In unveiling its return-to-play plan last week, the NHL said training camps will start no earlier than the first half of July.
If the season restarts as hoped, the 24 participating teams will be allowed to expand their rosters. The Predators are in the process of determining which players from the Milwaukee Admirals will form their taxi squad.
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“We’ve talked internally with our coaches, the Milwaukee coaches, (Admirals general manager) Scott Nichol about all the guys that would be deserving,” Predators general manager David Poile said last week. “We’ve been told that for training camp, we can have a roster of 28 players and as many goalies as we want. I want to sit down now with John Hynes and our coaching staff to review that again before we make our final decision as to who we’re going to call up. With the 24-man roster that we had, which was 22 (skaters) and (two) goalies, we have six players that we can add to our roster from Milwaukee.
“I don’t think there’s any hurry to finalize those decisions unless we wanted to bring those players into Nashville now on a voluntary basis. We’re working on it, and we’ll have that done probably in the next couple of weeks.”
Before going over the Predators’ options for their taxi squad, this was their active roster when the regular season ended:
Forwards (14): Viktor Arvidsson, Colin Blackwell, Nick Bonino, Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg, Mikael Granlund, Rocco Grimaldi, Calle Jarnkrok, Ryan Johansen, Colton Sissons, Craig Smith, Yakov Trenin, Kyle Turris, Austin Watson
Defense (8): Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, Dante Fabbro, Dan Hamhuis, Korbinian Holzer, Roman Josi, Jarred Tinordi, Yannick Weber
Goaltender (2): Pekka Rinne, Juuse Saros
Health-wise, Poile said the Predators are “100 percent going into training camp.”
Here are the players in the Predators’ system who could be part of the team’s taxi squad:
Forward
Daniel Carr: At the American Hockey League level, Carr is a reliable scorer, totaling 53 goals and 121 points over the past two seasons. But he has been unable to translate that ability to the NHL. Carr scored once in 11 games with the Predators this season.
Freddy Gaudreau: When the Predators waived Gaudreau during training camp, he welcomed the opportunity to return to the AHL and play a bigger role with the Admirals. Gaudreau, who became a household name during the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, was a positive influence on the Admirals’ younger players.
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It seems unlikely that Gaudreau, a pending free agent, will be re-signed by the Predators, so this could be the last hurrah for a fan favorite.
Michael McCarron: McCarron, whom the Predators acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in January, would bring size to the playoff roster. The 6-foot-6, 232-pound forward has 69 games of NHL experience and scored 10 goals in 27 games with the Admirals after the trade.
Rem Pitlick: After a slow start, Pitlick finished his first full professional season with 20 goals and 36 points. He could slide into a bottom-six role and contribute on the offensive end.
Anthony Richard: Richard took a step back on the scoresheet this season, finishing with 24 fewer points than he had last season with the Admirals. He appeared in one NHL game this season.
Eeli Tolvanen: Two years ago, Tolvanen was seen as the ringer who would help put the Predators over the top. It did not happen that way, but Tolvanen is still a natural scorer with a hell of a shot. The Predators’ offense suffered as the team transitioned from Peter Laviolette to Hynes, an area that Tolvanen could help if needed.
Philip Tomasino: Tomasino, who signed an entry-level contract in October, is the wild card. The Predators are sure to be considering him for a roster spot after he posted 100 points in the Ontario Hockey League this season.
Tomasino, 18, being included on the Predators’ expanded roster would be a great way for him to get a taste of the NHL before attempting to make the team next season.
“He did exactly what we would’ve hoped for this season,” Predators assistant general manager Jeff Kealty said in April. “His offensive talent is terrific. He’s got great skills, and he just took that next step this year. We think in certain areas, he’s probably really close.”
Defense
Alexandre Carrier: Signed to a three-year contract in April, Carrier has been waiting for an opportunity to join the Predators’ roster on a full-time basis for several years. That could come next season, as Hamhuis, Holzer and Weber are pending free agents. Carrier is well-thought-of within the organization.
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Jeremy Davies: The Predators were impressed with Davies, who made his professional debut this season with the Admirals after being acquired from the New Jersey Devils in the P.K. Subban trade.
Matt Donovan: A veteran of 379 AHL games and 69 NHL games, Donovan is a decent depth option.
Steven Santini: The Predators carried a buried cap hit of $341,667 throughout the season as Santini spent most of his time in the AHL. Santini has the most NHL experience among the potential call-ups and is familiar with Hynes, who coached him in New Jersey.
Goaltender
Connor Ingram: In March, the Predators re-signed Ingram to a three-year contract. The trade last summer that sent him from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Predators for a seventh-round pick has proved to be a steal.
Ingram stood out this season, posting a 21-5-5 record, 1.92 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in 33 appearances with the Admirals. He was named to the AHL’s second All-Star team last month.
Troy Grosenick: Grosenick and Ingram were the top tandem in the AHL this season, combining to allow the fewest goals in the league. Neither will dress in a game unless Saros or Rinne suffers an injury, but they are solid insurance policies.
(Photo of Eeli Tolvanen: John Russell / Getty Images)