We’re in crunch time for the 2021-22 NHL regular season, and the Nashville Predators find themselves in all too familiar territory hanging around the playoff bubble.
With the offense really hitting a drought as of late, Head Coach John Hynes is deciding to get a little bold by recalling Cody Glass from the Milwaukee Admirals, per the team’s official Twitter account on Thursday:
The #Preds have recalled forward Cody Glass from Milwaukee. https://t.co/lqfWv2SlGn
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) April 14, 2022
Glass has been ripping through the AHL season for virtually it’s entirety after initially starting the Predators lineup to open the season. He went down to get some vital development, and it has appeared to be extremely beneficial.
Nashville Predators rewarding Glass after strong season in Milwaukee
Everyone wants instant results from these young players, but sometimes it takes some patience and that seems to be the case with Glass. He’s 11th in the AHL in points with 60 in 63 games played and fifth in assists with 46.
Although not directly part of the Ryan Ellis trade to Philadelphia, the Predators did end up with Glass through the three-team trade that included Vegas.
Now the question is where does Glass get inserted into the lineup? It’s being reported by Brooks Bratten of the team’s official website that Matt Luff will be out for Thursday’s game against Edmonton with a non-Covid illness:
#Preds Head Coach John Hynes says Cody Glass has improved his game in Milwaukee all season and has earned an opportunity to come back to Nashville again to show how he's progressed.
— Brooks Bratten 🍪 (@brooksbratten) April 14, 2022
Hynes adds Glass will be in the lineup tonight; Matt Luff will be out with a non-COVID illness.
It’s critical to not throw Glass to the wolves in this situation. I’m more cautious in this approach by easily inserting him into the fourth line role that Luff had. You’re getting an offensive upgrade in that spot for sure, and the Predators desperately need some depth scoring down the stretch.
Furthermore, if Glass really plays well and looks comfortable, you can explore elevating him in future games. However, I don’t think it’s wise to just throw him into heavy minutes in a high pressure situation.
What I really like about this decision is not being afraid to give your young players a chance to excel when they’ve earned it. That’s what Glass has done all year in Milwaukee, and you should give him the chance to translate that to try to boost your team’s offense that has been flat over the last few games.
The Nashville Predators remain with a potent power play that perhaps Glass can even contribute to on the second unit. We’ll have to wait and see how that pans out, but I 100 percent love this decision to call him back up as the Predators push for another playoff berth.