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Nashville Predators Issue Injury Updates

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The Nashville Predators won’t have some key players in the lineup for the next while. Ryan Ellis has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and will be out for the next four to six weeks. Luke Kunin will join him on IR with a lower-body injury and is out for two to four weeks. Ryan Johansen, who only made it back from IR a week ago himself, is now in the league’s COVID Protocol. The team has recalled Tanner Jeannot, Mathieu Olivier, Eeli Tolvanen, and Alexandre Carrier from the taxi squad.

Ellis, 30, carries a heavy load for the Predators every night, averaging nearly 25 minutes a game this season. He has just nine points in 21 games—a slight step down from the incredible pace he set last season with 38 in 49—but incredibly, that actually ties him for third on the team. Nashville has received almost no offensive contribution from half their lineup, with Filip Forsberg the only forward who has generated points on a regular basis. Losing Ellis means losing one of the team’s best players at both ends of the rink.

Kunin certainly can’t claim to be one of the team’s best, as his early tenure in Nashville has been one of disappointment. After posting 15 goals and 31 points in 63 games last season for the Minnesota Wild, he has just five points in 17 games for the Predators and has seen his minutes vary wildly. Overall, his contribution hasn’t been what the team expected when they dealt Nick Bonino and a pair of draft picks for him last fall. The fact that he’ll now miss at least two weeks in a shortened season certainly won’t help the team squeeze out any excess value.

Johansen of course has been an even bigger disappointment, if only because of what he costs the Predators against the cap. The $8MM center hasn’t scored a goal this season and has just five points through 14 games, though his possession metrics have been strong when he’s in the lineup. The fact that Johansen hasn’t broken the 15-goal mark since getting to Nashville is a big reason why the team’s offense has never seemed quite up to snuff, given that he had 59 goals in the two seasons before being acquired. It’s not clear at all how long he will be on the COVID Protocol list, but that zero will remain in the goal column for now.

The Predators have won their last two games but still sit at 10-11-0 on the year and now have to deal with the absence of Ellis for at least a month. Rumors had already begun to swirl about the fact that they may be sellers at the deadline and this news certainly won’t put an end to them. The team is set to face the Carolina Hurricanes tonight before starting a two-game series against the division-leading Florida Panthers on Thursday evening.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ryan Johansen Heading To Injured Reserve

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The Nashville Predators were without Ryan Johansen when they took on the Florida Panthers Friday, but at the time he was listed as just day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Now it appears that his absence will stretch out a bit, as head coach John Hynes told reporters including Adam Vingan of The Athletic today. Johansen will be out “week-to-week” and is going onto injured reserve for the Predators.

A pessimistic Predators fan might tell you that they’ve been without Johansen all season, as the 28-year-old center certainly hasn’t been playing up to his full capabilities. He has four assists in ten games, all of them on the powerplay, and has yet to find the back of the net himself. In fact, Johansen has only generated 16 shots on goal during those ten games, despite averaging more than 18 minutes a night before his game on Friday was cut short.

While it has been a long time since he was a real goal-scoring threat—Johansen scored a career-high 33 times in 2013-14, but has averaged just 14 per season over the last five years—his lack of even-strength offense this season has been a huge reason why the Predators now sit at 5-6 on the season, ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings in the Central Divison.

Losing him for weeks though certainly won’t turn his season around. Johansen’s role will now have to be filled internally, and though the Predators have some interesting candidates to receive increase ice time, their depth will be tested without one of their highest-paid players in the lineup.

Morning Notes: Johnson, Murray, Predators

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Jim Rutherford may be a bigger fan than most of Jack Johnson, but that doesn’t mean the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman will be in the lineup on opening night. Rutherford, the Penguins GM, spoke with Josh Yohe of The Athletic yesterday and explained that after acquiring Mike Matheson from the Florida Panthers there may not be any room on the left side for Johnson next season.

[Brian] Dumoulin and [Marcus] Petterson are still young and aren’t going anywhere. And obviously we like Matheson a great deal. He’ll play on the left side. So, that’s our left side. Those three. That’s it.

Rutherford suggested that Johnson could play the right side or is maybe “just going to be a depth guy” for 2020-21, but it certainly wasn’t the same vote of confidence he gave when the season ended. There is still lots of offseason left and the Penguins priority may be moving a goaltender, but make no mistake that there may still be changes coming on the blue line.

  • Michael Murray has been hired by the Minnesota Wild as an assistant to the general manager, coming over from his post with the AHL. Murray was named vice president of hockey operations for the minor league in 2011 and was considered the second in command behind commissioner Dave Andrews. As Michael Russo of The Athletic points out on Twitter, Murray happens to be the son of Minnesota GM Bill Guerin’s former agent. The team explained that Murray will help oversee the day-to-day of the hockey operations department and assist with contract negotiations, player development, and scouting.
  • The Nashville Predators are considering moving one of their centers according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, who lists Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, and Nick Bonino on his latest Trade Bait board and mentions Kyle Turris as well. Nashville has an incredible $26.1MM in cap space locked up in those four, with only Bonino’s deal (the cheapest of the bunch) expiring anytime soon. There wasn’t a 45-point player in the bunch of them this season, with Duchene (42) coming closest.

Nashville’s Austin Watson Moved From Healthy Scratch To First Line

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It has now been a week and a half since John Hynes replaced Peter Laviolette as the head coach of the Nashville Predators. In that time, it has been a mixed bag of results. Hynes lost his debut mere hours after his hire became official, but it came at the hands of the Boston Bruins, one of the league’s best teams. The Predators then scored a convincing win over the Chicago Blackhawks and a hard fought two points against the Winnipeg Jets. Just when it looked like the coaching change could be paying immediate dividends, Nashville dropped their past two games to the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks.

Hynes has apparently decided that major lineup changes may be in order to get the team to play up to their expectations and he plans to begin those experiments on Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres. After already demoting Viktor Arvidsson to the third line, Hynes is set to roll out another major lineup change. Austin Watson goes from healthy scratch for four of the five games of Hynes’ young tenure to the first line, joining Ryan Johansen and Calle Jarnkrok. He replaces Craig Smith, who is set to fall all the way to the fourth line with Kyle Turris and Colin Blackwell, with Yakov Trenin getting the healthy scratch due to Watson’s addition.

Hynes’ thinking with this move may not be as focused on offense as it is on defense. In fact, while many Nashville forwards have been disappointing on an individual basis this season, the team is tied for eighth in the NHL in goals for per game. The same can’t be said for goals against, where the Predators are ranked 24th. Nashville simply has not been a difficult team to play against this season and the loss of Colton Sissons has only exasperated that fact. There has been an obvious lack of physical response and energy from the forward group many nights. As they struggle to get a more balanced, two-way effort out of their forwards, Hynes may be hoping that a refreshed Watson, who leads the team in hits by a wide margin despite sitting six games (and Sissons is in second) can add some punch to the top line. Meanwhile, Smith can bring some experience and scoring threat to the fourth line, where maybe he can even get Turris re-energized.

Perhaps more important than strategy is that this moves by Hynes sends a message that no one’s role is safe under the new coach. The effort has to improve and no one is irreplaceable if they don’t perform. If the team continues to lose, don’t be surprised to see GM David Poile send the same message to his roster by the trade deadline.

Western Notes: Tippett, Josi, Beaulieu, Simek

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The Edmonton Oilers and new general manager Ken Holland haven’t announced a new coach and while rumors have suggested that the team has settled on Dave Tippett as the team’s new head coach, nothing has been announced.

Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins reiterates that Tippett to Edmonton is a “done deal,” but the timing of the announcement has been the issue. The deal still has to get onto paper and with both the NHL Draft Combine and the Stanley Cup Finals, there is little time to get the announcement out there that the team has a new head coach. Regardless, the scribe writes that Tippett’s appointment will come in the next few days.

  • For a second year in a row, the Nashville Predators top priority will be to sign one of their star defensemen to a extension. The team locked up Ryan Ellis to an eight-year, $50MM deal last summer and must do something similar with Roman Josi, who is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. Josi, however, has made it clear he wants to stay in Nashville. However, the Predators will have to pay up as The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required) writes that they will likely have to give him the biggest contract in team history, which could overtake Ryan Johansen’s $8MM AAV.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have a number of big contracts and potential trades to deal with this offseason, but there are also smaller issues along their roster as well. The team needs to keep their defensive depth, one of the strengths of their roster in recent years, yet they only have five defensemen under contract. The Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe writes that the Jets have indicated that they would like to bring back restricted free agent Nathan Beaulieu, who the team acquired at the trade deadline for a sixth-round pick, as insurance in case they lose Jacob Trouba to a trade. However, in order to offer Beaulieu a qualifying offer, they would have to add 10 percent to his $2.4MM he made last year, which the team is unlikely to do for a bottom-pairing defenseman. The more logical approach, which Winnipeg did last year with Joseph Morrow, would be to not qualify him and then try to sign him for less as an unrestricted free agent.
  • The San Jose Sharks got some good news as The Athletic’s David Lombardi (subscription required) writes that defenseman Radim Simek, who has been out since March 12th after having his leg crushed in a collision with Winnipeg’s Andrew Copp and having surgery to repair a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus, has already returned to the ice and is skating again. “The guys who are taking care of me say that my rehab is going really fast, that it’s really unusual to only be two months removed from surgery but back on the ice, skating however I want,” Simek said.  Simek, who signed out of the Czech Republic in 2017, played one year in the AHL and made the NHL roster this season, playing in 41 games and making a significant difference before getting injured and hopes to be back for next season.

Ryan Johansen Suspended Two Games

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The decision is in. Nashville Predators forward Ryan Johansen has been suspended two games by the Department of Player Safety for his high stick on Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that the high-sticking rule states that players are responsible for their stick at all times. While we accept Johansen’s assertion that he was not attempting to intentionally strike Scheifele in the head, this is not a case where a player is so off balance or otherwise unable to control his stick that the play can be sufficiently penalized by the on-ice officials. On this play, Johansen raises his stick as part of his pivoting motion to get around his opponent. This is a common movement uses regularly by NHL players when space is tight, however players who attempt this maneuver are responsible for ensuring they bring their stick back to the ice in a safe manner.

It continues by explaining that Johansen has no history with the league’s disciplinary arm, as he has never been suspended or fined in his career. That seems to have saved him from further punishment, as these violent stick infractions are often penalized with longer suspensions. As it stands, the Predators will be without Johansen for just the next few days. He will be eligible to return for the team’s game on Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, before the team breaks for the All-Star festivities.

While two games without one of their star centers is difficult, the Predators are in a good position to deal with it even if they did eventually lose to the Jets. Nashville sits ten points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars in the Central Division, safely in the second playoff position. The bigger issue might be for Johansen going forward, given that this incident will now be taken into account every time he is involved in any play that may warrant supplementary discipline.

Ryan Johansen To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety is back on the case today, announcing that Nashville Predators forward Ryan Johansen will have a hearing today regarding the high-sticking incident from last night. Johansen was battling with Mark Scheifele in the corner before spinning and delivering a blow right to the head of Winnipeg Jets’ forward. The league will have to determine whether there was any intention on the play, and whether it rises to the level of supplementary discipline. Johansen did receive a minor penalty on the play.

This incident will surely just add even more fire to the battles between the Predators and Jets, two teams headed for another collision in the playoffs. Though the Calgary Flames have certainly entered the mix, these two are still considered top teams in the Western Conference and have absolute wars when on the ice together. Johansen, who has been involved in both on and off the ice trash talking in recent years, seems to often be in the middle of any extra curricular activity. He’s sure to be there again if they do end up facing off in the postseason.

For now though, Johansen is almost definitely going to face a suspension of some sort. Though it may have not been a premeditated action, it was obviously quite dangerous and could have resulted in a major injury. The Predators forward will have to pay for that, and very well could be out for the rest of January.

Predators Sign Zach Magwood To Entry-Level Contract

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A development camp effort has turned into a first pro contract for one young forward. The Nashville Predators announced today that they have signed center Zach Magwood to a three-year entry-level contract. Magwood participated in Nashville’s development camp last week and impressed with a hat trick in the culminating “Future Stars Game” on Friday.

Magwood, 20, is an undrafted forward out of the OHL’s Barrie Colts. At 5’10”, the right-shooting centerman is on the smaller side, but didn’t let that stop him from improving each year in junior. In 2017-18, Magwood set career highs with 65 games played, 27 goals, 32 assists, 59 points, and a +27 rating. He was the Colts’ fourth-leading scorer and helped the team claim a division title. He then contributed ten points and a team-best +3 rating in twelve postseason games.

Magwood may have some NHL potential down the road, but is likely to develop further in the AHL for a few years. Not only could Magwood afford to grow his game, but he could also stand to grow up physically, filling out his frame to make up for his smaller stature. With Ryan Johansen, Kyle Turris, Nick Bonino, Calle Jarnkrok, and Colton Sissons all natural centers ahead of him on the organizational depth chart, Magwood will be given more than enough time to do just that before any real chance at a regular NHL role.

Predators Activate Arvidsson From Injured Reserve

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With Filip Forsberg still sidelined with an upper-body injury, it was thankfully a short stint on the injured reserve for Viktor Arvidsson. The Nashville Predators activated their other superstar winger off the IR today following a retroactive placement that only kept him out of the lineup for two games, both of which were Preds’ wins.

Arvidsson, 24, is enjoying another strong campaign with 27 points through 42 games after his breakout 61-point 2016-17 season. Arvidsson signed a very reasonable (for Nashville) seven-year, $29.75MM contract extension this summer, meaning he’s now an important core forward for some time to come. With Forsberg and his team-leading 34 points out of the lineup and Ryan Johansen and Nick Bonino still struggling to find consistent offense, it’s important for the Central Division’s top team to get Arvidsson back and producing as fast as possible.

With Arvidsson healthy, it’s of course Frederick Gaudreau on his way back to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Gaudreau has been the goat in Nashville this season, unable to hold onto a job through four NHL stints. After a brief glimpse of Gaudreau’s scoring talent showed itself in the playoffs last season, it seemed like he may be able to take on a full-time role in 2017-18. That hasn’t been the case, as Gaudreau has just three points in 20 NHL, despite having more than four times that many in as many AHL games.

Revisiting The January Trade Market

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As front offices around the league call and text trying to find the right fit for their rosters, fans are waiting with bated breath wondering who could be pulling on their favorite sweater in the next few weeks. Will a superstar change hands and take over as the new face of a franchise? Will a veteran finally find his way to the Stanley Cup promised land? The deadline is now less than six weeks away.

We may not have to wait until the very end to answer these questions though, as January has been a busy month for trade action in the past. We’ve already had two moves this year, and several more could be finalized before the calendar turns over. For now, let’s take a look back at the last few years to see what kind of moves are made in the dawn of the new year.

2018:

January 4th: Edmonton acquires Al Montoya from Montreal in exchange for a 2018 conditional fourth-round pick.

January 10th: Chicago acquires Anthony Duclair and Adam Clendening from Arizona for Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin.

2017:

January 1st: Arizona acquires Mitchell Moroz from Edmonton in exchange for Henrik Samuelsson.

January 11th: Anaheim acquires Jhonas Enroth from Toronto for a 2018 seventh-round pick.

January 13th: Nashville acquires Cody McLeod from Colorado in exchange for Felix Girard.

January 19th: Nashville acquires Andrew O’Brien from Anaheim for Max Gortz.

January 21st: Los Angeles acquires Cameron Schilling from Chicago for Michael Latta.

January 24th: Ottawa acquires Tommy Wingels in exchange for Zack Stortini, Buddy Robinson and a 2017 seventh-round pick.

January 26th: Montreal acquires Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay in exchange for Jonathan Racine and a 2017 sixth-round pick.

Obviously 2017 wasn’t filled with the most blockbuster trades in the month of January, but several teams did add small pieces for potential playoff runs. Nesterov didn’t really work out in Montreal, and Wingels couldn’t find his scoring touch in Ottawa.

2016:

January 3rd: Chicago acquires Richard Panik from Toronto in exchange for Jeremy Morin.

January 6th: Los Angeles acquires Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn from Philadelphia in exchange for Jordan Weal and a 2016 third-round pick.

January 6th: Nashville acquires Ryan Johansen from Columbus in exchange for Seth Jones.

January 7th: Montreal acquires Max Friberg from Anaheim in exchange for Dustin Tokarski.

January 8th: Vancouver acquires Emerson Etem from New York in exchange for Nicklas Jensen and a 2017 sixth-round pick.

January 14th: Ottawa acquires Conor Allen from Nashville in exchange for Patrick Mullen.

January 15th: Montreal acquires Victor Bartley and John Scott from Arizona in exchange for Jarred Tinordi and Stefan Fournier.

January 15th: Arizona acquires Victor Bartley from Nashville in exchange for Stefan Elliott.

January 16th: Anaheim acquires David Perron and Adam Clendening from Pittsburgh in exchange for Carl Hagelin.

January 21st: Anaheim acquires Ryan Garbutt from Chicago in exchange for Jiri Sekac.

2016 was a much more active January, with big names like Lecavalier, Johansen and Jones all dealt. While the Nashville-Columbus trade might have had the biggest impact long-term, Pittsburgh’s acquisition of Hagelin was a big part of their Stanley Cup run, as he scored 27 points down the stretch and added another 16 in the playoffs.

There is certainly value to be had in January trades, and it’s clear that teams like Nashville and Anaheim aren’t scared of making an early move. While those two might not be the most watched teams on the trade market this year, don’t rule them out of making tweaks once again.

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