At long last, Taylor Beck is getting another shot at the NHL.
Since Matt Hendricks was shipped off to Edmonton last week, the Nashville Predators have been running with the minimum of 12 forwards, but today as they head off for a four-game road trip through Western Canada, they’ve officially recalled winger Taylor Beck from the Milwuakee Admirals.
Beck was fairly impressive in a 16-game run last season with the Preds, potting three goals and adding four assists while playing 16 minutes a night, filling in as veterans such as Mike Fisher, Paul Gaustad, Patric Hornqvist and Colin Wilson succumbed to injury.
This fall, Beck (and others like Filip Forsberg and Austin Watson) has a tough time trying to earn an NHL spot in light of the multiple free agents signed over the summer, which especially created a logjam on the depth lines. He played two Nashville games back in November, but other than that he’s been with Milwaukee the entire season, where he leads the Admirals with 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 35 games.
Since the Hendricks trade, Rich Clune has seen action on the fourth line, so will Beck squeeze him out of that spot, get an opportunity higher up on the depth chart, or watch from the press box until need arises?
