The Nashville Predators are set to open the 2024-25 season at home against the Dallas Stars on Thursday, October 10 and their roster is being finalized.
The Predators look strong this season and it won’t surprise many if they finish near the top of the league and do some damage in the playoffs. That being said, there is a very unlikely chance that the entire team will stay healthy for the whole season, meaning Nashville will have to eventually choose who to recall when the team does need reinforcements.
Anything can happen at any of the three positions and players in the Predators system impressed throughout training camp. Some young players will get their first look in the NHL, while others should make their return at some point. The players who are most likely to get the first callup at each position include Zachary L’Heureux (forward), Spencer Stastney (defense), and Magnus Chrona (goalie). Let’s dive into the reasoning and the runner up in case of a different situation or better play off the bat.
Zachary L’Heureux
Zachary L’Heureux really made a name for himself over the course of last season, getting much-deserved attention late in the season and in the AHL playoffs. He has yet to play an NHL game and didn’t make the Predators’ roster out of training camp, but not for a lack of trying.
He is very close to stepping into the NHL and that should come this season. He was one of the later cuts in training camp, but unless he took a spot from a player that played the majority of the season on the team in 2023-24, he would have had to wait.
L’Heureux scored 10 goals and recorded 15 points in 15 games in the playoffs for Milwaukee. He has an edge to his game that will take him a long way in the NHL. The closest prospect to him who will also very likely get a couple games for the Predators this season is Ozzy Wiesblatt. He opened some eyes in training camp as well.
Spencer Stastney
The Predators are heading into opening night with only six defensemen. Marc Del Gaizo (AHL) and Tanner Molendyk (WHL) were two of the last cuts for the team while Spencer Stastney was designated for assignment after not being at training camp due to personal reasons. He is also listed as non-roster.
Stastney got a good look in the NHL to end last season, but was awarded with a two-way contract for the first year of a two-year deal. This allowed Nashville to send him up and down at their convenience. He is NHL-ready, but missing camp didn’t help him start the season off on the team and in the lineup. He would do better playing every day and that may not come just yet.
Related: Nashville Predators Announce 2024-25 Opening Night Roster
Stastney will be a full-time member of the Predators at some point this season and is just ahead of Del Gaizo as of now. Del Gaizo should’ve been the candidate here as Stastney was expected to make the team and the Predators hold seven defensemen on the roster. The only way Stastney doesn’t get the first call is if his personal matter isn’t resolved yet and Nashville needs an immediate body in the lineup.
Magnus Chrona
Since Yaroslav Askarov was traded to the San Jose Sharks, the Predators don’t have as much of a clear first callup in net this season. Magnus Chrona came back in the Askarov trade and the towering 24-year-old did play nine games in the NHL last season. It was his first pro season, so while he does need some more development, a better team in front of him this season will surely help if he gets the callup.
Juuse Saros always stays healthy and Scott Wedgewood is the backup, but something could even happen for a few days that leads to the team needing a body. The other option is Matt Murray. He came from the Dallas Stars’ organization like Wedgewood did, but appeared in just one game last season. Chrona looks to be the number one option to be brought up at some point in the season, especially if he has a solid season in the AHL and the Predators want a better look at him behind a good team.
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