In the midst of a season David Poile admitted “wasn’t a good situation,” the Nashville Predators have placed forward Rocco Grimaldi on waivers, according to TSN’s Chris Johnston.
Placed on NHL waivers today: Blake Comeau (DAL), Tanner Kero (DAL) and Rocco Grimaldi (NSH).
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) November 11, 2021
The move isn’t a massive surprise. Grimaldi appeared in just five of Nashville’s 13 games this season, failed to register a point, and averaged just over 12:00 of ice time per game. In an interview with 102.5 The Game, Preds General Manager David Poile hinted Grimaldi had expressed unhappiness with his lack of playing time.
Grimaldi, 28, had become one of the Preds’ best feel-good stories in recent memory. Originally signed in 2018 to provide depth for the Milwaukee Admirals, Grimaldi quickly fought his way into a full-time role with the Predators. The following season was the best of Grimaldi’s career, a 31-point output as part of arguably Nashville’s most consistent line of the season (along with Craig Smith and Nick Bonino). Grimaldi’s efforts paid off in the form of a new two-year contract.
But but after Smith and Bonino’s departure — combined with the rise of players like Mathieu Olivier, Tanner Jeannot, and Yakov Trenin — Grimaldi struggled to find a consistent place in the lineup for most of the 2021 season. A solid training camp performance this past fall sparked hope that Grimaldi could still be a big piece of the Preds’ puzzle, but the chances to do so just weren’t there.
It’ll be interesting to see if anyone puts a claim in on Grimaldi. He certainly has the skillset to be a reliable middle-six scoring forward in the right situation.
Best of luck to Rocco and Abby wherever they land.