Nashville Predators News & Notes
Predators Announce Update to Active Roster, Taxi Squad, COVID-19 List | Nashville Predators
A quick summary:
- Borowiecki, Cousins, Granlund, Harpur, Johansen, and Tomasino are all OUT of COVID protocol and back on the active roster.
- Josi, Novak, and Sissons are all IN COVID protocol.
- Matt Luff and Michael McCarron are the first two members of the Preds’ taxi squad./
It was also announced that the entire coaching staff is also out of protocol after the Blossom-Bubbles-Buttercup trio of Karl Taylor, Scott Ford, and Scott Nichol led the Predators behind the bench for two games.
So while the Preds get everyone who was on the COVID list before the pause back, they’ll obviously have two huge holes in the lineup for (at the very least) tomorrow’s game against Washington. The Roman Josi loss speaks for itself; the Predators’ captain is having yet another Norris-caliber season on both ends of the ice. But Colton Sissons leaves just as big of a void. Perhaps no player on the roster shouldered more “extra responsibility” than Sissons did during the Preds’ chaotic two-game stretch right before the pause, recording more than 48 minutes of ice time and four points in back-to-back wins over Colorado and Chicago.
It’ll also be interesting to see how the taxi squad shakes out down the stretch. Luff and McCarron are both ideal options, as they each have a decent amount of NHL experience, but aren’t necessarily guys that need a lot of minutes in Milwaukee. With the Admirals starting to gain some momentum, the Preds likely won’t want to pull younger players out of regular playing time to sit around “just in case.”
Predators Prep for Return after COVID Layoff | Tennessean
Navigating this new normal is going to be a challenge for coaches.
Nashville Predators 2022 predictions: Will John Hynes re-sign? | Tennessean
Along with Hynes’s future, Paul Skrbina dives into Forsberg’s future, Nashville’s playoff hopes, and whether this group of Preds can do something that hasn’t been done in 16 years.
Other Hockey Happenings
The Predators surprise, the Sharks fade, and wait — do we already know all the Eastern playoff teams? | The Athletic
The Preds feature heavily in Down Goes Brown’s weekend rankings. Sean gives the Preds some credit for their hot start to the season while also casting doubt on how “good” they can really be long-term.
We know Roman Josi is great, and he might be in the running for another Norris. It sure seems like Juuse Saros is a legitimate star in net, as he’s well on his way to his second straight season of .920+ goaltending despite his stubborn refusal to be 6-foot-6 like all the other guys at his position. I’m not sure how much I trust these rebound seasons from Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen, the rest of the blue line is mostly guys I’ve barely heard of and I’m still not sold on John Hynes. It’s possible that this is still a decent team on a hot streak and not much more. Then again, that’s what people like me usually say when we’re slowly being proven wrong.
Top 5 Surprises of the 2021-22 Season So Far | The Hockey News
The Preds aren’t on this list, but there are still quite a few “lol wait, really?” facts from the first half of the season.
The most indispensable player for all 32 NHL teams | ESPN
You can probably guess who Nashville’s is.
WJC roundup: 2022 Draft prospect Blank helps Germany top Czechia in OT | NHL.com
If you’re not doing so already, be sure to follow Eric Dunay (@OnTheFutureOTF) for live updates during the tournament.
Brandon Tanev out for the year with ACL injury | Davy Jones Locker Room
Tough break for a guy who was arguably the Kraken fanbase’s favorite player.
USA Hockey asks IIHF to reschedule women’s U18 tournament | NBC Sports
They need to find a way to get these girls on the ice. Cancelling this tournament two years in a row while bending over backward to keep the men’s WJCs is inexcusable.
The Mario Lemieux comeback is 21 years old | PensBurgh
I still remember watching this live on Hockey Night in Canada during Christmas break at my grandma’s house. I’m old.