Nashville Predators Rumors & News

Tennessean "Add a backup goaltender to the Predators’ offseason wish list. That’s what general manager David Poile indicated Monday following a news conference in Antioch to announce new twin ice rinks at the former Hickory Hollow Mall. The Predators “might, maybe and in all probability will be looking..." June 17

Tennessean "The Predators have traded forward Bobby Butler to Florida for Panthers defenseman T.J. Brennan. Both are pending restricted free agents. Brennan, 24, was a second round draft pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2007. He was traded by Buffalo to the Panthers on March 15 for a fifth round draft pick...." June 15

Tennessean "A tall, blond man on crutches hobbled into a classroom at Centennial Sportsplex as 48 boys and girls ages 9-19 stared in awe. Pekka Rinne was making a cameo appearance at a camp run by Predators goaltending coach Mitch Korn. The big goaltender was on crutches because of a hip arthroscopy..." June 12

TSN.ca "The Nashville Predators have signed defenceman Roman Josi to a seven-year, $28 million contract. The deal, announced Monday via the team's official Twitter account, comes just under a month before the Swiss defenceman was primed to become a restricted free agent. The 23-year-old scored five..." June 10

SportingNews.com "While the NHL, NHL Players Association, International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation all say a deal to bring players to the 2013 Sochi Olympics will get done, there are still roadblocks, according to Sportsnet's John Shannon. Two of the big ones: the league's desire..." June 10

Tennessean "Developing players through the minor leagues and teaching them core values is vital to any NHL team’s success. To aid the progress of their younger prospects, the Predators wanted someone who truly understood their ways and their system. So on Wednesday they hired Scott Nichol as director of..." June 08

St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Blues center Scott Nichol will retire from the NHL after 12 seasons after accepting a position in Nashville as the Predators’ director of player development. “We loved our time in St. Louis, and as a player you always want to play no matter how old you are, but I thought it was time,” said..." June 06

NHL.com "All players entering the NHL beginning next season could be required to wear a visor. The NHL's Competition Committee met Tuesday here. Among its recommendations was a proposal that would make visors mandatory for all players entering the League, starting in 2013-14. Under the proposal,..." June 05

TSN.ca "The NHL's Competition Committee has recommended the mandatory wearing of visors be grandfathered in at its meeting in Toronto on Tuesday. The use of shallower nets to be used next season as well as a hybrid icing rule to be tested in preseason were among other recommended rule changes proposed..." June 04

Tennessean "There were a few days after Colin Wilson’s second shoulder stabilization surgery on May 6 that he didn’t have use of both his arms. So when he slept, he stayed on his back and propped pillows on both sides so he couldn’t roll over. “Some other guys have had trouble sleeping more, but I was..." June 02

Tennessean "Losing often breeds change. For the Predators, a disastrous 2013 season means some stalwarts who are free agents could be in for difficult contract negotiations this summer. Last year, Nashville opted to keep pending unrestricted free agent forward Brandon Yip, a waiver-wire pickup who became a..." May 30

Tennessean "Below in italics is the release from the Predators on their signing Mikko Vainonen to an entry-level contract. He is the second player from Nashville’s class of 2012 to be signed in the last two days — Brendan Leipsic being the other Thursday. At 6-foot-2, 222 pounds, Vainonen brings NHL-level..." May 24

NHL.com "The 2013 NHL Awards winners will be revealed in two live television specials during the Stanley Cup Final. At 7 p.m. on the day of Game 2 of the Final, the winners of the Hart, Calder, Norris and Vezina trophies, along with the Ted Lindsay Award, will be announced as part of an hour-long show..." May 24

NHL.com "Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that Phil Housley has been named assistant coach of the team. Housley coached the United States to a gold medal at the 2013 World Junior Championships and ranks fourth all-time among NHL defensemen in..." May 22

Tennessean "The Predators have fired associate coach Peter Horachek, sources close to the team told The Tennessean on Monday night. Broadcast analyst Darren Pang first reported the news on Twitter. The Predators couldn’t be reached for comment. Horachek had been with the Predators organization since the..." May 21

Tennessean "Asked to evaluate Roman Josi near the end of the 2013 season, Predators coach Barry Trotz gushed about the second-year defenseman. Josi’s skating, vision, overall awareness and confidence all had taken major steps from his rookie season, Trotz raved. Yet the coach also said the 6-foot-1,..." May 18

Tennessean "Bobby Butler’s tryout for next season’s Predators continues. The forward has another week with Team USA at the IIHF World Championships in Finland and Sweden to show that he has the type of skills that can translate into a roster spot for 2013-14. Butler is a restricted free agent, and the..." May 11

NHL.com "The National Hockey League moved closer to an agreement to send its players to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia during a meeting in Stockholm on Friday. The meeting included representatives from the NHL, National Hockey League Players' Association, International Olympic Committee,..." May 10

Tennessean "Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left hip, general manager David Poile said Thursday. The recovery time is four months, Poile said. The star netminder saw his numbers drop this season after consecutive years of being named a finalist for the..." May 10

Tennessean "There was a sense of anticipation in his tone as Predators general manager David Poile spoke after the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday. Poile had good reason to be eager for the June 30 draft in Newark, N.J. The 2013 class is considered one of the best in the last 10 years, and the Predators will..." May 05

Tennessean "Near the end of the NHL regular season, the airways between Milwaukee and Nashville were full of hockey players on commercial jets. With all the injuries the Predators sustained, many players from their American Hockey League affiliate logged significant minutes in a Nashville uniform. The..." May 05

Tennessean "Near the end of the NHL regular season, the airways between Milwaukee and Nashville were full of hockey players on commercial jets. With all the injuries the Predators sustained, many players from their American Hockey League affiliate logged significant minutes in a Nashville uniform. The..." May 04

Tennessean "The Nashville Predators have agreed to a contract extension with forward Patric Hornqvist worth $21.25 million over five years. Hornqvist, 26, led the Predators in goals in 2011-12 with 27. He also scored 30 goals in the 2009-10 season. This season Hornqvist had four goals and 10 assists..." April 30

The Examiner "Much attention has been focused on the number of injuries the Nashville Predators sustained to their group of forwards in the recently completed 2012-13 regular season. And there is no question that injuries to the likes of Colin Wilson, Gabriel Bourque, Paul Gaustad, Patric Hornqvist and others..." April 30

NHL.com "By finishing with the fewest points in the regular season, the Florida Panthers had the best chance to land the No. 1 pick at the 2013 NHL Draft in June. But, on Monday, the Colorado Avalanche were the ones smiling. Colorado (16-25-7) was the winner of the 2013 Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery..." April 29

NHL.com "The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs will open Tuesday in Chicago with a matchup between the Presidents' Trophy-winning Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild, who were the last team to clinch a playoff berth. The NHL released the playoff schedule Sunday night and it includes three Game 1s on..." April 29

Detroit Free Press "Johan Franzen spoke of how he relishes this time of year, when the playoffs are right around the corner and there’s an element of desperation as the regular season winds down. Franzen and the Red Wings made good on their talk of controlling their destiny, winning for the third straight time..." April 26

Tennessean "Predators forward Mike Fisher will probably return for Nashville’s Thursday game against the Detroit Red Wings. Fisher has missed Nashville’s last seven games with a hand injury. Overall, he has missed 10 games with the issue. Fisher sustained the injury March 28 when he blocked a shot against..." April 25

Tennessean "Roman Josi’s game has had a little more jump this season. The second-year defenseman’s passes have looked crisper, his positional play has been stronger, his defense more sound. “The biggest thing for him was to be more consistent all over the ice,” defensive partner Shea Weber said. “He..." April 25

NHL.com "The team holding the top pick in the 2013 NHL Draft will need to consider one important question prior to stepping to the podium to announce its selection on June 30 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. What do we need right now? Is it a poised and polished minute-munching, two-way..." April 24

Tennessean "The song “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers blared from the speakers in the Predators locker room. Players cheered for forward Austin Watson, who had scored his first NHL goal. Defenseman Shea Weber smiled and joked with his teammates. It was a scene that hadn’t played out for the Predators in 21..." April 24

NHL.com "In celebration of Earth Day, NHL Green has teamed up with Sterling Planet, the United States' leading retail provider of environmental assets for corporate, utility and government clients, to attempt to mitigate the environmental impact of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the second..." April 22

Tennessean "Filip Forsberg’s first NHL road game will likely be a little more difficult than most. He’ll be going into a pretty hostile environment — the United Center in Chicago — where fans like to stand up and cheer through the national anthem and get quite loud throughout games. Also, tonight’s..." April 19

Tennessean "There’s a good chance this summer will be more active than usual for the Predators, who are tumbling toward the end of a miserable season. Coach Barry Trotz characterized the offseason as potentially “very busy” as the team looks to “fill holes” in a roster that underperformed. With four..." April 18

Tennessean "Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne still has arguably the best glove hand in the NHL. He still moves from goal post to goal post with uncommon quickness for someone who stands 6-foot-5. And most nights he’s still capable of winning games on his own. But a lot of Rinne’s games this season have..." April 18

Tennessean "Over the past eight seasons, Predators coach Barry Trotz has spent this time of year battling to get into the postseason or working toward a higher playoff seed. So it’s quite a different feeling for Trotz to be conducting what is — in some respects — a virtual mini-camp for next year over the..." April 17

ESPN.com "The NHL is in the final planning stages of its much-anticipated series of outdoor stadium games next season with six outdoor contests set to take place in football and baseball stadiums across North America, sources familiar with the plan confirmed to ESPN.com Tuesday. The series will start..." April 17

Vancouver Sun "Asked about his team's reckless, brainless moments in a second straight game, coach Alain Vigneault said the Vancouver Canucks have turned the page from Saturday. It didn't look like it on Monday. The Nashville Predators, minus most of their top forwards and headed to a golf course near you in..." April 16

Detroit Free Press "The Detroit Red Wings came into Bridgestone Arena on Sunday and did what they had to do: grind out a victory. A 3-0 final gave the Wings the two points they needed to at least momentarily climb back into the Western Conference playoff picture after falling out of it over the weekend. The Wings..." April 15

Tennessean "Predators top prospect Filip Forsberg may play Sunday in Nashville’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. Forsberg, a forward and 2012 first round draft pick, who was acquired in an April 3 trade deadline deal from Washington for Martin Erat and Michael Latta is set to take part in the..." April 13

NHL.com "The National Hockey League Players' Association and the National Hockey League today announced a historic partnership with the You Can Play Project that formalizes and advances their long-standing commitment to make the NHL the most inclusive professional sports league in the world. "The NHL..." April 12

TSN.ca "The National Hockey League's meeting with officials from the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation wrapped up in New York City Friday with more work needed to be done. "We had a good working session and were able to discuss all of the issues involved in the..." April 12

Tennessean "For Predators veteran forward David Legwand, speed always has been his main attribute. It’s a major reason why Nashville drafted him second overall in 1998. And Legwand’s ability to use his wheels and drive back opponents has led to some of the better offensive play by a forward for the..." April 11

Tennessean "Forward Paul Gaustad will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, generam manager David Poile confirmed on Thursday. The recovery time for the surgery is four-to-six months. Gaustad is doing it now in hopes of being ready for the 2013-14 season or training camp. The 6-foot-5, 223-pound..." April 11

Tennessean "The Predators are working toward bringing recently acquired Filip Forsberg to Nashville before the end of this season, and it’s possible he could arrive here as early as this weekend. Whether he would suit up in games for the Predators this year or just practice and get to know the Nashville..." April 10

St. Louis Post-Dispatch "The scoreboard might have looked similar at night’s end, but there was little resemblance between the Blues’ 1-0 shutout Tuesday in Nashville and one Sunday in Detroit. The Red Wings are battling for a playoff spot and put the Blues and goaltender Brian Elliott to the test. The Predators, on..." April 10

Tennessean "It’s looking more and more like goaltender Pekka Rinne will play in all of Nashville’s 10 remaining games. On Friday, coach Barry Trotz said he originally had a plan to work in backup Chris Mason this weekend in a back-to-back with Chicago. But with the Predators’ playoff position looking..." April 05

Washington Post "In a late-day move, the Capitals traded top prospect Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for veteran winger Martin Erat and a minor league prospect. Erat, 31, has two years remaining on his current contract with a salary cap hit of $4.5 million per season and had to waive a no-movement..." April 04

Washington Post "In a late-day trade, the Capitals have traded top prospect Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for veteran winger Martin Erat and American Hockey League center Michael Latta. Erat, 31, has two years remaining on his current contract with a salary cap hit of $4.5 million per season. Although..." April 03