There was a lot of movement among the forwards on the Nashville Predators last season. Injuries had a lot to do with that, but there was also some questionable lineup decisions from Head Coach John Hynes.
Rocco Grimaldi was perhaps one of the biggest head scratchers as he was left on the bench as a healthy scratch more than I would’ve liked. I get that he’s sometimes a defensive liability, but his speed and offensive skills can’t be overlooked.
So now the prevailing question is where does Grimaldi fit into the lineup going into next season? Is there even a place for him anymore, or is he bound to be traded? He has one more year left on his current contract that’s worth $2M per year, per PuckPedia.
Grimaldi’s days with the Nashville Predators over?
Plain and simple, Grimaldi was misused by the Predators last season. He put up 10 goals in the 40 games he played, although four of those came in one game.
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Looking ahead to the future, is Grimaldi a possible trade piece? The return wouldn’t be huge, but if there’s no room for him on the roster anymore then you might as well find a team that can utilize him properly and get what you can out of him.
If the Predators are truly looking more towards youth next season, then it could be hard for Grimaldi to find regular ice time in 2021-22. Players like Eeli Tolvanen, Tanner Jeannot, Yakov Trenin and even Mathieu Olivier showed their value last season, and there’s still Philip Tomasino waiting to get his first shot as well.
There’s also Rem Pitlick waiting to get another chance. The point being, there’s a plethora of young forwards that Poile can utilize as the team looks to come back with a fresh look.
I’m looking to move Grimaldi if I’m Poile and it means getting something decent in return. There’s no sense in wasting away Grimaldi’s prime at age 28 if you’re not going to use him.
If Grimaldi stays, use him properly
If Grimaldi does return for the final season of his current contract then the Predators have to find a way to get him on the ice regularly and put him with the right linemates. His speed and ability to score quick goals is valuable to the bottom-six.
Grimaldi did average a career-high of ice time last season at 12:49 per game. He’s now at 159 career regular season games for Nashville, logging 57 points and a plus-five plus/minus rating. He’s never played more than 66 games in a season, and that was the shortened 2019-20 season.
The argument in the playoff series against the Hurricanes was the Predators needed more speed to match the opponent, and Grimaldi would’ve certainly helped with that. The counter to that was he’s not as physical and a defensive liability.
Grimaldi should be a regular starter somewhere in the NHL, It’s just a matter of him being in the right situation, and it might not be Nashville. unfortunately.
Expect the dominoes to start falling after the Expansion Draft and after we find out who gets plucked by the Seattle Kraken. After that, it will guide the rest of the offseason strategy for Poile.
My biggest thing in regards to Grimaldi is that he’s not wasted here in Nashville. If he remain on the roster, find ice time for him because he has value to this team. If you can’t do that, find a suitable trade partner and get something out of him.