Update:
Below was published shortly prior to this announcement but Preds have sent Jeremy Davies - 38 - D and Egor Afanasyev - 70 - F to Milwaukee, neither are subject to waivers. The lineup is now at 24 with one move remaining to be made before reaching the final 23. This move is likely between Olivier and Grimaldi. Stay tuned for further information. These two decisions were expected although, like I stated below, not the decisions I would have made. If left to decide between these two for the final spot, I'd go with Grimaldi.
Michael McCarron – 47 – F and Connor Ingram – 39 - G waived this morning. Preds roster now down to 26.
Current 26-man roster
Forwards (15) Glass Forsberg Sissons Kunin Trenin Cousins Grimaldi Olivier Tomasino Tolvanen Granlund Afanasyev Jeannot Johansen Duchene
Defense (9) Benning Ekholm Harpur Davies Carrier Myers Fabbro Josi Borowiecki
Goalies (2) Saros Rittich
The Preds concluded their pre-season matchups with two wins versus Carolina. In the first game we saw mostly opening night starters for both teams, while the second saw a very young and prospect-driven Carolina.
The first game the Preds won in OT 3-2. The roster and lineups for that game looked like this:
Forsberg – Johansen – Duchene Tolvanen – Granlund – Tomasino Jeannot – Glass – Grimaldi Trenin – Sissons - Afanasyev
Josie – Carrier Ekholm – Fabbro Davies - Benning
Saros
There’s not much to say about this game other than the Preds are still giving up way too many shots, Tomasino disappears but always seems to find himself in the right spot and he can bury his chances as seen in the OT winner, and Afanasyev is going to turn into a pure goal scorer if he develops right. The Preds have never had a true goal scorer, so I am excited to see his cotniued growth.
The second and final game the Preds won 4-3. The roster and lineups for that game looked like this:
Forsberg – Johansen – Duchene Tolvanen – Granlund – Kunin Cousins – Glass – Tomasino Trenin – Sissons – Jeannot
Josi – Carrier Ekholm – Myers Harpur – Fabbro
Saros
No real news here either. Still giving up plenty of shots and the lineups are looking more and more like what the team will look like. Big decisions in the coming days. Many pundits believe that this second game is likely the starting lineup for Thursday.
But now pre-season is behind us and with Opening Night against Seattle quickly approaching, Poile and management have some big decisions to finalizing the 23-man roster from the current 26 with McCarron and Ingram being waived earlier this morning. It’s unlikely we see any groundbreaking announcements, but I remain curious to see the shape the final roster will take.
The 5 remaining players fighting for positions are likely: Grimaldi Tomasino Afanasyev Olivier Davies
Afanasyev is one of my favorite players in the prospect pipeline to watch, and I would love to see him there on Opening Night. However, he is not subject to waivers, so he is likely to be sent to Milwaukee to see how his brief KHL experiences translate to professional hockey in North America now he has had some nice development time. He’s used to the North American ice size so that will not be a problem transitioning as it has been for some, Tolvanen to name one recent example.
Here is what I would do if I were calling the shots:
Forwards (13)
Glass Forsberg Sissons Kunin Trenin Cousins Tomasino Tolvanen Granlund Afanasyev Jeannot Johansen Duchene
Defenseman (8)
Benning Ekholm Davies Carrier Myers Fabbro Josi Borowiecski
Goalies (2)
Saros Rittich
As a result, I would send to Milwaukee, and yes subject to waivers, Harpur, Grimaldi and Olivier. I know, I know Grimaldi and Olivier are fan favorites. Grimaldi is one of my favorite players and an incredible person, but decisions cannot be made based on pure emotion. But I think that letting the youth develop in the NHL to see what they can do would be warranted and a wise decision. I think qualified and calculated risks are worth taking and this would be something I would risk. Betting on the future as opposed to sticking with the average of the now. This is very unlikely to occur, but it is my opinion and I stand by it. I could honestly see both Tomasino and Afansyev being sent down due to not being eligible for waivers but I would find such a move to be myopic in its outlook and would not find it to be the wise based on where the organization currently finds itself. The question for this team should be who makes you better tomorrow and not who keeps you stagnant and potentially protects you from falling today. Average has always been what this organization is good at with a few bounces up in between. It’s time to change the mindset and take risks, but not wild risks via trades but risks betting on a better tomorrow. I also think that Harpur will be chosen over Davies, but I believe Davies is a solid player similar to Carrier being a bit smaller but smart and skilled. I understand Harpur’s addition last year for additional size, but Myers addition would warrant letting Harpur go.
Short Note:
Many continue to discuss the need to re-sign Ekholm and Forsberg and the fact that this has not yet happened should be of great concern. I do not necessarily buy into this view. Let the season start and see how this team progresses before announcing their inevitable death. These will be discussions that should be had in December and January, not forced in October. If we want to keep them, then this is the season to prove it. Money talks, but for these players so does a vision. Is there one? My previous articles have noted that I believe there could be a strong one with this now being Hynes’ first genuine offseason with this team. I’m by all means not trying to be overtly pollyannish. I simply like to call it how I see it. If I disagree with the greater narrative, I’m perfectly fine standing on an island of one until proven otherwise.
I’ll be at the game on Thursday against the Kraken and that will be an interesting first game. Cheers to a new season and Go Preds!