Nashville’s latest move on the blue line has Chris MacFarland reaching back into a very familiar pool.
The Predators announced Wednesday that they have signed defenseman Jack Ahcan to a two-year, two-way contract, continuing an offseason trend that has seen the team add players with ties to MacFarland’s former organization. Nashville already brought in former Colorado Avalanche forwards Ross Colton and Jack Drury earlier this summer, with Drury quickly signing a contract extension after arriving.
Ahcan’s postseason work for Colorado didn’t show up on the scoresheet, but it did stand out in the defensive end. In a matchup with Minnesota, he played with no fear, getting in front of several dangerous looks and piling up a series of notable shot blocks that helped Colorado withstand pressure on its back end.
The 28-year-old also put together a strong AHL season with the Colorado Eagles, producing 50 points with 11 goals and 39 assists in 61 games. That output placed him among the league’s more productive offensive defensemen, and he also appeared in 11 NHL games for the Avalanche.
His NHL resume is still limited overall, with 22 career games split between Colorado and the Boston Bruins. But in the AHL, he has been a steady producer, collecting 198 points in 272 career games with the Eagles and Providence Bruins.
For Nashville, the appeal goes beyond simply adding another body on the roster. The Predators are in a period of transition, and Ahcan may be stepping into a situation that gives him a better shot at carving out a real NHL role. With the blue line in flux, he could have a clearer path to consistent minutes than he had in Colorado.
MacFarland’s comfort level with Ahcan likely mattered here. After already bringing Colton and Drury to Nashville this offseason, he has again gone with a player he knows well, banking on a fresh start to help Ahcan turn his strong AHL track record into something more at the NHL level.
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