The Nashville Predators are close to sorting out a crowded roster, and the preseason is about to do a lot of the heavy lifting.
General manager Chris MacFarland loaded up on forwards this offseason, bringing in Mavrik Bourque from the Dallas Stars, Ross Colton and Jack Drury from the Colorado Avalanche, Nils Hoglander from the Vancouver Canucks, and Adam Edstrom from the New York Rangers. He also signed Alex Kerfoot away from the Utah Mammoth on a two-year deal worth $3.5 million per season.
Bourque looks like a fit in the top six, while the rest of that group is set to battle for bottom-six roles. Vitali Pinchuk, the new KHL addition, is also trying to carve out a spot down the lineup.
The only defenseman Nashville added was Ilya Lyubushkin, who came over from Dallas in the Bourque deal. The Predators kept their goaltending tandem intact, so most of the real roster drama is going to come up front. Even so, the blue line could still get interesting once the preseason games start rolling.
One player sitting squarely in that mix is Reid Schaefer. He spent most of last season in the AHL with Milwaukee, but he still managed six goals and two assists in 47 NHL games and added 28 points in 33 AHL contests.
At 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds, he brings size and edge, and he finished with 108 hits in the NHL. Even after a solid year, though, the new forward arrivals make him look like a likely candidate to head back down.
Schaefer is still on the entry-level deal he signed with Edmonton, and he was acquired in the Mattias Ekholm trade in 2023.
Ozzy Wiesblatt is in a similar spot, though his case looks a little tougher. He became a fan favorite after Nashville embraced him following the loss of his brother, Orca, and he threw his body around plenty, posting 100 hits in 40 games.
But the offense never really came with it. Wiesblatt finished with just five points in those 40 games, and the numbers around his contract situation only add to the pressure: he has one more year left where the Predators can send him to the AHL without waivers, and he’s set to be a Group-6 UFA next offseason.
With center competition heating up, his path to minutes looks narrow. Pinchuk is pushing for that fourth-line job, and Kerfoot and Edstrom both have experience down the middle.
Joakim Kemell is another young forward who may need more time. Nashville drafted him 17th overall in 2022, but he has only 18 NHL games to his name.
Last season, he had a goal and two assists in 16 games. His AHL production has also trended the wrong way, falling from 41 points in 67 games in 2023-24 to 40 in 65 the next season, then to 29 in 48 last season.
The Predators already have plenty of wing depth, and MacFarland’s offseason work suggests Kemell may be better served getting more runway in the AHL rather than jumping into a bottom-six NHL role. Since he leans heavily on his shot, his development has a boom-or-bust feel, and this season in the minors looms as an important one.
On defense, Ryan Ufko made a strong case for himself last year. The 2021 fourth-round pick put up 11 points in 18 games and looked like he might be a late bloomer.
He also finished second among Milwaukee defensemen with 44 points in 52 games. Still, Lyubushkin’s arrival could squeeze him out.
The new addition plays the right side and brings more physicality, which could lock in the pairings and leave Ufko on the outside.
Justin Barron is another name to watch, and his situation feels different from the others. Nashville signed him to a one-year deal this offseason after acquiring him in a one-for-one trade for Alexandre Carrier, a move that has not aged well for the Predators given Carrier’s rise in Montreal.
MacFarland has remained upbeat about Barron, saying, “Justin Barron is a 24-year-old, right-handed defenseman who we feel still has growth in his game,” MacFarland said in a press release. “He can skate and has a lot of physical tools.
We’re looking forward to seeing him at our training camp in September.” Barron had nine points in 52 games last season, after 12 points in 45 games following the trade, but his own-zone play still hasn’t stabilized.
He was drafted as more of an offensive defenseman by Colorado, and his uncertain contract and role could make him a trade candidate as well.
MacFarland’s offseason choices suggest a clear preference: let the younger players keep developing in the AHL rather than forcing them into limited NHL minutes. That’s why the bubble list skews young.
Some, like Schaefer and Wiesblatt, can still be sent down easily. Others, like Barron, would have to clear waivers.
Any of them could also be useful depth if injuries hit.
There are a few other names in the mix too, including Brady Martin, Tanner Molendyk, and Aidan Fink. Martin looks like a defensive-minded center who projects more as a middle-six or bottom-six option.
Molendyk may need another year of AHL seasoning, though Nashville could use more help on the left side. Fink, who came up to the AHL after three seasons at Penn State, is also in the fight for a spot.
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