Just two games into the 2021-22 season, the Nashville Predators are shaking up their roster depth.
The club announced that they’ve recalled Tommy Novak from the Milwaukee Admirals. To make room, the Predators have re-assigned Cody Glass to the Ads. The Glass demotion was first reported by CapFriendly Sunday night, and has garnered quite a response from the Preds faithful.
The #Preds have recalled forward Tommy Novak from @mkeadmirals (AHL). Additionally, the team has assigned forward Cody Glass to Milwaukee.https://t.co/LGlDPgddEP
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) October 18, 2021
Novak is certainly a prospect a lot of fans will be excited to see get a chance in the NHL. The 24-year-old center has developed into an explosive playmaker for the Preds’ minor league clubs over the past few seasons. Last season, Novak tallied 32 points (8 G, 24 A) in just 27 games with the Chicago Wolves, and added three assists in the Milwaukee Admirals’ season-opener over the weekend.
At the same time, the decision to send Glass is bound to raise a few questions. The former 5th overall pick was one of the centerpieces in the Ryan Ellis trade, and the Predators have clearly been high on him as a potential piece of the team’s future core. He hasn’t had much impact in either of the Preds’ first two games, but he’s never looked criminally out of place either. If this was a case of the Preds simply wanting him to get more consistent top-line minutes (Glass has only averaged 11:27 TOI in the first two games), that’s understandable. But in a season David Poile has pitched as a “transitional” one towards a youth movement, you have to wonder why Glass hasn’t been a more central part of the team’s strategy so far.
Thoughts on today’s roster moves?