Penguins’ Kevin Hayes Out Week-To-Week, Cody Glass Diagnosed With Concussion
The Penguins have downgraded forward Kevin Hayes to week-to-week with his upper-body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters (including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Sullivan also confirmed that Cody Glass had been diagnosed with a concussion after landing on injured reserve on Friday.
Hayes has already missed two games with his upper-body injury, which he sustained last Tuesday against the Islanders, although it’s unclear which play. If the Pens need to open a roster spot, he can be placed on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 5, while a week-to-week designation starting today means he’ll likely miss at least Pittsburgh’s next four games.
The Penguins acquired the 32-year-old Hayes from the Blues in June, also landing a 2025 second-round pick to take on the final two years of the declining veteran’s contract, of which the Flyers are already retaining half. He’s made 14 appearances for the Penguins this season, notching three goals and an assist while averaging a career-low 9:27 per game.
Meanwhile, a concussion indicates a longer-term absence for Glass than the minimum seven days required for an IR placement. Like Hayes, it’s unclear exactly what play Glass sustained the concussion during his last appearance, a 5-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. He played a season-low 4:47 and did not take a shift after the first period.
Like Hayes, Glass had made 14 appearances for Pittsburgh before the injury, recording four assists and a -7 rating while averaging 11:48 per game. It’s the 25-year-old’s first season with the Pens, who acquired him in an August trade with the Predators.
Selected sixth overall by the Golden Knights in the 2017 draft, Glass has been deployed peculiarly in a more shutdown role with Pittsburgh, making a career-high 69% of his zone starts in the defensive end at even strength. He’s responded quite well, controlling 58.7% of shot attempts and 58.3% of expected goals, even if he hasn’t broken out yet offensively.
Penguins Activate Bryan Rust, Place Cody Glass On IR
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have one forward in the lineup tonight exchanged for another. The organization announced it has activated Bryan Rust off the injured reserve while placing Cody Glass on it.
Rust has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the last little while, and it’s related to the injury that kept him out of the lineup at the beginning of the season. The veteran didn’t make his 2024-25 debut until October 12th and managed three goals and four points in eight contests before re-aggravating the lower-body concern on October 26th.
The Penguins expect Rust to serve in a top-six role this evening and could even rediscover his role on the team’s first line. He’s typically been Sidney Crosby‘s linemate, but the team may opt for Rust to play on the second line in light of Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell playing on the captain’s wings.
It’s not all good news on the injury front in Pittsburgh. Glass, who’s nursing an upper-body injury, lands on the injured reserve for the first time this season.
After leaving the contest without a return, Glass was seemingly injured in last night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. In his first year with the franchise, he’s played in 14 contests for the Penguins but has only collected four assists while posting a -7 rating.
He’s primarily played in a bottom-six role averaging 11:48 of ice time per game so there shouldn’t be too much roster maneuvering for Pittsburgh. Still, with the team sitting toward the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings, it’s more insult to injury for Pittsburgh.
Evening Notes: Flames, Getzlaf, Glass
Calgary Flames players have reportedly been told that the team is unlikely to add any other pieces between now and the beginning of the regular season (as per Elliotte Friedman of the 32 Thoughts podcast). Friedman added that the Flames’ management wants to get a look at their group and see how they start the season, which makes sense given the turnover that has occurred in Calgary.
The Flames barely resemble the team that started the 2023-24 season, as most of the veteran players have been dealt to other teams in the past 12 months, including Jacob Markstrom and Andrew Mangiapane, who were both traded to Eastern Conference teams this summer. Calgary has largely tried to avoid calling their roster construction a rebuild, and in their defense, they did add a few veterans this summer on short-term deals. However, the team is certainly in sell mode, and they will likely look to move out more names during the regular season as they get closer to the NHL trade deadline.
In other evening notes:
- Former Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf has left the organization to join the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (as per NHL announcement). The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be reunited with his former Ducks teammate George Parros and will work in some capacity for the NHL. It is unclear what exactly Getzlaf will do, but as Parros noted today in a press release, Getzlaf’s experience on the ice should have a lot of value for the department. The former Stanley Cup champion retired after the 2021-22 season and re-joined Anaheim just over a year later in June 2023, serving as the player development coordinator for the team.
- Newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguins forward Cody Glass entered this summer to work on his speed during his offseason training (as per Nick Kieser of the Nashville Predators radio network). Glass knew that he wasn’t good enough last season for Nashville and was feeling the pressure heading into the summer as he will be a restricted free agent on July 1st, 2025. If Glass can improve his speed next season, it could be a good fit with the Penguins, as Pittsburgh hasn’t had much speed in their bottom six since they won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan loves to use speed and deploy an aggressive forecheck, and if Glass can work on that part of his game, he could find himself in the top nine next year.
Predators Trade Cody Glass To Penguins
The Nashville Predators have traded centerman Cody Glass to the Pittsburgh Penguins, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Penguins have confirmed the deal, sharing that they’ve acquired Glass, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for minor-league forward Jordan Frasca.
Glass was the sixth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and the first draft pick for the Vegas Golden Knights franchise, though injuries have kept him from making too much of a big-league impact just yet. Glass scored 22 points in 66 games across two seasons with Vegas, filling a menial role and never doing much to reap the opportunity given to him. The lagging opportunity sparked a 2021 trade to the Nashville Predators, who were much more willing to give Glass a commendable role in the lineup. He vindicated that recognition with 14 goals and 35 points in 72 games during the 2022-23 season. That scoring pace carried into this past season, though one upper-body injury and one lower-body injury were enough to limit Glass to just 13 points and 41 games.
Nashville has quickly filled most of their notable roles on offense with summer additions of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault – and the emergence of depth pieces like Thomas Novak. That’s left Glass on the outside looking in, and now catalysts a move to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he’ll be one of just three forwards under the age of 26. Glass might not get much more lineup certainty with the Penguins, who also added Kevin Hayes and Blake Lizotte this summer. The crowd created by those additions could inspire Pittsburgh to instead deploy Glass at right-wing, where their depth is shallow behind Bryan Rust. That change would put Glass in a much more manageable competition with Jesse Puljujarvi, Rickard Rakell, and Valtteri Puustinen. Winning that position battle could land Glass a lucrative spot next to Evgeni Malkin – potentially enough to revitalize his former offensive prowess, or so Pittsburgh will hope.
Meanwhile, Frasca will join the Predators organization as minor-league depth. He earned a promotion to the AHL after scoring 33 points in 40 ECHL games last season, though he’s still without a point through 11 career AHL games. Pittsburgh signed Frasca as an undrafted free-agent in 2022, inking him to a three-year, $2.8MM entry-level deal set to expire after next season.
Central Notes: Blues Draft Plans, Faksa, Glass
The Blues had the best record among non-playoff teams this season, giving them the right to draft 16th overall in three days. Speaking to the team’s Chris Pinkert, general manager Doug Armstrong said he’s unlikely to shop the pick for more NHL-ready talent.
There’s obviously some attractive players (in this draft). When you pick No. 10, there’s nine great guys. When you pick No. 16, there’s 15 great guys and when you pick No. 28, there’s 27 great guys. So it’s just going to be fluctuating based on who is available, whether we move up or whether we move back to gain an extra asset. I don’t see us picking at No. 16 to improve our team today, but that being said, if there is somebody in a (younger) age bracket that I see a longer-term vision, we’ll do that… but I see it more of a selection type of draft for us.
If Armstrong does leverage 16th overall to move up in the draft, it likely won’t be more than a few spots. “So let’s say you want to get to pick eight, nine, 10 or 11, I think that’s doable,” he said. “It’s painful, but I have to get the threshold of pain we’re willing to take as an organization (to make that deal).”
It’s a lighter draft at the top end for St. Louis, which had three first-rounders in 2023. They selected Slovak center Dalibor Dvorský 10th overall, Swedish center Otto Stenberg 25th overall and Swedish left-shot defenseman Theo Lindstein 29th overall, all of whom have since signed their entry-level contracts.
More from the Central:
- In his latest for The Athletic, Harman Dayal names Stars center Radek Faksa as a cap-casualty trade candidate this summer. Faksa, 30, remains a strong shutdown pivot and has yielded good possession numbers the past two seasons after a disastrous 2021-22 campaign. He’s been a limited offensive talent for the last few years, though, and doesn’t appear close to discovering his early-season 30-point form. He had seven goals and 19 points in 74 games this season, tough to swallow for his $3.25MM cap hit. Faksa is entering the final season of his deal and has a five-team no-trade list, per CapFriendly.
- Dayal, in the same piece, also listed Predators center Cody Glass as a cap-related trade chip. The sixth overall pick of the 2017 draft by the Golden Knights is now 25 years old, and his tenure with Nashville after a 2021 trade has been tumultuous. He looked like a potential long-term top-nine fixture after a breakout 2022-23 campaign but regressed to only six goals and 13 points in 41 matches during an injury-plagued 2023-24. The Winnipeg native is entering the back half of a two-year, $2.5MM AAV deal and will be an RFA with arbitration rights next summer.
Predators Activate Cody Glass From Injured Reserve
Yesterday, Nashville opened up a pair of roster spots when they assigned Liam Foudy and Spencer Stastney to the minors. One of those spots has now been filled as 102.5 The Game’s Nick Kieser relays (Twitter link) that center Cody Glass has been activated off injured reserve.
Last season was somewhat of a breakout year for the 24-year-old. After being more of a fringe player up to that point, the sixth pick in 2017 locked down a regular middle-six role, setting career highs across the board in games (72), goals (14), assists (21), and points (35). That helped Glass earn a spot on Canada’s entry at the Worlds where he added four more assists in ten games.
His play also helped earn him a two-year, $5MM deal, a nice raise for someone who had to settle for a two-way qualifying offer the year before. The contract basically amounts to a second bridge deal to see if this type of production was repeatable or could be improved on or if he’s likely to remain more of a secondary contributor moving forward.
Unfortunately for him and the Preds, Glass struggled out of the gate offensively this season, recording just one assist in his first nine appearances despite averaging nearly 14 minutes a night of action before suffering an upper-body injury last month. It’s fair to say they’ll be counting on him to provide more than that now that he has been cleared to rejoin the lineup.
Cody Glass Placed On Injured Reserve; Out Week-To-Week
Last night, the Nashville Predators made an impressive comeback against their Central Division rival, the Colorado Avalanche, scoring two goals in the final minute of the game to earn the victory. Unfortunately, in his fourth game back after recovering from a lower-body injury, forward Cody Glass left the game with just over two minutes left in the third period.
In an update this afternoon, the Predators announced that Glass would be headed back to the injured reserve, this time with an upper-body injury. Looking to build on a strong 2022-23 regular season, Glass is struggling to stay healthy early in the season.
Last year, Glass had somewhat of a breakout season compared to the rest of his career, suiting up in 72 games in Nashville, scoring 14 goals and 21 assists. In the three seasons prior, Glass played in 74 games total between the Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights, only mustering nine goals and 14 assists.
There was some injury concern earlier in Glass’ career with the Golden Knights, as he missed one month of the 2019-20 regular season with a leg injury, before finally having his season ended by a knee injury in early March. However, since his arrival in Nashville, the same injury concern has not plagued Glass until this year.
This year, when healthy, Glass has played in nine out of a possible 17 games for the Predators, adding his first point on the year via an assist in last night’s contest against the Avalanche. Moving forward, as they have operated for the majority of their games this season, the team will be without Glass at the center position for the foreseeable future.
Predators Activate Cody Glass From IR
The Nashville Predators activated center Cody Glass from injured reserve on Saturday, a team statement relays.
Glass will be eligible to return to the lineup Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes. The 24-year-old was a full participant in practice earlier in the day and is listed as a game-time decision, per Nick Kieser of Nashville Hockey Now.
The 2017 sixth-overall pick missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury sustained in the first period of an October 19 game against the New York Rangers after failing to record a point in his first five outings. At the time, head coach Andrew Brunette said the team only expected Glass to miss seven to ten days.
Nashville acquired Glass in the summer of 2021 in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights that revolved around defenseman Ryan Ellis. The youngster finally held on to a full-time NHL role last season, notching 14 goals and 35 points in 72 games, along with solid possession numbers, avoiding an AHL assignment for the first time in his pro career.
If Glass can get back to (or improve) on last season’s production, it will be a sizable boost to a depth offense that’s lacked much punch this season. He may never hit the offensive potential he hinted at when he registered over 1.8 points per game in his age-19 season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. However, he did show the ability to serve as a capable middle-six center last season and is likely slated for third-line minutes behind Ryan O’Reilly and Thomas Novak for the remainder of the season.
Predators Place Cody Glass On IR, Recall Marc Del Gaizo
The Nashville Predators have placed centerman Cody Glass on injured reserve, announcing that he’s likely to miss another one to two weeks of action with a lower-body injury. Glass has been sidelined since he exited the team’s October 19th game early. In response to the IR move, Nashville has recalled defender Marc Del Gaizo from the AHL.
Glass has managed five games this season, going without a point and recording a +2 +/-. It’s his third year in Nashville, with last season being the first time he played in more than 40 games in a single season. The former sixth-overall picked tallied 35 points in 72 games over the course of the year while averaging just under 15 minutes of ice time each game. His ice time has increased through the early going this year, averaging roughly 15-and-a-half minutes each game.
Nashville has cycled in a slew of forwards in response to Glass’ absence, with Liam Foudy, Michael McCarron, and Samuel Fagemo all playing in a handful of games through the season’s early going. The former of the three players is the only one to go without a point in the ice time he’s received.
Del Gaizo has played in five AHL games so far this season, recording a single assist. He’ll be playing in his NHL debut if he’s able to slot into the lineup, after playing in 152 career AHL games. As it stands, Del Gaizo slots into the team’s seventh-defender role – a spot that’s been left vacant since Luke Schenn was moved to injured reserve.
Nashville Predators Extend Cody Glass, Sign Grosenick, Angello
The Nashville Predators have signed rising center Cody Glass to a two-year contract extension carrying a $2.5MM AAV, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Additionally, the Predators have added to their minor-league depth, signing goaltender Troy Grosenick to a one-year, $775K contract (worth $175K in the minors, per PuckPedia), as well as forward Anthony Angello to a two-year, $1.55MM contract with an AAV of $775K at the NHL. Both contracts given to Grosenick and Angello are two-way deals.
Glass is coming off a breakout year that saw him lock down a full-time NHL spot for the first time. The 24-year-old played in 72 games last season, picking up 14 goals and 21 assists while averaging nearly 15 minutes of playing time a night. That earned him a spot on Canada’s entry at the Worlds where he added four assists in ten contests. While that’s still not a great year for someone not far removed from being the sixth-overall pick in 2017, it was certainly a step in the right direction.
This contract basically represents a second bridge contract for Glass, giving both sides to see if his production last season is a sign of things to come or if it was more of a one-off. With both Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen out of the picture now, it stands to reason that Glass should have a bigger opportunity next season. He will still be RFA-eligible at the end of this deal and with the contract paying out an even $2.5MM per season, that will also represent his qualifying offer in 2025.
Grosenick is no stranger to the Predators organization having spent parts of three seasons in their system before moving on in 2020. Since then, he has bounced around as a third-string option in Los Angeles, Boston, and Philadelphia. Last year, the 33-year-old played in just six games with Lehigh Valley, posting a 3.32 GAA along with a .892 SV%. With Yaroslav Askarov set to command the bulk of the playing time, Grosenick is likely to be Nashville’s fourth-stringer next season but could be the one recalled to cover for short-term injuries to either Juuse Saros or Kevin Lankinen.
As for Angello, the 27-year-old was acquired back in March and finished the season strong with AHL Milwaukee, collecting seven goals and five assists in just 17 games. However, Angello wasn’t able to carry over that level of success in the playoffs as he was limited to just three points in 16 playoff contests. Nevertheless, the Preds have decided to bring him back where he will serve as injury recall depth next season.