After a strong preseason, Detroit Red Wings prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard earned a surprising spot on the team's main roster coming out of training camp. However, after nine games in which he recorded an assist and delivered 28 hits, the 20 year old Norwegian winger was reassigned to the AHL. The goal was to give him more ice time than the limited bottom six role he held in Detroit and to help him continue developing important parts of his game.
The Hockey News recently spoke with Brandsegg-Nygard about his transition back to the AHL. After appearing in five games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, he has returned to the team and still looks confident in both his abilities and playing style. That level of confidence should reassure Red Wings fans that one of the organization’s top prospects is not discouraged by the move.
Brandsegg-Nygard has now played six games with the Griffins this season, scoring two goals and adding one assist. When asked about the adjustment, he expressed that he is genuinely happy with the environment in Grand Rapids. The Griffins have started the season strong and are viewed not just as playoff hopefuls like Detroit, but as one of the top teams in the AHL.
"Yeah I mean they've done a really good job at the beginning of the season and the vibe of the group here is good, too so, I mean, I really like being here," Brandsegg-Nygard explained "I'm gonna go out there and do my job and do what I can to help the team win."
Fans often worry about young players losing confidence when they move between leagues, but Brandsegg Nygard does not seem concerned. He continues to project self assurance and focuses on staying positive even during challenging stretches.
"Confidence goes up and down but at the end of the day, I always know what I can do on the ice and and always like trying to think as best as I can possible because, if you start to think negative, everything just goes bad," Brandsegg-Nygard said "So by just trying to stay positive, and when you stay positive, it's easy to have confidence, too."
While the reassignment seemingly did not affect his confidence, Brandsegg-Nygard admitted that making the Red Wings roster at all was a surprise. He was simply grateful to experience NHL action earlier than he had expected.
"Yeah like I said it was a dream come true to get in and I wasn't expecting to start with them this season, so that's what was a little bonus and I was pretty happy with that," Brandsegg-Nygard stated.
He also acknowledged that one of the biggest areas he needs to improve is his speed of decision making at the NHL level, noting that the pace of play requires quicker reads and execution.
"I'm a young player, so there's always something to work on. I mean, just trying to, like, make faster plays that's one thing I think I have to work on, especially in NHL," Brandsegg-Nygard said "When everything goes faster, trying to, like, make the decision faster and everything just makes everything faster."
Brandsegg-Nygard finished the interview by sharing some of the meaningful advice he received from Red Wings veterans. He said he appreciated learning from pros like Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane, observing how they handle themselves each day and using that guidance to shape his own development.
"Couple of them said just go out there and be yourself. Just show everyone that you're good enough to be here and hopefully, I get up soon. I know what to do, so I'm just trying to focus on that and just trying to improve myself," Brandsegg-Nygard stated.
Red Wings fans will need to wait a little longer for the Norwegian winger to fully develop, but his early NHL showing provided a glimpse of the physical presence he can bring. With continued improvements in key areas, Brandsegg Nygard could be a player to watch closely next season.
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The Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers have completed a trade, with the Senators sending defenseman Maxence Guenette to the Flyers for defenseman Dennis Gilbert.
Gilbert has one assist in six games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season.
The 29-year-old has three goals and 20 points in 111 career NHL games over parts of seven seasons, he recorded an assist in four games with the Senators next season.
A third round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, Gilbert has 58 points in 194 career AHL games. He will serve as depth for Ottawa as they deal with an injury to Thomas Chabot. He can play a big role for Belleville if he ends up in the AHL.
Guenette was an unsigned RFA when the trade occurred and promptly agreed to a a one-year, two-way contract that pays him $225,000 at the AHL level with the Flyers.
The Nashville Predators announced Monday that forward Joakim Kemell has been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals.
Kemell was recalled from Milwaukee on Nov. 10 following the announcement that Zachary L'Heuruex would miss 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury.
Kemell was with the Predators for their road game against the New York Rangers and a pair of games in the NHL Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden, but he did not play in either.
He has played in just two games with Nashville this season, against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 9 and the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 13. Kemell has played six games in Milwaukee, scoring a goal and five assists.
With Kemell being reassigned, this could mean that forward Cole Smith is ready to return to the lineup. Smith suffered an upper-body injury in the Predators game against the Calgary Flames on Nov. 1. It was announced the next day that he'd be out for 3-6 weeks.
The Nashville Predators host the Colorado Avalanche next on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. CST and Bridgestone Arena. The Milwaukee Admirals will face the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday, Nov. 21, at 9 p.m. CST at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson.
After starting the season injured, Pittsburgh Penguins top prospect Rutger McGroarty kicked off his 2025-26 campaign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Nov. 15 against the Springfield Thunderbirds. McGroarty certainly started the year off in a solid way, as he scored a goal in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 3-1 win.
With McGroarty being one of the Penguins' most promising youngsters, seeing him start the year off with a goal is certainly encouraging. They are expecting the 2022 first-round pick to become a big part of their roster in the future, so he is undoubtedly a player to keep a very close eye on now that he is back to being healthy.
If McGroarty can continue to produce offense for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it very well could lead to him getting called up to Pittsburgh's NHL roster in the near future. Thus, the 21-year-old forward will be looking to stand out down in the AHL from here.
McGroarty completed his first professional season in 2024-25, where he primarily played with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 60 games with the AHL squad this past campaign, he recorded 14 goals and 39 points. He also had one goal and three points in eight NHL games with Pittsburgh during the 2024-25 season.
Overall, McGroarty has shown promise, and it will be interesting to see what he can do during his second pro season from here.
Two players will be making their Vancouver Canucks debuts on Monday against the Florida Panthers. David Kämpf will draw into the lineup while Jiřà Patera will start in goal. Kämpf will replace Conor Garland for Vancouver, who is listed as day-to-day after leaving Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kämpf was signed to a one-year contract on Saturday after the Toronto Maple Leafs terminated his contract. The 30-year-old has plenty of NHL experience with 143 points in 536 games. Kämpf is known as a defensive center who should help the Canucks both on the penalty kill and in the faceoff dot.
As for Patera, Monday will be his first NHL start since March 26, 2024. Over his NHL career, the 26-year-old has posted a 3-3-1 record with a .902 save percentage. As for this season, Patera has played five games in the AHL, posting a 1-2-2 record with the Abbotsford Canucks.
Vancouver will look to earn another two points tomorrow as they take on the Panthers. Last season, the Canucks picked up wins in both meetings, including a 3-2 overtime win in Florida. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT.
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On Sunday night, Scott Morrow made his New York Rangers debut after being called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League earlier that day.
The Rangers acquired Morrow over the summer as part of the sign-and-trade deal with the Carolina Hurricanes centered around K’Andre Miller.
During training camp, Morrow was given an opportunity to make the opening-night roster, as he played in multiple preseason games while practicing on the second power-play unit.
He was one of the last players to be sent down to the AHL before the start of the 2025-26 season. In 11 games for the Wolf Pack, Morrow recorded one goal, one assist, and two points.
With Will Borgen out with an upper-body injury, the Rangers called up Morrow, and he was immediately slotted into the lineup in place of Urho Vaakanainen.
The 23-year-old defenseman played 9:56 minutes in his NHL season debut, the fewest amongst all Rangers blueliners.
However, Rangers assistant coach David Quinn praised Morrow for his performance.
“I liked his game. I thought Scotty did a good job,” Quinn said. “I thought he kept it simple. He moves the puck well, gets us out of our end when we needed to get out of our end when the chances presented themselves. I thought he defended well.”
Borgen’s injury status remains a mystery, so it’s possible Morrow could find himself back in the lineup on Tuesday night when the Rangers go up against the Vegas Golden Knights.
When Mason Appleton of the Detroit Red Wings shot the puck into the New York Rangers' empty net at the buzzer Sunday, Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick was having none of it.
He jumped onto the ice, along with his teammates, to spark a 'brawl' that resulted in a two-minute minor and a couple of misconducts.
Quick said the Red Wings shouldn't have been surprised. Well, they were, at his overreaction. There was considerable criticism for Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, who did nothing in response. Perhaps that's because nothing happened. They had lost the game and, well, maybe Zibanejad and Panarin are a little more mature at accepting that than Quick is.
For guys who always go on about how tough and resilient they are, NHL players are sure easily offended, eh? You can't hit our player. You can't show us up by shooting into an empty net after we just spent the past 60 minutes getting outplayed and losing on home ice again.
Watch the video column up above for more.
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Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff provided an update of some on the club’s lengthy list of injured players, a list which had a familiar name added to it. Defenseman Michael Kesselring, who returned to the lineup on October 28 after missing nearly a month with an unspecified injury, left the Sabres 5-4 overtime victory over Detroit early in the third period.
"He's gonna be further evaluated today, but obviously it's going to be a little bit of time for him. I don't have a time frame yet." Ruff said after the morning skate at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from AHL Rochester on Monday, but based on the morning skate, Jacob Bryson will take Kesselring’s spot in the lineup against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.
Ruff also provided some optimistic news on winger Jason Zucker and center Josh Norris. Zucker has been out with a viral illness since November 1 and according to the Sabres head coach the veteran winger had not had solid food for nine days, Norris was injured on a faceoff in the season opener on October 9. Both were on the ice before practice.
"I think the soonest we could see (Zucker) is by this coming weekend. It's the first time they've been on the ice, haven't practiced. This is just the early stages," Ruff said. “(Norris) has done better, which is encouraging for sure. I think we originally thought a little bit longer, but he's feeling real good."
In other Sabres related news, former blueliner Dennis Gilbert was traded from Philadelphia back to Ottawa for defenseman Max Guenette. The Buffalo native was traded by the Sabres to the Sens last March in Dylan Cozens / Josh Norris deal and signed with the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent in July. Gilbert will report to the Sens AHL affiliate in Belleville.
Nineteen games into the 2025-26 season, things are going pretty well for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
They are tied for third in the league in regulation wins with 10 as well as goal differential at plus-12. They sit third in the Metropolitan Division at 10-5-4 with 24 points, which puts them in a playoff position. They are also third in team goaltending and save percentage at .917.
There are a lot of things going right for this team up to this point. But perhaps the biggest early factor in their success is their special teams units.
As of Monday, the Pittsburgh's power play sits atop the NHL at 34.1 percent, while their penalty kill is now top-four at 85.7 percent. The penalty kill has killed off eight consecutive penalties and 24 of its last 25, and the power play has converted on seven of its last 16 opportunities - including three times against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 6.
Overall, they are the best special teams unit in the NHL.
Both units seem to have found new life under the Penguins' new coaching staff, and - in addition to the work that power play coach Todd Nelson and penalty kill coach Mike Stothers have put in - there is simply a lot of buy-in from players this season.
"Those guys have done a great job just in terms of outlining the plan, communicating the plan, working with the players there on the special teams," head coach Dan Muse said. "I think the nice thing about both of them - and this is a credit to them and the work that they've put in is just the growth that you've been able to see since the beginning of the year. I think that's been pretty consistent, and that's what you want to have there with your special teams.
At the moment, Pens' PK now up to #5 in NHL at 85.7%. Pens are only team in NHL with both special teams ranked top-5 in the league (PP is #1).
"It's such a big part of the game. But both guys have done an amazing job there just in terms of that preparation that goes into it for our side, looking at the opponent - the game-to-game, it always changes a bit based on your opponent - and just making sure that the players are in a position to go out there and execute."
After a few abysmal seasons on the man advantage - which, arguably, cost them two consecutive playoff berths - the Penguins finally began to turn things around last season under former assistant coach David Quinn, now with ex-Penguins' head coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers. Last season, the power play operated at pretty high efficiency as well, clicking at a 25.8 percent rate and finishing sixth in league rankings.
"Todd's been awesome," Rust said. "He's given us a blueprint on what to do, and I think he's also given us the leeway to kind of play with a little bit of a creativity. Which, I think there's obviously a fine line of getting too out of control. But I think we're in a good spot right now, and we're trying to continue to keep getting better and keep on building."
Even if the power play trending in the right direction has been a continuation from last season, the same can not be said about the penalty kill. The unit started off well last season under longtime former assistant Mike Velucci, and it fell into the bottom half of the league during the latter part of the season. This year, it seems as though Stothers has the team playing a little more aggressively man-to-man, and he's been deploying some power play guys like Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, and Rickard Rakell due to their familiarity with power play reads.
Whatever the reasoning behind the success of both units this season, the early work is paying dividends for a team that not many expected would be anything more than a bottom-10 squad this season.
"I think it has changed a little bit just based on injuries, so I think it's about everybody being on the same page, being organized, and executing," Sidney Crosby said. "For the most part, you don't want to change your game plan night-to-night, so I think that we're pretty consistent in how we want to approach it. And there are always little tweaks depending on who you play, but I think it's been pretty clear as far as the mindset of the group.
"That has a lot to do with the way [Nelson and Stothers] are structuring it and organizing it, and it's up to the guys to go out there and execute."
Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat was nothing short of snakebitten for the first several games of the centennial campaign, as he wasn't able to find the back of the net despite multiple glorious opportunities that either rang the iron or were denied thanks to a miraculous save.
That's since changed, as DeBrincat is back to his usual scoring ways. As has been the case throughout his career, when the puck starts going in for him, it tends to in bunches.
DeBrincat has scored five goals in his last three games, including back-to-back contests in which he tallied twice.
He also scored Detroit's opening goal on Sunday evening against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in what would ultimately be a 2-1 Red Wings win.
DeBrincat's two goals against the Ducks on Nov. 13 were part of a scoring barrage for the Red Wings, who broke out of an offensive slump that saw them tally only twice in their previous three games combined.
“It’s huge," DeBrincat said afterward. "Past couple of games, we struggled to put it in the net. We’ve had our chances, but just wasn’t going in. It’s just nice to put a few in the net, hopefully keep that going and get that confidence that we know we can play with good teams.”
DeBrincat, who is playing in his third season with the Red Wings, is currently on pace to match his goal total of 39 from the 2024-25 campaign.
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The Chicago Blackhawks returned to practice on Monday morning. After a big win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the 9-5-4 Blackhawks are looking to keep the good vibes rolling. We all know the facts about being in a playoff position on American Thanksgiving, and the Blackhawks are so close to reaching that checkpoint.
Ahead of practice on Monday, there was a sight to behold. Laurent Brossoit was out there skating in full goalie gear. Since signing with the Blackhawks in the summer of 2024, Brossoit has not played a single game with the Blackhawks due to a knee injury.
The plan for Brossoit from here, according to head coach Jeff Blashill, is for him to keep slowly working his way back to a full practice. It is almost certain that his first game action, if he ever gets to that point, will come in the AHL first before giving it a go in the NHL.
Once practice started, Jason Dickinson was there, but Tyler Bertuzzi was not. Despite this, it is Bertuzzi who is a game-time decision, while Dickinson is not expected to play against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
Although they declared Bertuzzi a game-time decision, it sounds like he will sit out for another game. That means it will be an 11/7 situation for the Blackhawks once again. Same Rinzel would draw back into the lineup in that case. With Dickinson participating, the lines looked as follows:
Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Moore
Dach-Donato-Mikheyev
Slaggert-Dickinson-Lafferty
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Rinzel
Knight
Söderblom
Although Dickinson is close, he doesn’t want to play in any games until he knows for a fact that he’s at 100 percent. He made it clear that he doesn’t want to keep coming in and out of the lineup by aggravating the same injury over and over.
Nick Foligno is also missing from the lineup. He blocked a shot in the Maple Leafs game on Saturday, and Jeff Blashill announced that the timeline looked like four weeks with a broken hand. Later in the day on Monday, the Blackhawks put him on Injured Reserve, retroactive to November 15th.
Chicago’s going to feel the effects of losing Foligno in the leadership category. With him and Jason Dickinson both out of the lineup, two of their players who wear letters on their sweaters will be out. That leadership will have to come from elsewhere for the time being. Lately, the young guys have been showing they can handle that role both on and off the ice.
Against the Flames on Tuesday, they may need some of that. When they met in Calgary earlier in the month, it was a physical game. Frank Nazar missed a few games because of a play that occurred during that contest, so there could be some fireworks in this meeting as well.
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Morton, 26, earns his first call-up of the season after posting 12 points (4g, 8a) in 16 games with the Wranglers. He is in his third season with the Wranglers, and made his NHL debut late last season, scoring in his first game against the Los Angeles Kings. He signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Calgary Flames on July 9, 2025. The deal carries an AAV of $775,000.
Before the New York Rangers’ Sunday night matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, it was announced that Mike Sullivan would not be behind the bench due to personal reasons.
In Sullivan’s place, David Quinn and Joe Sacco split the head coaching duties.
After the Rangers’ 2-1 loss, Quinn addressed the media and spoke briefly about Sullivan’s absence without providing many details.
“I don't have an update right now, obviously, from the coaches to the players of the organization, we certainly are thinking about Mike and his family, and never an easy situation,” Quinn said. “Attending family, that’s all I can give you right now.”
Even without Sullivan, the coaching strategy remained relatively the same, just with two head coaches instead of one.
“It’s I guess a little different,” Will Cuylle said of Sullivan’s absence. “At the end of the day, it’s the same game out on the ice. We hope Sully can get back with us soon here. We just got to focus up and try to make sure we are putting the same game that he wants out there on the ice.”
Throughout the season, Quinn has helped manage the defensemen, while Sacco has assisted Sullivan with the offensive lines.
On Sunday night, they both took those same roles, which helped make for an easy transition.
“It was very simple for Joe and I because I've been managing the D all year, and Joe has been helping Mike with the lines,” Quinn said about what went into the dual head-coaching strategy. “I managed the D and Joe called the line changes. There really wasn’t a lot of change to it. It was a pretty seamless situation for both of us and the players.”
The Rangers are set to embark on a three-game road trip where they'll face off against the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Utah Mammoth.
It’s unknown if Sullivan will be joining the team on this road trip.
The Nashville Predators have been one of the most talked-about teams in the league over the last month.
Sitting at 6-10-4 through a month and a half of play, and losing six of their last seven, some sort of change is due for the Predators. NHL insiders across the league have speculated whether that change will come through a trade or a firing.
@NHLRumorReport on X/Twitter has detailed every single comment from NHL insiders this season, and the Nashville Predators have been a hot topic on the account.
With so much noise around the team, we're breaking down every rumor that has been swirling about the Predators over the last month.
Re Steven Stamkos/Predators: If, if, if, it doesn't get better, could you not see a situation where it is beneficial to both team and player to explore [a trade]?
- Elliotte Friedman on DMase, Vingan & Daunic (Oct. 23)
There's going to be a lot about Steven Stamkos in this story. If anything, he has been the most gossiped about Nashville Predator in the league this season, and it makes sense as to why he would be.
He's 35 years old, a future Hall of Famer, and his production has massively declined since he signed with the Predators during the 2024 offseason. It hasn't gotten any better this season as he has five points in 20 games and a plus/minus of -8.
In the twilight of his career and with a struggling team, it would make sense that Stamkos would want to try and win one more cup before retiring. On the Predators' side of things, they could get some pieces from another team that could give them a bump.
Vancouver and Montreal have been thrown around as potential destinations for Stamkos.
It's not a massive contract that another team would have to take on if Stamkos was traded at three years of a 4-year, $32 million contract with a cap hit of $8 million per year, and the guess would be that the Predators would retain some of that.
However, another rumor suggests the Predators aren't open to offloading Stamkos... yet. A big part of that has also been the contract and Stamkos's lack of production.
There have not been any conversations between the Predators and any other team...regarding Steven Stamkos; if we get to the second half...and the Predators are out of a playoff spot...the Predators would be open to fielding calls. There's no team swooping in to take on the last few years of Steven Stamkos' deal with such limited production at $8m a year; no one's coming to save you...from the massive term remaining on Juuse Saros' deal.
- Top: Pierre LeBrun on Insider Trading (Nov. 6). Bottom: Frank Seravalli on Frankly Hockey (Nov. 11)
Jan. 1 would be the halfway point of the regular season, specifically Nashville's game against the Seattle Kraken in Seattle that day. However, the Predators may need to make some sort of change before that.
Again, if it's a player being moved or a leadership change, this team needs a shift sooner rather than later. It faces a long month and a half stretch, which features games against Colorado and Florida (twice) and a seven-game road trip
I do think both Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault are willing, will be willing, to move to a top tier contender. Re Predators: We've wondered about Jonathan Marchessault, I've wondered about Juuse Saros with a team like the Oilers; I've wondered about a player like Filip Forsberg. Re Ryan O'Reilly: I do believe he's a prime candidate to move this season, I'm anticipating it.
- Top: David Pagnotta on The Sheet (Nov. 14). Middle: Jeff Marek on Sekeres & Price (Nov. 14). Bottom: David Pagnotta on The Sheet (Nov. 14).
Juuse Saros' name has been thrown around a little bit more. He has played a critical role for the Predators this season and is one of the league leaders in shots faced and saves made.
The big question is how good will Saros be if he had a better team in front of him? He's struggled in his last few starts, but he's kept the Predators in a lot of games where the Predators' offense has struggled to put the puck in the net.
The Predators likely want to keep Saros, and may not be entertaining the idea of trading him, but the Edmonton Oilers have emerged as a team that could be interested. Saros could be the missing piece to a Stanley Cup championship.
The daunting thing with bringing in Saros is the contract a team would have to take on. He's in the second year of a massive 8-year, $61.92 million contract.
A trade that would benefit Nashville is one in which the receiving team would have to deal with the Predators often. Edmonton currently has just $212,500 worth of cap space. It would need to offload a ton to bring in Saros.
Jonathan Marchessault is another player who's been tossed around here and there with a trade. He's on a longer contract as well in his second year of a 5-year, $27.5 million deal. However, he could be a good supplemental piece on the second or third line of a contender.
Marchessault is not having a great year in Nashville, scoring just six points in 17 games. He's also on the older side of the spectrum at 33. Trading Marchessault, the Predators could probably get some decent pieces, but it wouldn't be a massive trade.
Filip Forsberg is not leaving Nashville. Something would have to go very, very wrong in order for him to peace out. The Predators are going to do everything to keep him in Nashville, and if they considered trading him, it'd need to be a massive deal.
Ryan O'Reilly is interesting. Despite what he says about himself, he's having a decent year with 13 points in 20 games and is one of the players keeping the Predators' offense breathing.
He's been visibly frustrated multiple times this season, and if he were traded, he'd likely ask to leave. O'Reilly would be a big acquisition for any team on the market, but a lot of it depends if he wants out of Nashville or not.
Michael Bunting, Erik Haula, Michael McCarron, Tyson Jost and Cole Smith, and defenceman Nick Blankenburg, are all playing in the final year of their contracts; all six players are candidates to be traded at some point.
- The Fourth Period on Nov. 11
This past offseason was quieter for the Predators. Based on this comment, it could be very different come July 2025.
Michael Bunting has taken a decent jump for the Predators this season, scoring 10 points in 20 games and Nashville will likely try to resign him.
Erik Haula, on a one-year contract, has underperformed a bit with 10 points in 20 games and 18 penalty minutes. It wouldn't be surprising if the Predators had looked to get more out of him via a trade, as he is a solid bottom-six center.
Tyson Jost, who was brought on via a paid professional tryout, will likely be traded as he has a low five points in eight games. Cole Smith hasn't been great either with three points in 13 games, but has played an important role on the penalty kill.
Michael McCarron has four points in 20 games and 16 penalty minutes. The Predators have seemingly favored keeping McCarron, but it could be time for them to move on from him.
Jeff Marek: It's only a matter of time before Barry Trotz is coaching the Nashville Predators again, right?; What does that mean for his GM role? I don't know, Brian Poile has been there going back to 2018 - The Sheet (10/30) Jeff Marek: Re Predators: I've wondered about Barry Trotz going behind the bench himself, I don't think Trotz wants to do that; in the Preds organization's mind, the next man up behind the bench is Karl Taylor - Daily Faceoff Live (11/5)
- Top: Jeff Marek on The Sheet (Oct. 30). Bottom: Jeff Marek on Daily Faceoff Live (Nov. 5)
Barry Trotz seems very committed to the general manager. He did mention in an NHL social segment at the NHL Global Series, in a conversation with Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, that the transition from coach to GM has been challenging, and that he misses being in the locker room and being directly involved with the team.
However, Trotz has a lot to prove still as a GM and a switch to head coach could be reckless.
Jeff Marek: What I've always heard about the Predators with Barry Trotz is that he does not want to fire Andrew Brunette, this goes back to last season; you can fire a coach or you can make a massive trade; this team needs a shakeup - Morning Cuppa Hockey (11/11) Frank Seravalli: Re Predators: The vibes are not high; it seems to be a toxic energy that's there, and they need...to flush that; it's gonna difficult for Trotz to move some of those veteran contracts; I think they have to just make a [coaching] change - Bleacher Report (11/11)
- Top: Jeff Marek on Morning Cuppa Hockey (Nov. 11). Bottom: Frank Seravalli in Bleacher Report (Nov. 11)
Trotz has been pressed on head coach Andrew Brunette really just once over the last seven months. At the end of the season media availability, when asked about Brunette staying as head coach, he said that he and the organization are "standing behind" him.
The NHL Global Series seemed to be a checkpoint for the Predators and it would make sense as they don't play until Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.
As Jeff Marek said on Morning Cuppa Hock, this team needs a shakeup, whether that's a trade or a coach's firing.
During the off-season, the Montreal Canadiens dealt Emil Heineman to the New York Islanders as part of the trade package that landed star defenseman Noah Dobson.
So far, it is fair to say that Heineman is benefiting from the change of scenery big time with the Islanders.
Heineman has been having a strong start to the season offensively, as he has recorded nine goals, four assists, 13 points, and a plus-6 rating in 19 games with the Islanders. This is after he posted 10 goals, eight assists, and 18 points in 62 games this past season with the Canadiens.
Yet, Heineman is only continuing to shine with the Islanders as the season rolls on, too. The former Canadiens forward has scored a goal in each of his last three games for the Islanders and also has six points in his last seven contests. With this, there is no question that he is heating up right now.
With the way Heineman is playing this season, he is well on his way to having a breakout year with the Islanders. Sometimes a fresh start can help an NHL player, and that has certainly been the case for Heineman early on this season.
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