Nashville Predators 2023 Preseason Finale: Fringe of the Roster
McCarron Looks to Remain Vital Piece on Nashville Predators 4th Line
Michael McCarron has been a mainstay for Nashville’s fourth line since joining the Predators via a trade with the Montreal Canadiens in January of 2020.
Since then, McCarron has developed a reputation of not backing down from a physical confrontation while also having a knack for crowding the net and occasionally flashing a little offense.
McCarron signed a one-year deal with the Predators back in April worth $775K. He has bounced between the NHL and AHL since joining the Predators, but has played more on the NHL level, including 51 games in 2021-22.
You really don’t want to lose McCarron for nothing on waivers, especially after you re-signed him just six months ago. I’d be surprised if he’s waived, and if he is, there are teams out there that would show interested in claiming him.
This would definitely end up being a classic case of a team not wanting to waive a player, but just not having the roster space.
Could the Cole Smith Experiment Come to an Abrupt End?
It would be wild to see Cole Smith waived after getting a lot of positive feedback at the beginning of training camp. Much like McCarron, he would be another player the team probably doesn’t want to lose, but I’m sure you’re sensing a theme here.
The theme is, you don’t have room for everyone. You get 23 roster spots. That’s it. And with the Predators influx of young talent that you’re certainly not shipping down to Milwaukee when they’re clearly ready for NHL action, that leaves players like Smith right on the roster bubble.
It could very well come down to Smith or McCarron. I like them both as hard-working players and tone setters. They’re great locker room guys and a coach’s dream. Problem is, are they at their personal ceilings, because we’d all like to think that some of the younger players haven’t even come close to their peaks yet, and you’re simply not making room for Smith at the expense of those other players, even if you do risk losing him on waivers.
I was always weary of Smith having any kind of long-term staying power with the Nashville Predators post-John Hynes. Maybe he goes unclaimed if waived and it’s not the last we see of him.
Both Smith and McCarron are in the lineup for the preseason finale, up against most of the Hurricanes’ “A” squad. If one outplays the other significantly, it could be the final difference-maker.
Fagemo Wastes No Time Making First Impression on Predators Coaches, Teammates
We’ll see how Fagemo fairs in his second preseason game, but you have to love what you saw in his debut. Scores a goal, and adds on four shots on goal. All in just over 11 minutes of ice time.
The waiver claim of Fagemo really rocked the apple cart for the previous two players mentioned, McCarron and Smith. Without Fagemo, there’s a path to keep both as healthy scratches and extras. Now one might go to waivers.
Fagemo fits into the shift to a younger and faster roster. The Kings didn’t want to lose Fagemo, but really had no choice with their loaded roster, to the benefit of the Predators.
Just purely on young talent and upside alone, Fagemo has the inside track on Smith and McCarron for the making the final cut and being on the Predators roster to open 2023-24.
This could’ve gone differently if Fagemo showed little to no upside in his two preseason opportunities with Nashville, but now he’s already passed the test with flying colors once. Let’s see what he does in the finale.
Del Gaizo was the Early Surprise in Predators Training Camp
It’s really difficult for a player to crack an NHL roster out of training camp with zero NHL experience to back him up. That’s what Marc Del Gaizo is up against, while trying to beat out Jeremy Lauzon, Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro.
Del Gaizo has done enough to get another look later down the road if a call-up is necessary, but he’s fighting an uphill battle to supplant the other three defensemen on the depth chart.
In the preseason finale on Friday night, Del Gaizo will be in over Lauzon. Lauzon played on Thursday and tallied an assist, one hit, two shots on goal, two penalty minutes in a brief ice time of just 10:48.
It would take something crazy and out of nowhere, which I never completely rule out with this new front office, but it seems that Del Gaizo will be heading back to Milwaukee. He’s waiver exempt at age 23 and no NHL games played yet.
Good for Del Gaizo to get one more taste of NHL action deep into the preseason before heading back down to the AHL. He’s still very early in his professional hockey journey.
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These Players Feel Safe….For Now
Those four players above are the ones closest to the roster bubble. However, there are some others who are certainly at the bottom of the depth chart, but should be safe at making the initial Nashville Predators roster out of training camp.
Let’s start with Kiefer Sherwood. Hard-nosed player, never takes a shift off and is just what you need for a fourth line role player. In fact, he has proven he can be flexible and play on multiple lines in a pinch.
Sherwood is locked into the Predators lineup and would no doubt in my mind be claimed if the Predators were crazy enough to waive him. I don’t think they are.
Denis Gurianov when he was first acquired in free agency was viewed as a player that might have to earn his way onto the roster. It appears the organization really likes his upside and just needs a change of scenery in Nashville to upstart his NHL career again after falling off the grid with the Dallas Stars.
Despite all of the speculation, Fabbro and Lauzon will both make the roster and be rotational defensemen along with Carrier. It would be absolutely wild if somehow Del Gaizo took a spot from one of them, and also not very smart.
At the very least, Fabbro and Carrier can become decent trade pieces down the road. They’re safe unless the front office is asleep behind the wheel.
