The Nashville Predators added two more depth pieces on Wednesday, signing defenseman Jack Ahcan and forward Hunter Skinner to two-way contracts.
Ahcan’s agreement runs two years, while Skinner’s is for one. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported Ahcan’s cap hit at $875,000, and PuckPedia reported Skinner will make $850,000.
Ahcan, 29, split last season between the Colorado Avalanche and the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. He had two assists in 11 NHL games with Colorado and then put up 11 goals and 39 assists for 50 points in 61 games with the Eagles. He also got into three Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Avs and added another five points in 11 Calder Cup Playoff games for Colorado.
Over parts of six AHL seasons, the Savage, Minn., native has piled up 34 goals and 164 assists for 198 points in 333 regular-season games. In the postseason, he has two goals and six assists for eight points across 22 career AHL playoff contests.
Before turning pro, Ahcan played four seasons at St. Cloud State University from 2016-17 through 2019-20, finishing his college career with 21 goals, 82 assists and 103 points in 144 NCAA games.
Skinner comes to Nashville after spending 2025-26 with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, where he posted seven goals, 12 assists, 19 points and 61 penalty minutes in 60 games. He also skated in two Calder Cup Playoff games.
The Wyandotte, Mich., native made his NHL debut last season with the St. Louis Blues.
In six AHL seasons, Skinner has totaled 23 goals and 52 assists for 75 points along with 310 penalty minutes in 263 regular-season games. He has also appeared in five Calder Cup Playoff games.
Drafted by the New York Rangers in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Skinner spent three years in the USHL, where he had five goals and 19 assists for 24 points and 85 penalty minutes in 83 regular-season games with the Lincoln Stars and Muskegon Lumberjacks. He also played one season in the OHL with the London Knights, recording six goals and 26 assists for 32 points in 62 regular-season games.
In Other News...
MacFarland Just Made Another Predators Trade Fans Need To See
Chris MacFarland kept reshaping Nashvilles roster with another move aimed at adding both flexibility and stability. The latest deal brings in a young, versatile forward and a veteran defenseman, giving the Predators a little more balance at two spots where depth always matters, especially as the season stretches on and lineup decisions get tighter.
Mavrik Bourque arrives with the kind of skill set that can fit in more than one place, while Ilya Lyubushkin gives the blue line the kind of experience and physical edge contenders usually keep searching for. The bigger question now is how Nashville will sort out the ripple effects, because a move like this rarely comes without pushing someone else further down the chart. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Just Made A Mavrik Bourque Decision Fans Wont Like
The Predators have made another move aimed at adding offense, landing forward Mavrik Bourque in a deal with Dallas after he turned in the best NHL season of his young career. Nashville sent back a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-rounder as part of the package, a price that signals the club is still trying to thread the needle between helping now and keeping enough future assets in hand.
Bourque is expected to step into a top-six role and give Nashville a needed boost in secondary scoring, which has been a persistent issue for the roster. The trade also gives the Predators a little more breathing room under the salary cap, opening up a bit over $14 million, and it leaves one more question hanging over a team that is still reshaping itself. [Read more 🡒]
Predators Make Another Forward Move As MacFarland Reshapes The Roster
The reshaping of Nashvilles forward group kept moving with the addition of center Alex Kerfoot on a two-year deal, another sign that new president of hockey operations Chris MacFarland is not wasting much time putting his stamp on the roster. Kerfoot arrives on a $3.5 million cap hit and adds another experienced option to a room that has already seen plenty of turnover this offseason.
Kerfoot is only the latest name to cycle through the Predators new-look forward group. Mavrik Bourque, Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Adam Edstrom and Nils Hoglander have also come in through trades and signings, giving Nashville a very different mix up front as MacFarland continues to rebuild the depth chart around the edges. [Read more 🡒]