Nashville Predators Rumors & News

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

TSN.ca "Scott Hannan has returned to the San Jose Sharks. The Nashville Predators have traded the 34-year-old defender to the Sharks in exchange for a conditional sixth- or seventh-round draft pick. Hannan has registered one assist and a minus-11 rating in 29 games with the Predators this season. He..." April 03

Tennessean "There have been times during the past week when the Predators haven’t looked much like a playoff team — suffering a lopsided loss at home to Phoenix on Thursday and then getting shut out by a struggling Colorado squad on Saturday. But give the Predators credit for battling back the past two..." April 03

Tennessean "Why worry about the past when there’s an immediate need to be concerned about the future? That’s one way to sum up the current philosophy of the Predators, who travel to Colorado for a game this afternoon, less than 48 hours after a disastrous 7-4 home loss to Phoenix. Nashville surrendered..." March 30

Tennessean "The Predators were spared some bad news on Friday when they learned that center Mike Fisher did not suffer a broken hand while blocking a shot late in Thursday’s loss to Phoenix. Fisher left the game immediately, but X-rays on Thursday had been inconclusive. Fisher didn’t practice Friday,..." March 30

NHL.com "Pekka Rinne has some serious competition this year. But we're not talking about a race for the Hart or Vezina trophies, for which the 30-year-old Nashville Predators goalie has been a finalist the past two seasons. Rinne's stiffest competition may be for the title of the biggest star in his own..." March 28

Nashville City Paper "It’s not Mike Fisher’s aim that has improved. It’s his sense of direction. His current seven-game point streak is not the product of passes that find the tape more frequently or shots that are a little more precise. It has to do with where the veteran Nashville Predators center goes when he is..." March 28

Tennessean "Last week, the Nashville Predators looked like sellers — maybe. This week, they look like buyers — maybe. Such is the nature of this weird shortened season as we approach the NHL trade deadline, which hits at 2 p.m. CDT April 3. From their point of view, the playoff race is too close to..." March 27

Tennessean "Most NHL defensive pairs involve one partner complementing the other. For many years with the Predators, it was Shea Weber’s power and brute strength that meshed well with Ryan Suter’s heady, skating-oriented play. This season, it’s a similar dynamic with Weber and Roman Josi. With the..." March 27

Tennessean "More than a week ago, Predators forward Sergei Kostitsyn hit rock bottom. Against the Oilers, his bad shift change led to a score for Edmonton in a symbolic loss on a bad road trip. He sat out a game to pay his penance amid questions of his overall effort. On Monday, Kostitsyn atoned for his..." March 26

Tennessean "Predators defenseman Hal Gill will likely end his 12-game absence due to a lower body injury tonight when Nashville plays Columbus. Without Gill in the lineup, the Predators have killed off just 24 of 37 opposing power plays. “It’s tough to miss games, it’s tough to sit out,” Gill said...." March 23

Tennessean "The Predators finally caught up to Mike Fisher on Thursday night. Nashville returned home from a difficult road trip and beat Calgary 5-3 behind Fisher’s two goals. It was more of the same for Fisher, who had continued to shine despite the Predators’ struggles. During a four-game losing..." March 22

Tennessean "Defenseman Hal Gill is nearing a return to the Predators’ lineup after missing 11 games due to a lower-body injury. In those 11 games, the Preds have only killed off 22 of 34 power plays, a 65 percent success rate. Preds coach Barry Trotz said Gill has been skating on his own and said it’s..." March 20

Columbus Dispatch "The Blue Jackets scored enough last night to breathe with ease. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who had lived on a very thin line of near-perfection for three weeks, finally had a license to appear human. But when the Blue Jackets and Bobrovsky began to exhale early against a struggling but proud..." March 20

Tennessean "Predators coach Barry Trotz gave a stern answer when asked if forward Sergei Kostitsyn would play tonight against the Blue Jackets. “Absolutely not,” Trotz said without any level of hesitation. Kostitsyn made a bad change skating up ice on a backcheck in Nashville’s 3-2 loss at Edmonton on..." March 19