The Predators Need To Pick A Direction
The Nashville Predators have never truly done a tear-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild in their short history, yet it’s been rare for them to miss the playoffs. This recent two year absence from the postseason has been difficult for the Predators, especially after their free-agent haul in the summer of 2024. At that time, it looked like they were on their way to a solid retool, only to be a massive disappointment on the ice during the 2024-25 season. One of the players they signed to a massive contract was forward Steven Stamkos, who is now entering the third year of a four-year, $32MM contract. He was terrific for the team last year, putting them in a position to trade him (if he agrees to a move) or keep him and try to retool this summer to compete for a playoff spot next year. This crossroads isn’t unique to Stamkos; the Predators have a number of veterans in similar spots, along with some young players hoping to make a name for themselves sooner rather than later.
It’s hard to gauge whether Stamkos would welcome a trade, as he wasn’t interested in one prior to the trade deadline. But if he were put on the market, there would be suitors, particularly after he had 42 goals and 24 assists in 82 games last year. Stamkos doesn’t sound like a player who expects to be moved, and he also doesn’t sound like he expects Nashville to rebuild, which would mean another summer of aggressively trying to improve the NHL roster. The reality is that Stamkos doesn’t know 100% what the direction will be, as Nashville doesn’t have a general manager at the moment, and there won’t be any earth-shattering moves until that is in place.
A couple of interesting tidbits about Stamkos and his contract situation. The 36-year-old holds a full no-move clause, which means he controls his fate and could remain in Nashville if he prefers. The other note is that Stamkos is owed a $2MM signing bonus next year (reportedly in July), meaning that after that payment is made, he is owed just $11.75MM in actual cash for the final two seasons of the deal while carrying an $8MM cap hit. That information won’t sway any of the teams in the upper echelon of league revenue, but for a team like the Carolina Hurricanes, which watches the dollars in and out carefully, it will be quite intriguing to owe fewer actual cash to a potential top-six player.
Moving on from Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly is another veteran center who could be traded, as he has just one year left on his deal at a bargain rate of $4.5MM. At 35 years of age, O’Reilly just finished one of the finest offensive seasons of his career, tallying 25 goals and 49 assists in 81 games while continuing his usual responsible defensive play. Like Stamkos, O’Reilly was a name thrown around before the NHL Trade Deadline, but he ultimately remained with the Predators through the end of the season. If Nashville were to make O’Reilly available, the asking price would be very high, as he remains a top-six center, and his cap hit is extraordinarily low for a player of his calibre. O’Reilly doesn’t technically have a no-movement clause but given the respect the Predators have for the veteran, one would have to believe they would involve him in the process.
If the Predators elect to move Stamkos and O’Reilly, it would be clear they’re embarking on a rebuild, and it would make sense to explore moves involving forwards Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault, defenders Brady Skjei and Roman Josi, and goaltender Juuse Saros. All of those veterans are on pricey contracts with multiple years left on their deals and are on the wrong side of 30. They effectively represent Nashville’s current core, and without Stamkos and O’Reilly, they are simply not good enough to even make the playoffs, let alone win a round or two. Moving Stamkos and/or O’Reilly would be the first step to signal a rebuild in Nashville.
But while moving one or two players, such as Stamkos and O’Reilly, makes sense in a vacuum (for the right price), it doesn’t make sense to move them and call it a summer. Nashville has to decide which direction to go. Is it a good opportunity to add veteran talent this summer, or is it time to tear things down and rebuild?
The decision will rest with the new general manager, but there are a few significant factors beyond the current roster. For one, Nashville currently has one of the five best farm systems in the entire NHL (according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic), and if they choose to add to their lineup, they will lose some of those pieces. However, if they move out some veterans, it will only add to their growing cupboard of future talent.
Another factor is the division the Predators play in. You can make a strong case that the Central Division was the toughest in hockey this year, and it doesn’t look like it’s getting any easier anytime soon. If the Predators want to make a run at the playoffs next year, they will have to compete with Dallas, Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Utah, and a Chicago team that will be aggressive this summer. No easy task, but it does make one wonder whether the time to aggressively add to the roster is now or later.
Finally, we have the situation around the NHL: teams have an overwhelming amount of cap space to throw around this summer, but very little talent to spend it on. The free agent pool is about as thin as it’s ever been, and teams are going to be forced to make trades to get better. Enter Nashville, which could essentially name its price on some of its players, inflating the potential trade returns. It’s a good time to be a seller, and Nashville would be one of the few true sellers if it elects to go down that road.
Injury Notes: Josi, Heiskanen, Gibson, Dewar
In desperate need of a win to keep playoff hopes alive, the Nashville Predators will have to do so without a top player. Just before puck drop in Utah, the team shared that captain Roman Josi won’t play, listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The news comes as a surprise, but Josi played just 15:31 on Tuesday against Anaheim, far below his team-leading 24:50 average usage. In his place comes Jordan Oesterle, who was recalled earlier in the week with Nicolas Hague also out.
Oesterle, 33, will make his season debut having played over 60 games in the AHL for the first time since 2014-15. As far as fill-in defenders go, teams can certainly do worse than the Michigan native and his over 400 games of NHL experience. Never known for offense at the NHL level, he’s put up 46 points in 65 games with the Milwaukee Admirals, good for second on the team and by far his highest output as a pro.
For Josi to miss such a critical game, it raises the question if he’ll have to miss more of the team’s three remaining contests. Until that’s determined, Nashville must march ahead in their quest to hold off the Kings for a spot in the postseason. They’d be rewarded with a matchup against the league’s top team in Colorado. It would be an unfavorable matchup, to say the least, but a nice ending nonetheless for retiring general manager Barry Trotz.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Top defender Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars left with an apparent lower body injury. He was listed as questionable by the team, but still has not returned, enough cause for concern. The superstar absorbed a routine hit from Minnesota’s Ryan Hartman, but as he fell down, his skate got caught and caused an awkward leg bend. As deep as Dallas is on the back-end, losing Heiskanen now would be devastating as they have a roster quite capable of hoisting the Stanley Cup this spring. It’s the worst fear of any top team in April. The 26-year-old leads all skaters with nearly 26 minutes a night, and fourth in team scoring with 63 points in 76 games. Still not officially ruled out, his status will be watched urgently for updates, as the Stars will be back on Saturday against the Rangers.
- Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson left tonight’s contest against the Flyers with an apparent injury, listed as questionable from the team, and didn’t return. Gibson was run into by Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett, ending his night after 30:40 in the crease, giving up two goals on 15 shots. It would take a relative miracle for the Wings to make the playoffs at this point, but they did themselves favors with a win tonight. Losing Gibson for an extended time could sink remaining hopes, as the 32-year-old has outperformed Cam Talbot all year. Often injured, Gibson has managed 54 games in his first season as a Red Wing, winning 28 of them with a 2.63 goals-against-average. He’ll hope to be back by Saturday, as Detroit hosts New Jersey.
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Connor Dewar is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per the team, and was unable to go against New Jersey. Playing without the 26-year-old for the first time this season, the Penguins still took care of business and officially clinched a playoff spot. In 78 games on the season, Dewar has enjoyed a breakout campaign with 14 goals and 30 points, career bests by a wide margin. He has quickly found a home in Pittsburgh, playing the highest minutes of his career and anchoring the penalty kill. With three games left, Dewar figures to be back in time for the playoffs, and could return as soon as Saturday against Washington.
Predators Activate Roman Josi Off Injured Reserve
With the Predators sitting at a 6-10-4 record through their first 20 games, it’s fair to say that things haven’t gotten off to a good start this season. There is some good news coming today, however, as the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Roman Josi will return to the lineup tonight against Colorado and has been activated off injured reserve. The team had two open roster spots so corresponding moves were needed to activate him.
The 35-year-old has missed the last dozen games due to an upper-body injury sustained just under a month ago against Vancouver. He was off to a nice start as well, chipping in with five points and 15 blocked shots in his first eight outings while averaging a team-high 24:05 per night of playing time.
When healthy, Josi remains a legitimate top-pairing defender although staying healthy has been a challenge as of late. He missed the final 25 games last season and was later diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome but was cleared to return for training camp.
Arguably, Nashville’s biggest move over the offseason was the trade acquisition and subsequent signing of blueliner Nicolas Hague with the hopes that he and Josi could form the new top pairing. However, Hague missed the first eight games of the season with an upper-body injury of his own and his first game back was the first one that Josi missed. Now, more than six weeks later than expected, the Preds will get a chance to see that duo in action as they were paired together at today’s morning skate.
Evening Notes: Murphy, Josi, Team Canada
Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote today on Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy and his falling role with the club. Murphy is the longest-tenured Blackhawk, whose timeline overlapped with the likes of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Patrick Sharp in 2017-18. A steady presence throughout Chicago’s tougher times, it appears the 32-year-old is on the outside looking in. His ice time has fallen dramatically this season, some of the lowest of his entire career.
The veteran has handled it professionally, saying he understands the decision, as mentioned by Pope. Injuries have not been a factor either, as it seems that Murphy’s seat has simply been taken by the younger 6’8″ Louis Crevier, and fellow veteran Matt Grzelcyk, who offers more mobility in new Head Coach Jeff Blashill’s system.
It is not ideal for a player in his ninth season with the Blackhawks, with the team finally showing progress, to only now lose his role. However, Murphy could have interest from teams looking for a veteran rental on the back-end. His $4.4MM cap hit may need retention for a deal to work, however Chicago has the room to retain. One way or the other, GM Kyle Davidson will surely do the veteran right, considering his contributions over the years.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey shared earlier today Predators GM Barry Trotz’s update on Roman Josi. The Preds’ captain is still a few weeks away from a return. Josi was listed late last month as week-to-week with an upper-body injury. In his absence, Nashville remains above bottom-feeder status, an improvement from last year, but their play has not evoked much confidence of contention either. The Swiss defenseman’s presence is critical for the group, but at 35, it is hard to imagine Josi can sustain his usual workload into 2026 and beyond. If he can stay healthy for 30 more games this year, Josi will reach the esteemed 1,000 game mark.
- Marco D’Amico of RG Media shared that Don Sweeney, Bruins GM, and Doug Armstrong, Blues GM, are both in attendance for tonight’s game between the Canadiens and Flyers. While this may raise some eyebrows, both are with Team Canada ahead of the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy, set to start next February. The matchup features a wealth of players to scout for Team Canada; and D’Amico mentioned Nick Suzuki, Noah Dobson, Sam Montembeault, Travis Konecny, and Travis Sanheim as all possibilities.
Cole Smith Out Three-To-Six Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
The Nashville Predators announced today that forward Cole Smith has suffered an upper-body injury and will be out with a three-to-six week recovery timeline. The Predators also announced that captain Roman Josi, who remains out on a week-to-week timeline with his own upper-body injury, has been placed on injured reserve.
Smith was limited to just 1:55 time-on-ice during the Predators’ victory over the Calgary Flames yesterday, leaving the game after he was on the receiving end of a hit from Flames grinder Ryan Lomberg. It’s an unfortunate development for Smith, who had started off the season well, scoring three goals in 13 games. Smith scored just four goals in all of 2024-25.
The 30-year-old winger is a player who has worked his way into a steady fourth-line NHL job as an undrafted former college free agent. While he’s never been much of an offensive producer, Smith brings valuable physicality and penalty-killing ability to the table. Smith has played a role Nashville’s the penalty kill dating back to 2022-23, his first full-time NHL campaign, and he took on a more central role there after the departures of Tanner Jeannot and later Yakov Trenin. Smith led all Predators forwards in short-handed ice time each of the last two seasons, and ranks second behind Michael McCarron through 13 games this season.
As a result, the loss of Smith for the next few weeks will be felt most prominently on the Predators’ penalty kill. Despite a poor all-around season, Nashville’s shorthanded operation ranked as the seventh-best in the NHL in 2024-25 and ranks sixth so far this season. This injury therefore costs one of the league’s top penalty kills one of its most important contributors.
Veteran Ryan O’Reilly ranks fifth among Predators forwards in short-handed ice time per game this season and could end up seeing his usage on that unit rise as a result of Smith’s injury. It’s also possible that a younger player such as Fedor Svechkov or Ozzy Wiesblatt, who have each seen sporadic use on the penalty kill, could get a longer look on the unit in Smith’s absence.
Looking at yesterday’s game as a clue, Wiesblatt took Smith’s spot alongside McCarron on the Predators’ top shorthanded unit after Smith left the game. He finished with just over two minutes of ice time on the penalty kill. That’s the most shorthanded ice time he’s played in a single NHL game so far in his young career, and it could indicate that Wiesblatt will get a chance to play that role moving forward while Smith recovers.
Roman Josi Out Week-To-Week
The Predators will be without their captain and top defenseman for a little while. Team reporter Brooks Bratten relays (Twitter link) that Roman Josi is listed as out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He further clarified that this is not related to his diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome earlier this year.
The 35-year-old was off to a solid start to his season before the injury. Josi has played in eight games so far, picking up a goal and four assists while averaging over 24 minutes a night. As usual, he has played a big role on both special teams units while posting the best possession numbers of any regular Predators blueliner. He was injured in their last game on Thursday and while he returned to the game after missing part of the second period, clearly, the injury was more significant than originally thought.
Nashville has gotten off to an okay start to their season, picking up eight points in as many games as they look to rebound from a disastrous showing in 2024-25 when expectations were high following a summer spending spree. However, staying afloat in the tough Central Division will get a lot tougher without their top rearguard in the lineup.
However, it’s not all bad news on the back end for the Preds. Team broadcaster Max Herz notes (Twitter link) that defenseman Nicolas Hague appears to be set to be activated off injured reserve and make his team debut. Nashville acquired the blueliner from Vegas this summer, quickly signing him to a four-year, $22MM contract after that. He’s projected to play alongside Adam Wilsby on Nashville’s top pairing, subbing in where Josi typically lines up.
Roman Josi Diagnosed With Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Expecting To Play Next Season
6/18: Predators general manager Barry Trotz released a statement acknowledging Josi’s POTS diagnosis. In it, he shared that the star defender has recovered exceptionally well following treatment, and is expected to be fully ready for training camp next season. Josi will be entering the 15th season of his NHL career, and sits 38 games away from his 1,000th appearance.
6/17: Predators captain Roman Josi was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome while recovering from his season-ending concussion, he told Swiss newspaper Blick.
The condition, widely known as POTS, causes one’s heart rate to spike abnormally when transitioning from sitting or lying down to standing up, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It almost always affects women from ages 15 to 50, but can affect men in rarer cases, particularly if they meet certain risk factors. Among those stressors is a recent head injury, per the Cleveland Clinic, as in Josi’s case.
“Over the last eight weeks, I have undergone intensive therapy, which also included taking beta blockers. I’ve been feeling much better since then,” Josi said. “I’ve regained the belief that I’ll be 100 percent fit again and can fully attack with Nashville and the Swiss national team next winter.”
Josi initially feared he’d exacerbated his initial concussion, which he sustained on a hit from Panthers center Sam Bennett on Feb. 25. He’s only sustained one confirmed concussion before at the NHL level in the 2013-14 season, but the Nashville star was still experiencing headaches well into his recovery from his recent one. Those ended up being due to developing POTS and have since improved, he said.
The 35-year-old can now resume preparation for what will be his 15th NHL season, all with the Predators, in 2025-26. He’s on track to play his 1,000th game in the upcoming season in a career that’s already cemented him as the best skater in Nashville franchise history, ranking first all-time among Preds skaters in games played (962), assists (534), points (724), and average time on ice (24:52).
Last year was an underwhelming one from the captain, though. After breaking the point-per-game mark twice in the prior three seasons, his output decreased to 38 points in 53 games. That 0.72 mark was south of his career average and his worst post-pandemic offensive performance. His -26 rating was also a career low as he got little help from Nashville’s netminders despite keeping up high-end possession play, even logging a career-high 56.2 CF% at even strength.
That latter number should indicate a rebound performance if the club’s offense, which ranked 31st in the league this year, improves around him. Of course, the Preds have little chance of improving on this past season’s 30-44-8 record next year if Josi’s absence stretches into the campaign. Thankfully, it appears that won’t be the case. He has three seasons remaining on his contract at a $9.06MM cap hit.
Central Injury Notes: Heiskanen, Josi, Vilardi
After being dealt several injuries and disappointingly finishing the season, the Dallas Stars got one piece of positive news before their Round One matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. Although he won’t play tonight, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reported that defenseman Miro Heiskanen joined the team for optional practice this morning for the first time since sustaining his knee injury in late January.
Heiskanen has been upgraded to day-to-day status, which means he could be available to the Stars as early as Game 2. He will be a crucial player to reintegrate into the lineup since they are facing one of the top offenses in the league. While the Stars’ defense is strong, the Avalanche’s defense presents a tougher matchup as currently constructed.
There is a clear difference in Dallas with Heiskanen on the ice and Dallas without. The team earned a 64.0% winning percentage through the first 50 games of the regular season before Heiskanen’s injury, and saw it drop to 56.25% once he exited the lineup. There’s no questioning the Stars’ talent, and it would be a fool’s errand to write them off already, but the loss of their top defender has negatively impacted them as expected.
Other injury reports from the Central Division:
- Heiskanen wasn’t the only All-Star defenseman from the Central Division to have his season cut short. Nashville Predators’ captain Roman Josi has not played since February 25th due to an upper-body injury. Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean has confirmed that Josi was dealing with a concussion. Fortunately, there’s no expectation the concussion will impact Josi’s availability for the 2025-26 season, where he’ll look to rebound on a disappointing 38-point campaign.
- Before Game 1 of their Round One matchup against the St. Louis Blues, the Winnipeg Jets indirectly confirmed that winger Gabriel Vilardi wouldn’t be in their lineup. Vilardi hasn’t played since March 23rd due to an undisclosed injury. In a positive spin on the injury, Vilardi’s spot in the lineup was taken by depth forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who scored his first-career postseason goal in the first period.
Predators Recall Jake Lucchini And Spencer Stastney, Place Roman Josi On IR
On top of scratching pending UFA winger Gustav Nyquist for today’s game with a potential trade on the way, the Predators have made three other roster moves as well. Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game relays (Twitter link) that Nashville has recalled winger Jake Lucchini and defenseman Spencer Stastney from AHL Milwaukee. To make room on the roster, blueliner Roman Josi was placed on injured reserve.
Lucchini is in his first season with the Preds after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them last summer. While he got into 40 NHL games with Minnesota last season during various recalls, this is his first promotion of the season after clearing waivers back in training camp. The 29-year-old has 14 goals and 15 assists in 53 games with the Admirals thus far, a drop in his per-game output after recording 23 points in 30 minor league outings in 2023-24.
Stastney, meanwhile, started the season on the non-roster list while taking a leave of absence and has split time between Nashville and Milwaukee since then. The 25-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in seven appearances with the Preds this season while logging a little over 16 minutes a night. He has been productive with the Admirals, however, notching 13 points in 23 outings at the minor league level.
As for Josi, he exited Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury and his placement on IR means he’ll be out for both games this weekend at the very least although he’ll be out longer than that with the team revealing (Twitter link) he’s out week-to-week. The captain hasn’t been able to duplicate the offensive performance he had last year when he notched 85 points but he still has 39 points in 55 games, good for a tie for 15th among all NHL blueliners. Of course, Josi also logs heavy minutes, averaging more than 25 minutes a night so Nashville’s back end will have its work cut out for them to cover his absence.
Predators Recall Marc Del Gaizo
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.