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Jim Diamond reported last night about the goaltending switch between Milwaukee and Nashville, but this morning, word comes that Jonathon Blum is heading back to Milwaukee as well:
I'll admit to being a little surprised here that it's not Ryan Ellis getting sent back instead, given the fact that he was scratched last night as well. Under the current CBA, if Ellis hangs around on Nashville's Active Roster for 40 games (whether as a healthy scratch or not), this will count as an Accrued Season towards him earning Unrestricted Free Agent status somewhere down the road.
An excerpt from the team's press release follows...
Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has assigned rookie goaltender Anders Lindback (AHN-dehrs LIND-bahck) and defenseman Jonathon Blum to Milwaukee (AHL) and recalled goaltender Jeremy Smith from the Admirals. This is Smith's first career recall.
Smith, 22 (4/13/89), has yet to appear in an NHL game. The Deaborn, Mich., native leads the American Hockey League in wins (16), while ranking second in appearances (25) and minutes (1,461), and tied for eighth in goals-against average (2.30). Nashville's second choice, 54th overall (second round), in the 2007 Entry Draft is in his third professional season after playing from 2005-09 with Plymouth and Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League.
Lindback, 23 (5/3/88), has gone 2-4-0 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage in eight appearances for the Predators this season. His only experience at the AHL level came last season when he went 2-2-0 with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in four starts from Feb. 22-26.
Blum, 22 (1/30/89), has seven points (3g-4a) in 33 NHL games with Nashville and two goals in three games at the AHL level with Milwaukee in 2011-12.