The Predators have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Minnesota. Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game relays (Twitter link) that Nashville has placed winger Luke Evangelista on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster is defenseman Adam Wilsby who has been activated off IR. Nashville’s active roster currently stands at 22 players.
Evangelista’s placement on IR was only a matter of time. He has already missed more than a week due to a lower-body injury and at the time of diagnosis, he was expected to miss a month. The 22-year-old had a promising showing last season in his first full NHL campaign, tallying 16 goals and 23 assists in 80 games, leading to some higher expectations for 2024-25. However, things haven’t gone as well for Evangelista this season as he had just four goals and ten assists in 39 games before being sidelined.
As for Wilsby, he missed close to three weeks due to an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old has split the season between Nashville and AHL Milwaukee. Wilsby has 15 appearances under his belt with Nashville in his first taste of NHL action, collecting a goal and three assists while logging 18:43 of ice time. Meanwhile, with the Admirals, he has five points in 13 games. With his activation giving the Preds seven healthy blueliners, it’s fair to say that Wilsby won’t be returning to the minors right away though that could change when Jeremy Lauzon is cleared to return from his lower-body injury.
Under Andrew Brunette, everyone seems to be going backwards. Wonder why?