Good morning, Preds fans!
With the Milwaukee Admirals losing in the AHL’s Western Conference Finals to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the #Smashville offseason is truly in progress. While I do not plan to get granular and detailed, I wanted to quickly highlight some things that fans might be curious about this summer. I won’t get into charts and stats, either. That’s Bryan’s job and I don’t pretend to understand how numbers work.
Milwaukee
The Admirals were one of three remaining playoff teams in this year’s Calder Cup playoffs. They didn’t reach their ultimate goal, but they played very well against a team that, by all accounts, is likely going to win the Calder Cup in a few weeks. Coachella Valley was likely the only team that could stand in Milwaukee’s way, and that’s what happened. It’s sad to see the handshake line, but the playoff experience for youngsters like Luke Evangelista, Phil Tomasino, Joakim Kemell, and Yaroslav Askarov is invaluable. There’s a lot of questions in Wisconsin, though.
Who will back up Yaroslav Askarov next season? Devin Cooley played a great series against Coachella in Games 3, 4, and 5. Cooley switched agents and will be looking for a nifty new contract this summer. Will that be in Milwaukee? Cooley could be a starter for another AHL squad come October. There’s a few goaltender options in Nashville’s system behind Askarov, but frankly, none of them are very inspiring.
In last week’s press conference introducing Andrew Brunette, GM Barry Trotz mentioned that Karl Taylor was a finalist for Nashville’s head coach job. Taylor would be an interesting candidate for an assistant coach role, and there’s plenty of NHL teams looking to hire assistants. Does GMBT move Taylor under Brunette and look for a new head coach in Milwaukee?
Taylor’s talent should be grown in the Nashville system, in my opinion. It would be awful to see him get plucked up by another team. There are several choices to replace Taylor at the AHL level, including assistant coach Scott Ford. The former Admiral/Predator has been Taylor’s assistant for several seasons now. I don’t pretend to know the future, but I’d love to see GMBT choose Karl Taylor for a spot behind Nashville’s bench come fall.
Finally, there’s always a question of personnel moves when it comes to AHL clubs. Journeyman players will be looking for other teams, and Milwaukee will have to balance young rookies with veteran players. There’s a lot to explore when it comes to Milwaukee’s roster for the 2023-2024 season, and I hope to author another article about the Admirals’ fall outlook soon. The Calder Cup playoffs brought together Admirals fans from across the country–even internationally–and I am looking forward to the on-ice product in October. There is a lot to be excited about in Milwaukee.
Atlanta
On Tuesday, the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL announced a new affiliation with the Nashville Predators. This is an excellent partnership and I’m very excited to see the Nashville organization secure an ECHL partnership again. An Atlanta roadtrip is certainly a fun idea for diehard fans who want to experience hockey in Atlanta again.
Nashville
While Nashville has some free agents to qualify and sign, that’s not the scope of this section. I am looking forward to seeing what Cody Glass can do once re-signed, and there’s a few other exciting players to lock up for the coming season. However…let’s look at some bigger-picture things.
Does Tyson Barrie remain a Predator this offseason? The defender was a surprising addition after the Mattias Ekholm trade, and Barrie seemed to carry a lot of minutes and was quite impactful for the Predators during the run to the playoffs. Barrie isn’t a defensive defenseman, so finding a solid d-partner for him will be key if he remains with Nashville next season. He has no trade protection, and it’s possible he could be moved in order to bring in some younger talent on the blueline.
I vote to hold on to Barrie, but let me know your thoughts below. There’s a lot of questions when it comes to Nashville’s defense corps. Dante Fabbro is locked up for a few seasons, but what about Alexandre Carrier? Will he bet on himself and have an incredible season, or will Carrier end up elsewhere in a year or so?
Meanwhile, up front, I’m hoping to see a lot more of Tommy Novak, Jusso Pärssinen, Luke Evangelista, and Phil Tomasino next season. There’s no reason Joakim Kemell doesn’t make the team after his performance with Milwaukee, especially his playoff work. Kemell is one of the more exciting prospects, and he’s a player that could energize Nashville’s jaded fanbase.
Speaking of prospects–what does GM Barry Trotz do at the Draft? We’re less than a month away from the draft, and while it’s often a polarizing experience for a fanbase who’s read prospect profile after prospect profile, I’m quite excited to see how Trotz spends his picks. He has made it public knowledge that he’s going after speed and skill. Does he select two forwards in the first round? Does he look for an exciting blueliner? We have to wait and see, but I think he’s tipped his hand already.
When it comes to veteran players like Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen, it’s pretty clear that the Predators will struggle to rid themselves of their burdensome contracts. Duchene and Johansen are both veteran leaders, and when fully healthy, both can have impactful seasons. I’m not as down on 92 and 95 as many folks are, and I think it’s because I see the value in salty old players when it comes to mentoring younger players.
Will Ryan Johansen be fully ready to play in September? If I’m Johansen, I’m motivated to play a full season after a big injury. His leg injury required surgery, and we are all hopeful that his rehab is going smoothly and he’ll be on the ice in gold soon. Talking about Johansen brings me to Colton Sissons–it’s the Vancouver connection! Colton Sissons played very good hockey last spring, and sported an “A” in the absence of Duchene, Johansen, Ekholm, and McDonagh. Sissons is a true leader, and while he may never blow us away with a 30-goal season, his faceoff skills are the best in Nashville and his stability and consistency can always be counted on.
In goal, the Preds are solid with Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen. While many of us, including myself, are still pretty sour that Saros was not nominated for the Vezina Trophy, we’ll have to hope for better things in 2023-2024. It seems Vezina nominiees have to be playoff goalies, and that’s a curious stance to take, but I’m not a GM. Lankinen certainly stole some games for Nashville last season, and he’s got some talent that Nashville can rely on. He’s not their long-term backup, but he’s already endeared himself to the team in the same way that Carter Hutton did so many years ago.
I’m sure I missed some upcoming stories, Nashville fans. What are you the most excited about this offseason? Free agency? The Draft? Sound off below.