Evening Notes: Evangelista, Rakell, Brodin, Johansson
Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista did not dress tonight against the Ottawa Senators and is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Evangelista only recently returned from an eight-game absence and left Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for a brief period before he returned to the bench. The extended absence was due to a lower-body injury, and it is not yet known if the two injuries are related. Vinnie Hinostroza suited up for the Predators in place of Evangelista and joined Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg on the second line.
The 22-year-old Evangelista has dressed in 31 games this season, tallying five goals and ten assists while averaging just shy of 13 minutes of ice time per game. The Toronto, Ontario native garnered some Calder Trophy consideration last season for the top rookie after a solid campaign that saw him post 16 goals and 23 assists in 80 games.
In other evening notes:
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell will replace Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson on Team Sweden at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off (as per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff). Rakell is having a nice bounce-back season, registering 23 goals and 22 assists in 53 games, and he will have an opportunity to add to a solid international career that has seen him capture gold medals in the 2012 World Juniors as well as the 2018 IIHF World Championship. Karlsson, on the other hand, has been sidelined for the last six games due to a lower-body injury and will unfortunately miss out on the opportunity to represent his home country.
- The Minnesota Wild will be without the services of Ryan Hartman for the next few weeks but will likely be getting Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson back tomorrow night (as per Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Brodin hasn’t played since January 7th, missing 12 consecutive games with a lower-body injury. The timing of the injury was unfortunate as the 31-year-old was heating up at the time with seven points in his past seven games. Johansson’s return would come after an eight-game absence, and he could slide into the lineup in place of Hartman. Johansson has struggled offensively this season, posting just five goals and 11 assists in 44 games.
Predators Recall Kevin Gravel
Defenseman Kevin Gravel has returned to the NHL after a brief assignment with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Before tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators, the Nashville Predators announced Gravel’s recall, and he participated in practice with the team this morning.
Outside defenseman Jeremy Lauzon, the Predators have no injuries on their blue line, making it unlikely for Gravel to play. However, he remains a serviceable veteran option as the team’s seventh defenseman for the three games leading up to the scheduled break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Gravel has skated in three games for Nashville in Lauzon’s absence, tallying one assist while averaging 18:19 of ice time per game. Given that he hasn’t played in an NHL contest since the 2022-23 season it’s a little surprising the Predators’ decided to give Gravel top-four minutes and a spot on the team’s second penalty-kill unit.
He wasn’t the only infrequent player to join the team for practice this morning. Nashville radio analyst Nick Kieser reported earlier that forward Mark Jankowski also joined the team.
The long-time bottom-six forward has missed six straight games for the Predators due to an upper-body injury, but he should return for a game or two before the 4 Nations Face-Off. He’s scored three goals and eight points in 37 games for Nashville this year, far below his seven-goal, 15-point performance in 32 games last season.
Nashville Predators Make Three Roster Moves
According to Nashville Predators’ reporter Nick Kieser, the team will look different tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Kieser shared that the Predators have activated forward Luke Evangelista from the injured reserve, reassigned defenseman Kevin Gravel, and recalled goaltender Matt Murray from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
The talented middle-six forward Evangelista returns after missing nearly a month with a lower-body injury. He’s been on the team’s injured reserve since January 7th when he left the game against the Winnipeg Jets after only five shifts.
His offensive production is a bit depressed compared to last year and the injury will make it even more difficult to replicate last season’s totals. Evangelista has scored four goals and 14 points in 39 games for Nashville this season after scoring 16 goals and 39 points over 80 games last year.
Still, nothing indicates he’s lost his potential from last season and the Predators are hopeful for a fruitful rebound. The team is 5-3-0 since Evangelista exited the lineup and they’ll need his help building toward a more respectable record.
Gravel will look to continue a solid season with the Admirals. Although he’s never been known for his point production, the longtime AHL defenseman is only eight points away from matching his career-high set with the AHL’s Ontario Reign in the 2015-16 season.
Aside from his three-goal, 12-point performance with the Admirals, the Kingsford, MI native has played in three games for the Predators this year. It’s his first NHL action since the 2022-23 season where he’s already matched his point total in 20 fewer games.
Murray will replace Juuse Saros tonight, who seems to be dealing with an illness or ailment. This season, Murray has performed well with the Admirals, posting a record of 13 wins, 7 losses, and 6 overtime losses in 23 games, along with a .927 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average. Netminder Justus Annunen is expected to start tonight, although Murray could step in if there is an injury or the score becomes lopsided.
Predators Reassign Kieffer Bellows, Recall Kevin Gravel
The Predators reassigned left-winger Kieffer Bellows to AHL Milwaukee on Tuesday and used his roster spot to summon defenseman Kevin Gravel from the minors, per a team announcement. Their active roster remains at 22 players, with the open spot expected to be filled by winger Luke Evangelista coming off injured reserve in the next few days.
Bellows, 26, did not suit up for Nashville in their seven games since recalling him on Jan. 11. He suited up in four straight NHL seasons from 2019-20 to 2022-23 but has been out of the league for over a year and a half. The former first-round pick ranked as one of the organization’s top prospects for a few years but never adjusted well to the pro game.
Over his seven-year pro career, he’s seen far more AHL action than NHL action, playing in 220 minor-league games compared to 95 NHL contests. He’s produced at a decent 0.60 points-per-game rate in the AHL, where he has 76 goals and 55 assists, but that’s dropped to 0.29 across his NHL promotions.
Bellows has had a rocky past few years in particular. Nashville is his fourth organization since the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, during which he headed from the Isles to the Flyers on waivers. He did not land an NHL contract for 2023-24 after being non-tendered by Philly, settling for a minor-league pact with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, but landed a two-way deal with the Preds for 2024-25 after breaking out for 27 goals and 49 points in 52 games.
The Minnesota native has continued to produce well while on assignment to Milwaukee. He leads the team with 12 goals through 31 games and ranks fifth with 22 points. However, he’ll have to wait until his next recall to get another crack at NHL minutes.
With Evangelista’s return imminent, his chances at playing time were set to get even slimmer in the coming days. The 22-year-old right winger has missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury but has been spotted in practice recently without a no-contact designation, suggesting he’ll come off IR before the 4 Nations Face-Off next month.
Meanwhile, Gravel replaces Spencer Stastney, who the team sent to Milwaukee over the weekend, as the Preds’ extra defenseman. Nashville has recalled the 32-year-old lefty twice already this season, resulting in a trio of appearances during which he has an assist and a plus-two rating. The 6’4″, 205-lb Michigan native has averaged 18:19 per game – the most of his NHL stints since debuting in the 2015-16 season – and controlled 45.9% of shot attempts at even strength.
While a stay-at-home defender first and foremost, Gravel’s 12 points in 35 AHL games also leads Milwaukee defensemen in scoring this season. He has another year left on the two-way extension he signed in January of last year and won’t be a UFA until 2026.
Stastney Assigned To AHL
- Nashville has assigned defenseman Spencer Stastney to AHL Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log. He suited up in seven games for the Predators over the last three weeks while on recall but didn’t register a point. The 25-year-old has three points in 10 games with the Admirals after missing nearly two months while on personal leave. Nashville now has just six healthy blueliners on their active roster so it’s possible that Stastney could be back up relatively quickly.
Predators Activate Cole Smith Off IR
The Nashville Predators have activated centerman Cole Smith off of injured reserve, per Nick Kieser of Nashville’s 102.5 The Game. Smith has missed the team’s last 11 games with a lower-body injury suffered in the team’s December 21st game against Los Angeles. He appeared to be laboring through pain but managed to play through the final seconds of regulation time in that matchup – before not skating for the team’s eventual overtime win. Smith was placed on injured reserve three days later, with a prognosis of four to six weeks. He returns right on time with this activation – exactly one month later.
Like many of his teammates, Smith has been ice-cold this season. He appeared in all 34 of Nashville’s games prior to his injury, routinely serving as the team’s third-line center. But a routine role hasn’t meant routine production – with Smith posting just five points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -9 on the year. That includes no scoring, and just one fighting major, through his last eight games. Smith won out a third-line role last season with responsible and often consistent hockey. He played in 80 games and posted 23 points – the third-most of any Predators forward to average below 14 minutes of ice time. Smith was also the most utilized forward on Nashville’s penalty kill during the 2023-24 campaign, recording 168 minutes of shorthanded ice time. He’s returned to that high-trust role this season and should once again stand as one of the team’s go-to defensive forwards now that he’s back from injury.
Predators’ Mark Jankowski Out Week-To-Week
Predators forward Mark Jankowski is out week-to-week with the upper-body injury he sustained in Saturday’s win over the Wild, head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters Monday (including the team’s Brooks Bratten). He did not return to the game after fighting Minnesota forward Ryan Hartman in the first period.
He hasn’t landed on injured reserve, largely because Nashville is operating with an open roster spot. But he could in the coming days to make room for the activation of winger Cole Smith, who Brunette said has been upgraded to day-to-day after missing nearly a month with a lower-body injury.
It’s a tough loss for Nashville, where the 30-year-old Jankowski has been one of the team’s best defensive forwards in 2024-25. His 55.5% shot attempt share at even strength is fourth on the team among qualified forwards, as is his 2.2 GA/60.
A frequent penalty killer, Jankowski has averaged 12:44 per game – his most in three years – and has won half of his 210 draws. His offensive production of eight points in 37 games is down from last year’s 15 in 32, but the 2012 first-round pick of the Flames has still done well to re-establish himself as an NHL regular after a few years of bouncing between the big leagues and the AHL.
That performance last year after a mid-season call-up from AHL Milwaukee earned Jankowski a two-year, $1.6MM extension, so he’s got another year left under contract with Nashville past this season. He’s now on his fourth NHL organization after stops with Calgary, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.
The Preds will likely give Kieffer Bellows his first NHL game since April 2023 when they face the Sharks tomorrow. He’s the only extra forward on the roster after being recalled on Jan. 11.
Admirals Claim Chase De Leo Off AHL Waivers
- Nashville’s farm team in Milwaukee has claimed winger Chase De Leo off waivers from Charlotte, the AHL announced. Waivers are extremely rare in the minors but if a player plays overseas and then signs as a free agent as De Leo did (with stints in the KHL and Switzerland), he has to go through waivers before playing. De Leo has 349 points in 494 career AHL games, giving the Predators a quality veteran for the Admirals with this claim.
Predators Place Luke Evangelista On IR, Activate Adam Wilsby
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.
Jeff Kealty To Serve As GM For USA At 2025 Men's Worlds
- USA Hockey announced on Friday that Jeff Kealty will serve as GM for their entry into the men’s World Championship in May. He’s in his 24th season with the Predators and his seventh as their assistant GM and Scouting Director. While he’s not an NHL GM, he’ll be working with several of them to help assemble the roster as he’ll be assisted by the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group consisting of John Vanbiesbrouck and no fewer than ten active NHL general managers.