Predators Rumors & News

Pro Hockey Rumors "August 10, 2020. That’s the day one franchise will earn the right to pick first in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, a selection that will almost surely be used to pick superstar prospect Alexis Lafreniere. The league will hold Phase 2 of their draft lottery on Monday at 5pm CT,..." August 06

The Score "The general managers of the seven clubs not participating in the NHL's 24-team restart have submitted a collaborative proposal to the league requesting extended training camps for their respective teams prior to the 2020-21 season, sources told The Athletic's Craig Custance and..." August 05

New York Post "Unlike most other sports, hockey has a built-in home advantage that many casual fans may not know about. And no, we’re not referring to the fact the player from the visiting team is required to place his stick on the ice first when setting up for the faceoff. Matchups are the..." August 03

NHL.com "Pekka Rinne's streak of 89 consecutive postseason starts ended Sunday when Juuse Saros started for the Nashville Predators against the Arizona Coyotes in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers at Rogers Place. Rinne's streak, which began in 2010, is the fourth-longest..." August 02

Sportsnaut "The NHL Qualifying Round begins tomorrow at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Things will start to get wild in the West when the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks get things started off at 3:00 PM Eastern Time at Rogers Place. Now, let’s dive in to each series and make a..." August 01

Pro Hockey Talk "It’s time to focus on the NHL games, including the 2020 NHL playoffs schedule. The 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers will begin on Saturday, Aug. 1 in the hub cities of Edmonton and Toronto. The top four teams in both conference will play a three-game round robin for seeding in the..." August 01

Yardbarker "Just one day before players return to the ice for meaningful games, there is some good news from off the ice.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that there have been zero positive tests for COVID-19 since teams entered the bubble cities in Edmonton and Toronto last..." July 31

NHL.com "The drama of the NHL postseason already has started, with seven of the 10 teams scheduled to play Saturday, the first day of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, unwilling to reveal their starting goalie. "As far as the goaltender … there's an old hockey movie called 'Slap..." July 31

Sporting News "Unlike their counterparts in other sports, NHL players have opted not to kneel in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement during their return to the ice this week. " July 31

Yahoo! Sports "For a while now, one major criticism of the NHL has been an inability to think for itself — or at least so it often seems. Rarely making the sort of decisions that might fly in the face of convention, conservatism is the league’s hallmark, while progressiveness has been left to..." July 31

Pro Hockey Talk "Gary Bettman stressed that “safety is paramount” while discussing the NHL Return to Play/2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers with Liam McHugh. In the lengthy segment you can watch above, Bettman also sheds some light on the process. " July 31

USA Today "Playoff predictions are always difficult. After all, who could have foreseen last season that the record-tying Tampa Bay Lightning would be swept in the first round or that the St. Louis Blues, who were in last place in January, would win the Stanley Cup? But this year is..." July 31

Pro Hockey Talk "NHL exhibition games are over and it’s time for the real thing. The Return to Play begins this weekend as 24 teams vie to be crowned the 2019-20 Stanley Cup champion. These unique times called for unique solutions from the NHL and NHLPA — thus the 24-team format with two..." July 31

Black Sports Online "If hockey players have a tough time shooting the puck into their opponent’s goal, maybe porn star Phoenix Marie DMs are something they can aim for. Marie went on social media celebrating the NHL return along with bringing her OnlyFans account in the mix. Although the Riverside,..." July 30

Yardbarker "The 2019-20 NHL season is set to resume this weekend in Edmonton and Toronto, but it appears a majority of coaches polled would've rather played somewhere else.  According to a poll of coaches conducted by The Athletic, NHL coaches would've rather played in either..." July 30

Pro Hockey Rumors "For an NHL player, the Stanley Cup playoffs represent a fleeting opportunity to cement your legacy. By hoisting that chalice even once in your career, you join a relatively small group of players that can be identified as champions. It doesn’t happen for everyone. Just..." July 30

Sportsnet "What you notice are the things that are glaringly absent, of course. The scalpers, sweatered fans and giddy buzz that orbit an NHL rink on game day. And you marvel how easy it is to locate a decent parking space so close to puck drop. But you also notice the things that have always..." July 29

NHL.com "Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/GM David Poile announced Tuesday that the team has signed forward Anthony Richard to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2020-21 season worth $735,000 at the NHL level and $65,000 at the AHL level. " July 28

The Score "Paul Maurice has a theory about the rhythm of a new hockey season. "It's kind of like when you're (horsing around) with your brother," the longtime Jets head coach said. "You start pushing and then next thing you know you're throwing haymakers. There's..." July 28

Pension Plan Puppets "Today the NHL has announced their testing data for the last week of Phase 3, aka training camp. They report zero new tests. There have been two positive tests in total during the training camp period which lasted for just under two weeks. No information has ever been..." July 27

NHL.com "The first team entered the Secure Zone at 10:49 a.m. ET on Sunday, when a guard opened a gate in the black fence surrounding the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Not one but two buses carried the Montreal Canadiens because of the space needed for social distancing. Everyone wore a mask..." July 27

NHL.com " The NHL announced today the Phase 4 player rosters for the 24 clubs contesting the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers that begin Saturday, Aug. 1. Under the Return To Play Plan, each team is permitted to bring a maximum of 31 players into the Secure Zones in the hub cities of Edmonton and..." July 26

The Hockey News "The Nashville Predators’ all-time all-drafted team is going to win a lot of games by a 1-0 score. Which is to say, they’re not real dangerous up front – Alexander Radulov is the biggest game-breaker and he’s never scored 30 goals in a season – but they’re..." July 25

The Hockey News "Today, the NHL will receive the final rosters from the 24 teams scheduled to play in the 2020 post-season. Bubble life is upon us, hockey fans. Teams can bring a maximum of 31 players with them to Toronto and Edmonton, while each franchise can bring up to 52 people in total into the..." July 24

The Score "On Sunday, chartered planes in 22 NHL cities across North America will take off carrying professional hockey players, coaches, and staff. One of two Canadian cities will be the destination: Edmonton for those from the Western Conference, Toronto for those in the East. The Oilers and Maple..." July 24

ESPN "The NHL will have a five-second delay on broadcasts and artificial crowd noise when it restarts its season in Toronto and Edmonton beginning Aug. 1. The league distributed "Phase 4" information to teams and media this week, detailing life in the bubbles for the 24 teams..." July 24

The Score "The NHL revealed a detailed plan on Thursday for the final phase of its return to play, including information about general rules and safety measures, life in the bubble for players and staff, and how broadcasts and game presentations will look. The league will test every..." July 24

NHL.com "Prior to their scrimmage on Wednesday, the Predators took a traditional, 16-minute warmup, just as they would prior to a normal game. They were outfitted in their traditional uniforms - half of the players in white, the others in Gold. The team then retreated to the locker room so the..." July 24

Larry Brown Sports "The NHL unveiled the name of its 32nd team on Thursday — the Seattle Kraken. The reaction from fans and the media was a bit mixed. Some people don’t seem to like the Kraken name, but the logo and jerseys accompanying it were well-received seemingly across the board...." July 23

ESPN "John Tortorella gathered around his Columbus Blue Jackets for their first day of training camp in the NHL's restarted season. The famously direct coach explained what he expected from them under the league's COVID-19 "return to play"..." July 22

The Hockey News "It would be pretty smarmy to claim that this year’s Norris Trophy voting comes down to how many reporters were actually paying attention all season, so let’s frame things in a less combative way: How strong will anchor bias go in determining the winner this year? The..." July 22

The Score "The newest installment in EA Sports' NHL video game series will be out later than usual this year. It was announced Monday that NHL 21's release is being pushed back from September to October, citing "major adjustments in developing the game from home" due..." July 22

Pro Hockey Rumors "July 20: The NHL has announced some minor changes to the schedule for the round robin. The Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals game that was scheduled for August 8 will now be played on August 9. The Philadelphia Flyers-Tampa Bay Lightning game that was originally scheduled for..." July 20

The Score "Two tests out of 2,618 administered to more than 800 NHL players over the first five days of Phase 3 returned positive for COVID-19, the league announced Monday. Both players who tested positive have entered self-isolation and are following the instructions of the CDC and..." July 20

TSN "John Carlson, Roman Josi and Victor Hedman were named the finalists for the James Norris Memorial Trophy on Monday. The trophy is presented annually to the NHL's top defence player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the..." July 20

Sportsnaut "Thanks to the NHL’s new policy on reporting injuries, when a player leaves or misses practice, speculation is rampant. That’s because the league Return to Play protocol really doesn’t allow teams to report anything at all. Here are some key names around the league of..." July 19

NHL.com "Welcome to the Training Camp Buzz. The 24 teams who will be competing for the Stanley Cup began training camp at their facilities Monday. The teams are scheduled to head to their respective hub cities (Toronto for the 12 Eastern Conference teams, Edmonton for the 12 Western Conference teams),..." July 18

The Score "With the NHL salary cap remaining flat at $81.5 million for at least the 2020-21 season, players who are up for a payday are in an unfortunate position due to general managers needing to exercise caution during free agency this summer. Whether it be to further prove their worth or..." July 16

CBS Sports "The Predators waived Westerholm unconditionally for the purpose of terminating his contract Wednesday, James Mirtle of The Athletic reports. " July 15

ESPN "Last Friday, the NHL's owners and the players approved a new collective bargaining agreement as well as the league's return-to-play plan to finish out the 2019-20 season in two bubbles this summer. It's six seasons of labor peace for a sport that hasn't seen much of it..." July 15

Sportsnet "USA Hockey has cancelled the 2020 World Junior Summer Showcase that was slated to run from July 24 to July 31 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., the organization announced Wednesday. USA Hockey had invited 44 American players to take part in the event, which is part of the..." July 15

NHL.com "Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/GM David Poile announced today that the team has signed forward Sean Malone to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2020-21 season worth $750,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level. Malone, 25 (4/30/95), skated in 58 games..." July 15

Sportsnet "The NHL has announced the schedule for 12 exhibition games and the starting times for the first five days of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The exhibition games will be played from July 28-30, with the Stanley Cup Qualifiers beginning on Aug. 1. There are several notable regional..." July 14

The Score "Travis Dermott looked down at the dressing room floor for a moment before staring at the questioner with a curious grin. "This is deep," said the 23-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman. Dermott had just been asked a very specific question: What's the..." July 14

Sportsnet "The NHL says there were 30 confirmed positive COVID-19 test results in Phase 2 of its return-to-play protocol, the league announced Monday. The results stem from 4,934 total tests that were administered to in excess of the 600 players who reported to team training/practice facilities..." July 13

New York Post "Let’s be honest. We don’t know whether this is going to work. We have no idea whether the NHL’s Stanley Cup tournament scheduled to run from Aug. 1 into early October (if necessary) will come to fruition. We cannot even guarantee that the 24 NHL clubs invited to the..." July 13

Sportsnet "Eleven weeks ago, after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman informed the Board of Governors a new CBA with the players was a priority, several teams discussed what they’d like to see addressed. Their suggestions, officially submitted by the Winnipeg Jets, offered ideas on everything..." July 12

ESPN "NHL players will hear fans chanting, "We want the Cup!" during their postseason tournament -- just not in person. The league's teams began emailing season-ticket holders over the weekend, asking them to record 30-second clips of cheering for their players. The clips will..." July 12

The Score "All 24 teams participating in the NHL's return-to-play plan will not be permitted to disclose information regarding player injuries or illnesses, the league announcedSaturday.  "Given the unique circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, effective with the start..." July 12

NHL.com "Training camps will begin Monday as part of Phase 3 of the NHL Return to Play Plan. Teams will then travel July 26 to one of two hub cities, where they will begin Phase 4, the resumption of play, with the Stanley Cup Qualifiers starting Aug. 1. The 12 Eastern Confernece teams will play in..." July 11