The Nashville Predators have yet to sign two RFA forwards, Juuso Parssinen and Philip Tomasino. Both spent time in the NHL and AHL last season, but they each need to make the Predators or be at risk of being scooped up off waivers by another team.
There were once three of these young players in the same position before the Predators traded Egor Afanasyev to the San Jose Sharks. I don’t believe Nashville will move on from two of them in one offseason, regardless of if they are looking to compete for the Stanley Cup or not. The Predators still need a bit of a future and Parssinen and Tomasino are next up and the most NHL-ready.
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Both have shown promising abilities in the NHL thus far. Tomasino scored 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games as a rookie and last season produced at nearly half a point-per-game with seven goals and 20 points in 41 games. Parssinen debuted for the Predators and the NHL in 2022-23, scoring six goals and 25 points in 45 games. He followed that up with a lesser showing of eight goals and 12 points in 44 games.
Tomasino will play the wing if he is in the lineup. The Predators have Ryan O’Reilly, Colton Sissons, Tommy Novak, and Michael McCarron down the middle. If one gets injured, I think Parssinen, having played center in the NHL, can better fill that role, but can also play on the wing as well.
Tomasino has a higher ceiling and has more offensive potential, so inserting him on the fourth line isn’t the best option, but it’s better than sitting in the press box. The third line left wing isn’t set as Mark Jankowski, Cody Glass, Parssinen, or Tomasino could all compete for that spot in the lineup. Assuming Glass may be moved to open up cap space to sign Parssinen and Tomasino, one of them should be in line to play there.
The third line isn’t counted on for just scoring, but is generally considered the checking line as well. This line should help produce momentum, but be skilled enough to take advantage of it. Both Tomasino and Parssinen should be capable of being the third member of that line to implement that style of play. Both are top-6 players in the AHL, so going from lots of ice time to the fourth line would hurt their development at an integral time.
Without injuries, it’s going to be tough to fit both Parssinen and Tomasino in the lineup every night unless they really prove they deserve it. Tomasino showed it last season, but this is a better team with new faces. Having both of these 23-year-olds step up and push for regular playing time will force Barry Trotz and Andrew Brunette to make tough decisions, and that’s not a bad thing.
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