With an aging core and their championship window closing the Penguins signalled they will be all in acquiring Erik Karlsson, the Norris Trophy winner last season as the NHL's top defenseman.īedard may be the future and Crosby's best years in the past making Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid the man of the moment as the NHL's undisputed top player. To make sure Bedard is not crushed under the weight of expectations the Blackhawks acquired two former league most valuable players in Taylor Hall, the 2018 MVP and Corey Perry 2011 MVP to share the load and provide veteran leadership.Īt 36-years-old Crosby is now "Sid the Kid" in name only but heads into the season as motivated as ever and looking to add a fourth Stanley Cup to a resume that includes two Olympic gold medals. The Blackhawks, who finished 30th among 32 teams last season, hit the jackpot when they won the draft lottery and used it to claim the dynamic 18-year-old forward, who is projected to become the franchise cornerstone. Not since Crosby was taken number one overall in the 2005 draft has there been as much buzz around the arrival of a player described as a once in a generation talent. The season launches on three fronts with the Vegas Golden Knights raising their first Stanley Cup championship banner before taking on the Seattle Kraken while the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Nashville Predators.īut the most anticipated contest of an opening night tripleheader will be the Blackhawks and Bedard in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins and the rookie's childhood idol Sidney Crosby. The Predators will need to win the special teams battle and lean on their penalty kill that was top-10 in 2022-23.TORONTO (Reuters) - Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard skates into the spotlight when a new NHL season begins on Tuesday as Alexander Ovechkin looks to close in on one of hockey's treasured records and Canadians dream of an end to 30-year Stanley Cup drought. The Lightning, although not the same Lightning team that went to three straight Stanley Cup finals, are still a team loaded with elite superstars at the top of their lineup. Six preseason games is simply not enough time to work everything out, and the trial and error phase will move into the regular season. The Predators did show gradual improvement in running their offense throughout the preseason. Hockey is back! Oilers and Canes start off with the best chances. In what the Hurricanes brass called their “dress rehearsal”, the Predators were a bit exposed against the more experienced Hurricanes who are pegged by many as one of the top Stanley Cup favorites, including Money Puck’s first playoff odds: The following matchup with the Hurricanes in the preseason finale didn’t go quite as planned. The Predators exit the preseason with just one win, a resounding 5-1 victory over the Hurricanes with almost all of their starters in, while Carolina played mostly prospects and players on tryouts. Who starts on the third pairing against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday is still unknown. The risk would’ve been that either one of them would be claimed on waivers, whereas now they could each end up being part of a trade package down the road.ĭel Gaizo was a great story to watch throughout training camp making it to the end, while other defensemen prospects who have NHL experience were re-assigned sooner, like Spencer Stastney, Jake Livingstone and Jordan Gross.Īs expected, this means that Jeremy Lauzon, Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro will all be in the mix to round out the Predators defensive corps. They will stick around, at least for now. Waiving Gurianov paves the way for Cole Smith and Michael McCarron to make the Predators roster, which was up for debate. A major setback for Gurianov, and if he’s unclaimed by another NHL team, could end up heading overseas to continue his hockey career. Gurianov was just picked up as a free agent this past offseason, but wasn’t able to make a positive impression enough to make the Predators roster. Nashville Predators Have their Final Roster Set for Opener vs. Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz announced today that the team has assigned defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to Milwaukee (AHL). The Predators have cut the roster down to the maximum 23 players, after re-assigning Marc Del Gaizo to the Milwaukee Admirals and on a surprising note, waiving Denis Gurianov.Ĭalvin Pickard (EDM), Tyler Madden (LA), Shane Bowers (NJ), Justin Dowling (NJ), Tyce Thompson (NJ), Max Willman (NJ), Denis Gurianov (NSH), Jachym Kondelik (NSH), Chris Driedger (SEA), Cale Fleury (SEA) and John Hayden (SEA). After a preseason and training camp full of growth and learning of a new system led by Head Coach Andrew Brunette, the Nashville Predators now have their initial roster in place.
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