Predators RFA defenseman Spencer Stastney is indeed having his arbitration hearing today, Nick Kieser of the team’s radio network confirms. The NHLPA is deviating from past tradition this year by not releasing a calendar of hearing dates, but arbitration figures are always exchanged two days before the hearing. When Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the filings on Saturday, it was clear Stastney’s hearing was slated for Monday.
Predators Rumors
Predators, Spencer Stastney Exchange Arbitration Figures
With the schedule for arbitration hearings not being made public this year, it’s generally unknown when hearings are going to be held. However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link), the Predators and defenseman Spencer Stastney have exchanged figures, meaning his hearing is slated for Monday.
Stastney’s request was a one-year deal worth $950K. With the blueliner initiating the filing, it’s Nashville that gets to determine if it’s a one-year or a two-year award should it actually go through the process. They opted for the latter, filing a two-way offer for both seasons, worth $775K and $125K in the minors for 2024-25 and $775K and $175K for 2025-26.
The 24-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal, one which saw him carry a $925K cap hit between his base salary and signing bonuses. Nashville’s offer actually comes in below the qualifying offer they tendered late last month but those offers have since lapsed meaning that they can go as low as they want with an offer.
Last season, Stastney split the year between Nashville and AHL Milwaukee. In the minors, he suited up in 44 games, notching five goals and 15 assists, improving on his rookie point total by seven. He got into 20 regular season games with the Preds, picking up two goals and two helpers while logging just under 16 minutes a night. Stastney also played in three games in their opening-round playoff loss to Vancouver.
The two sides now have just under 48 hours to come to an agreement. If they can’t come to one and the hearing starts, it will go the distance and have a contract awarded by the arbitrator. If a contract is awarded, Stastney will once again be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer.
Predators Sign Adam Wilsby
The Nashville Predators have signed defender Adam Wilsby to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a $775K salary at the NHL level.
Nashville drafted Wilsby in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, selecting him in his final year of eligibility after a strong season with Sodertalje SK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. Wilsby recorded 30 points in 41 games that year, helping Sodertalje earn promotion to the SHL and following the performance up with two strong seasons at the top flight to help keep them there.
With a successful run in Sweden in the rearview, Wilsby signed an uncommon two-year entry-level contract with the Predators in 2022. But he struggled to carry his momentum over from Sweden, posting just 18 points as an AHL rookie, though he did play in all 72 games. He also appeared in 16 postseason games, where a quicker pace boosted him to a productive eight points. He improved to 21 points in 61 games this season, though still seems far from finding the comfortable footing he had in the SHL.
Still, there’s reason to be excited about Wilsby’s stout control of the blue line and ability to spark transition. He’s a young defender who seems to have more to give and will get a chance to prove his worth to the Predators next season, fighting for a much hardier NHL deal next summer.
Latest On Yaroslav Askarov
Since he was drafted 11th overall in 2020, it had been widely expected that Yaroslav Askarov would eventually become the long-term goalie for the Predators. However, the eight-year, $61.92MM contract extension they handed Juuse Saros earlier this week that runs through the 2033-34 campaign immediately called Askarov’s future with the franchise in question.
In a recent interview with Championat’s Pavel Panyshev, Askarov’s agent Dan Milstein further clouded Askarov’s future with Nashville, stating that he’s working with the club on different options when it comes to the young netminder and that he has proven that he’s an NHL player.
That last part is a bit difficult to agree with considering that Askarov has all of three career NHL appearances under his belt. While he has fared well in those games with a 2.58 GAA and a .914 SV%, it’s still too small of a definitive sample size to draw any meaningful conclusions from.
Having said that, the 22-year-old had a strong sophomore year at the AHL level, showing he’s progressing well toward becoming the impactful NHL netminder many expect him to be. Askarov played in 44 games with Milwaukee last season, matching the .911 SV% from his rookie campaign while shaving 30 points off his GAA, bringing it down to 2.39, ranking him fifth league-wide among qualifying netminders.
Askarov remains waiver-exempt for the next two seasons so this is something that, in theory, GM Barry Trotz could simply punt on for the time being, thereby keeping the netminder in the top role with the Admirals. That timeframe coincides with the length of contract handed to veteran Scott Wedgewood who was brought in as part of their July 1st spending spree so, in theory, Askarov would then move into the second-string role for the 2026-27 campaign.
But Milstein’s comments suggest that they have a different idea in mind, one that will get his client to a regular NHL role much sooner than that. This isn’t the first time Askarov has been in trade speculation as it was widely reported that he was in play at the 2023 draft in an effort to move up in the first round but no suitable trade came to fruition.
If Trotz does opt to once again look into an Askarov trade, he will have some challenges. The team is pretty much capped out as a result of their offseason movement so far; they’re at a point where they might be trying to save a few bucks to have a shot at carrying more than a minimum-sized roster. That will limit them to trading for future assets, either draft picks or prospects. Speculatively, with the moves they’ve made so far, the latter might be their preferred option, getting someone around Askarov’s age who is close to being NHL-ready and could be called upon when injuries strike.
The moment Saros agreed to his max-term extension, the long-term future of Askarov with the Predators was called into question. Based on what his agent is suggesting, it might be fair to wonder about his short-term future with them as well.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Spencer Stastney Files For Arbitration
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and originally produced by the National Hockey Leaguer Players’ Association, 14 players have elected for salary arbitration this summer. The deadline for team-elected arbitration is tomorrow. Friedman also notes the arbitration hearings will happen between July 20th and August 4th. To add context, not every one of these players will appear for a hearing with their respective teams as they may continue to negotiate on a new contract. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet. Here is a list of the players that have elected for arbitration:
F Beck Malenstyn (Buffalo Sabres)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres)
F Martin Necas (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Jack Drury (Carolina Hurricanes)
D Jake Christiansen (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings)
D Spencer Stastney (Nashville Predators)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (New York Islanders)
D Ryan Lindgren (New York Rangers)
D Ty Emberson (San Jose Sharks)
D J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning)
F Connor Dewar (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Nashville Offered More Years To Marchessault Than Vegas
After forward Jonathan Marchessault signed a five-year, $27.5MM contract with the Nashville Predators at the start of free agency, one of the main questions surrounding his departure from the Vegas Golden Knights is how hard the team tried to retain him. Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game reports that Vegas offered Marchessault a similar salary but the years offered were well off his expectations.
Predators Sign Kieffer Bellows
The Nashville Predators have signed forward Kieffer Bellows to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL per a team announcement. Bellows will join his fourth organization in as many years as a player heading into his seventh professional season.
Bellows’ prospect pedigree has fallen remarkably considering his selection in the NHL Draft. The New York Islanders drafted Bellows with the 19th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft and he would only score 11 goals and 25 points over 68 games with the organization. Although extending a lengthy leash to Bellows considering his underwhelming performance with the organization, he was eventually claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers in October of the 2022-23 season.
The young forward didn’t perform any better upon his change of scenery as he only mustered three goals in 27 games for the Flyers. Since suiting up for Philadelphia in the waning days of the 2022-23 regular season, Bellows has not returned to the ice in an NHL game. Shortly after the start of the 2023-24 NHL season, Bellows signed a professional tryout agreement with the Toronto Marlies without receiving any offers from NHL teams.
Bellows performed very well on his PTO with the Marlies as he scored 27 goals and 49 points in 52 games. Behind finishing fifth on the team in scoring, Bellows has now collected 64 goals and 109 points in 189 games at the AHL level. Because of his strong performances in the minor leagues, the Predators likely pursed Bellows to help their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
Minor Free Agent Signings: Central Division
With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Central Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.
Chicago Blackhawks
none
Colorado Avalanche
F Joel Kiviranta (one year)
Dallas Stars
D Kyle Capobianco (two years)
F Cameron Hughes (one year)
F Kole Lind (one year)
Minnesota Wild
F Travis Boyd (one year)
D Joseph Cecconi (one year)
D Cameron Crotty (one year)
F Brendan Gaunce (two years)
G Troy Grosenick (one year)
F Ben Jones (two years)
F Devin Shore (one year)
F Reese Johnson (one year)
Nashville Predators
D Nick Blankenburg (two years)
F Vinnie Hinostroza (two years)
F Jake Lucchini (two years)
G Matt Murray (one year)
St. Louis Blues
none
Utah Hockey Club
D Kevin Connauton (two years)
F Miko Matikka (three years, $870K entry-level cap hit)
Winnipeg Jets
none
Predators, Juuse Saros Agree To Eight-Year Extension
July 1: The Predators have indeed signed Saros to his eight-year deal as rumored, per the league.
June 27: The Predators and goaltender Juuse Saros can’t officially reach an agreement on a new deal until Monday. It appears they’re getting close to having a deal in principle, however, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are believed to be closing in on an eight-year contract extension. Financial terms are not known but Friedman adds that the AAV will apparently start with a seven if the deal is finalized; Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic suggests (Twitter link) that the cap charge should check in around $7.74MM. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that while some details are being worked out, the framework of the agreement is in place.
The 29-year-old has worked his way from being a little-used backup at the start of his career to one of the NHL’s true workhorse netminders in recent years. Saros has led the league in appearances in each of the last three years, facing the most shots and making the most saves in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, making him a bargain player with a $5MM AAV which runs through the 2024-25 campaign.
This season, Saros played in 64 games, posting a 2.86 GAA with a .906 SV%, numbers that were the worst of his career. However, given the workload and the fact that Nashville had several newcomers after shaking up their roster over the summer, it’s not surprising that he got off to somewhat of a quieter start. However, following the All-Star break, Saros was more effective, putting up a .912 SV% which helped lead the team to a franchise-best 18-game point streak. That stretch helped propel the Predators into a playoff spot where they were eliminated in the opening round by Vancouver.
Despite his performance in recent years, there was some speculation that Saros could be in play on the trade front this summer. The team has Yaroslav Askarov in the system, one of the NHL’s best goalie prospects and he’s not too far away from being NHL-ready. This potential agreement will now call into question Askarov’s long-term future with the franchise although the two netminders could work together for a few years at least, allowing the 22-year-old to ease into the NHL somewhat gradually. In the meantime, the team is expected to pursue a backup netminder in free agency, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (Twitter link).
While the Predators generally are hesitant to hand out trade protection in their contracts, GM Barry Trotz indicated earlier this week that if a new deal gets reached, it would have some no-trade provisions in there although it would be limited.
Assuming the price tag comes in around the $7.5MM mark as reported, that will be around $750K lower per season than what Connor Hellebuyck received from Winnipeg back in the fall, a contract that many felt would serve as a direct comparable for negotiations. Instead, it appears Saros is content to come in a little below that amount to ensure he’ll be sticking around for the long haul, giving the Predators long-term stability at that position in the process.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Predators Re-Sign Alexandre Carrier To Three-Year Deal
As alluded to yesterday, the Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Alexandre Carrier to a three-year, $11.25MM contract per a team announcement. By retaining Carrier over the next three years, the Predators organization continues its drive to build a contending roster for the 2024-25 NHL season.
It’s a nice bit of security for the 27-year-old, who spent last season on a one-year prove-it deal. Prove it he did, providing serviceable top-four minutes with 20 points and a +7 rating in 73 games.
Carrier won’t ever likely return to the 30-point form while averaging nearly 21 minutes per game that earned him a spattering of Calder Trophy votes a few years back, but he’s certainly an everyday NHLer with some upward mobility in the lineup. He demonstrated that clearly in the playoffs, upping his ice time to over 21 minutes per game in the first round against the Canucks and showcasing solid offensive instincts with a goal and two assists in six games.
Given the price tag ($3.75MM cap hit), the Predators likely expect Carrier to compete for a top-four spot on the right side, likely on a new-look second pairing with Brady Skjei to his left. It would likely result in some more offensive usage for Carrier, who’s been used in shutdown situations at even strength more than you’d think. Over 60% of his zone starts at even strength came in the defensive end last season, a career-high.
He’ll become a UFA upon expiry of his new deal in 2027.