), and rating (+18) in 60 appearances, leading or tying for the team lead in every offensive category. An undersized (5’11″/187 lbs) left-shot defender, Del Gaizo ended his 2023-24 campaign with seven points and a +6 rating in 15 playoff games for Milwaukee.

Del Gaizo was an RFA this summer after completing his entry-level contract. After the Preds signed Juuso Pärssinen this morning, he was one of two remaining RFAs Nashville had. Now, just forward Philip Tomasino remains without a deal.

Entering his fourth professional season, Del Gaizo is no longer waiver-exempt. On the cusp of challenging for more NHL minutes, there’s a non-zero chance he gets claimed if Nashville attempts to sneak him through and return him to Milwaukee to start the season. Spencer Stastney played more last season and has the inside track to lock down an extra defense spot on the Preds’ opening night roster, supplementing their six D-men signed to one-way deals, but he is still waiver-exempt. That could prove advantageous to Del Gaizo’s chances of starting the season in Tennessee instead of Wisconsin.

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