We figured the trade return wasn't going to be pretty for if the Nashville Predators were going to trade Cody Glass, but some thought maybe low level draft pick would at least come back.
On the contrary, the Predators had to send two draft picks to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Glass, while receiving unproven minor league prospect Jordan Frasca in return.
The Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Predators, figures to have a lot of roster compeition when their training camp opens up. With the Predators having an improving prospect pool and the NHL lineup looking pretty set in stone, the Admirals will be looking to fill out their lineup.
Preds acquire an AHL bubble player in Frasca
Frasca is undrafted and has very limited AHL experience with underwhelming results. He struggled to stick around with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, and instead had to put in his work with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.
In 11 AHL games Frasca has failed to register a point while being in a bottom-six center role. His individual numbers are predictably much better on the ECHL level, but that is a big drop off in talent level from the AHL to the ECHL, which is where the skepticism comes into play.
Frasca's best season in junior hockey came in 2021-22 when he posted 87 points for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. He signed his current entry level contract with the Penguins on March 1, 2022.
It's clear in the trade for Glass that Pittsburgh needed a lot of concessions from the Predators to take on Glass' $2.5 million cap hit. This is what happens when you spend big in free agency to go for the Stanley Cup and subsequently put yourself in a salary cap squeeze.
The Admirals roster is loaded, Frasca will look to crack in
Frasca will look to prove the doubters wrong. He just turned 23-years-old, and we see undrafted players make a name for themselves in the NHL from time to time. It's a long road ahead for Frasca, however, now with a new organization and a prospect pool with a lot of talent.
The first step for Frasca will be hopefully for him to get an invitation to participate in the Predators' prospect challenge. If he can dazzle some coaches in that, then maybe he can take the next step to work towards getting a shot on the Milwaukee Admirals roster.
You look at the projected Milwaukee Admirals roster for 2024-25, and it's loaded with talent among the forwards. At the top of the depth chart you have Zachary L'Heureux, Fedor Svechkov, Reid Schaefer, Joakim Kemell and newly-acquired Kiefer Bellows. Just to name a few, but it's a very deep prospect pool in Milwaukee right now.
Frasca has one year left on his entry level deal, so he's really down to his last chance to impress an NHL organization. You always want to root for the underdog story, so let's see if Frasca can do enough in training camp to get a role on the Admirals. He has an uphill battle ahead of him.