Ryan McDonagh Returns For Predators
During this morning’s meeting with the press, head coach John Hynes confirms that defenseman Ryan McDonagh will be back in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Not having played since March 12th, McDonagh returns after missing four games. Hynes also confirms that after missing the team’s last game against the New York Rangers, captain Roman Josi will remain out of the lineup with an upper-body injury.
McDonagh’s steady presence on the back end will be a welcomed return for the Predators, especially with Josi out of the lineup. McDonagh does not have the same point-scoring ability that Josi has, but McDonagh’s ability to block shots and limit mistakes makes him a valuable defender nonetheless. Even off the ice, a recent winner of two Stanley Cup rings with the Tampa Bay Lightning, McDonagh will be a solid veteran piece to put around Luke Evangelista and Egor Afanasyev as they look to fully graduate to the NHL long-term.
Cooling down a bit of late, the Predators are still well within the playoff race in the Western Conference. They currently sit five points behind the last wild card team, Winnipeg Jets, and have three games in hand against their central division rival. As the season comes to an end, they still have one remaining game against the Jets, and will also play another wild card team twice, the Seattle Kraken.
Nashville Predators Recall Jordan Gross
With captain Roman Josi out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team has recalled defenseman Jordan Gross from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
This is Gross’ third recall of the season, per CapFriendly, and his first since the calendar turned to 2023. In 10 games with Nashville across his previous two recalls, he recorded three goals and averaged 18:48 of ice time.
Gross joined the Predators organization last offseason, inking a two-year deal after he recorded over a point per game with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. He hasn’t hit that offensive mark in the minors this year, but he does have a strong 31 points in 45 games for Milwaukee.
The undrafted 27-year-old is expected to step into a top-four role tonight for Nashville. Additional injuries to Ryan McDonagh and Alexandre Carrier are stretching their defensive depth to the limit.
Of note, Gross’ contract is set to convert from a two-way deal to a one-way deal next season. With Nashville’s retool in full swing after a series of trade deadline moves, Gross is an outside candidate to play a more significant role with the Preds next season.
Roman Josi Listed As Day-To-Day
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that Roman Josi is day-to-day after leaving the Nashville Predators 3-2 overtime loss to Winnipeg yesterday. Josi did not make Nashville’s scheduled trip to New York for tonight’s game against the Rangers.
Not much is known about Josi’s injury as he joins a long list of Predators players who are out of the lineup. Nashville is already short on manpower as they are without the services of Ryan Johansen, Juuso Parssinen, Alexandre Carrier, Filip Forsberg, and Ryan McDonagh. Now they will be forced to navigate Josi’s injury as they try and chase down a wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Nashville has struggled to score this season with just 191 goals in 67 games, good enough for 28th in the NHL. Josi’s injury could further complicate matters as he leads the Predators in scoring with 59 points on the season. Despite the offensive struggles, Nashville sits just five points back of Winnipeg for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with three games in hand.
It seems improbable that Nashville could make the playoffs given the recent injuries as well as the recent trade deadline sell off, but somehow they have hung around, largely due to the play of Josi and goaltender Juuse Saros. Josi has been a horse for the Predators having averaged over 25 minutes of ice time a night. The former Norris Trophy winner hasn’t had the kind of offensive production he enjoyed last season, but he has led a defensive unit that is ranked ninth in the league in goals against.
Egor Afanasyev Recalled
- After papering him down, the Predators announced that they’ve recalled winger Egor Afanasyev to AHL Milwaukee. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last weekend after being brought up and has gotten into three games with Nashville, logging 9:32 per night while being held off the scoresheet. Afanasyev also has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games with the Admirals in the minors this season.
Nashville Predators Assign Joakim Kemell To AHL
One of the Nashville Predators’ best prospects is about to get his first taste of professional hockey in North America. Nashville today assigned 2022 first-round pick Joakim Kemell to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per a tweet from the team’s affiliate.
Kemell, a right wing, spent the 2022-23 season on loan from Nashville to JYP in Liiga, the organization where he’s spent his entire junior and professional career so far. His offensive production took a step back from his draft year, though, scoring 15 points in 43 games after scoring 23 in 39 last year.
Things deteriorated for Kemell down the stretch, with his scoring growing more inconsistent as his ice time waned. He had a solid start to the campaign, going on a four-game point streak early on, but he couldn’t replicate his success throughout the season.
Now, he gets a chance to regain some confidence and some scoring touch in Milwaukee. He joins other notable Preds prospects, such as goalie Yaroslav Askarov and forward Egor Afanasyev, as the Admirals continue their stretch run.
Predators Recall McCarron, Send Down Afanasyev
The Nashville Predators announced a forward swap between the NHL team and their AHL affiliate. Michael McCarron has been called up from the Milwaukee Admirals while Egor Afanasyev has been sent down to the AHL. Afanasyev was up on an emergency basis, and McCarron’s recall was also on an emergency basis, so these do not count towards the four recalls the Predators are allowed to make after the trade deadline.
McCarron, a big, physical winger at 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds has split hit time between the NHL and AHL this season. He has played 19 games for the Predators, scoring one goal and two points while also suiting up for 13 AHL contests and scoring two goals and six points. He was sent down just two days ago so the team would have room to call up defenseman Kevin Gravel, but now McCarron returns to the NHL roster.
Afanasyev was called up on March 11 to make his NHL debut. He has played three games since then recording four shots on goal while averaging just under ten minutes of ice time per game. The 22-year-old Russian winger is having a decent season in the AHL, putting up 13 goals and 26 points in 55 games.
McCarron, at 28 years old gives the Predators a bit more experience in their lineup over Afanasyev. The Predators were sellers at the trade deadline, but sit just four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the final playoff spot and have played three less games than the Jets. They will continue their unlikely playoff push tonight when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ryan McDonagh To Sit Out For Predators
Shortly before their game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Nashville Predators announced that defenseman Ryan McDonagh will sit out of the game due to an upper-body injury. This announcement from Nashville likely corresponds to the recall of defenseman Kevin Gravel earlier this afternoon.
In 57 games so far this year, Ryan McDonagh has scored one goal and 14 assists and is currently a team-leading +12 +/-. Long ago are the days that McDonagh was able to lead the blue line for the New York Rangers, and after spending several seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he has become a very stable addition to the Predators’ back end. He has continued to average over 20 minutes of ice time and is still one of the more effective shot blockers in the game.
In his absence, the Predators will look to continue their good play of late against the struggling Detroit Red Wings. Sellers at the trade deadline, Nashville has actually managed to find themselves in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Going 7-2-1 in their last ten games, they are six points behind the Winnipeg Jets, with three games in hand.
Predators Recall Kevin Gravel; Michael McCarron Sent To AHL
According to a press release from the Nashville Predators, the team has recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel, and Michael McCarron has been sent to their AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals.
Playing in his first season within the Predators organization, Gravel has suited up for 14 games in the NHL this season, notching one assist in just over 13 minutes of average ice time. Playing the majority of his season in Milwaukee, the blue-liner has managed to score 13 points in 45 games. With already seven defensemen currently listed on their roster, the move by the Predators allows for more, albeit unexciting, depth on their back end.
Unlike Gravel, McCarron has actually spent more time in the NHL than in the minor leagues this season. Taking a month off in December to enter the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, McCarron has been a depth forward for the Predators for the last several seasons. Recording six points in 13 games for the Admirals so far this year, he will join the team on their stretch run to the playoffs. In a tight race, the Admirals currently sit in second place in the Central Division, which would earn them a first-round bye into the best-of-five division semifinals if their position in the standings is maintained.
Nashville Predators Sign Mark Jankowski
The Nashville Predators announced they have signed Mark Jankowski to a contract extension. The team also said it is a one-year contract with a cap hit of $775K which is a slight raise on the $750K he earns this season. Of note, the minimum salary for NHL players rises from $750K to $775K next season, so Jankowski effectively remains on a minimum contract.
The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Predators, scoring five goals and eight points in 32 games. He also added ten points in nine AHL games when he was sent down to the Milwaukee Admirals. This signing will provide a little stability for Jankowski who has played for four different organizations in the past four seasons.
The 6-foot-4 center was originally a first-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2012. He played four full college seasons at Providence before finally turning pro, but never lived up to the draft billing in Calgary. His best season was in 2018-19 when he scored 14 goals and 32 points. He has since played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres as well as the Predators.
With just over 300 games played in the NHL, Jankowski does provide some veteran experience for the Predators who are transitioning from perennial playoff contender to seller status. They traded Mikael Granlund, Mattias Ekholm and Nino Niederreiter at the trade deadline and appear to be entering a bit of a retooling phase.
Jankowski will provide some bottom six depth for the team for another season at a low cap hit as the Predators try to turn themselves back into a playoff team in the near future.
Predators Recall Egor Afanasyev
The Nashville Predators have announced they have recalled Egor Afanasyev from the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The Russian winger is playing in his second season with the Admirals and has 13 goals and 26 points in 55 games this season. He had 12 goals and 33 points in 74 games as an AHL rookie last season.
Afanasyev was a second-round pick of the Predators in the 2019 NHL Draft. He was playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL before being selected, and had 27 goals and 62 points in 58 games for them. He headed to Windsor to join the Spirfires in the OHL in 2019-20 where he piled up 31 goals and 67 points in 62 games as an 18 year old.
The 2020-21 season saw him bounce around different Russian leagues during Covid lockdowns which put a halt to the OHL. Afanasyev did score two goals and five points in seven World Junior games in the 2021 tournament.
The 6-foot-4 winger obviously brings a lot of size to the Predators lineup, but he also showed at the OHL, World Juniors and AHL that he has some scoring punch as well. Afanasyev is an interesting 22-year-old forward who is third on the Admirals in goals scored.
The Predators took a sellers approach at the trade deadline and shipped out Mikael Granlund, Tanner Jeannot and Nino Niederreiter. That opens the door for younger wingers to step into the lineup, and Afanasyev looks like he will be getting an audition and a chance to make his NHL debut tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.