The Nashville Predators have big expectations for newly acquired defenseman Nicolas Hague. 

Picked up in a three-player trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on June 29, sending Jeremy Lauzon and center Colton Sissons to Vegas, while retaining 50% of Sissons' salary. 

Hague was signed to a 4-year, $22 million contract, showing the Predators really want to invest in the 6-foot-6-inch defenseman. In addition, general manager Barry Trotz said that he wants Hague playing on the first pairing and the NHL projects that's where he'll be. 

Statistically, Hague hasn't been a top-four defenseman in his professional career. In his six seasons in Vegas, he played on the bottom pairing and hasn't scored more than 17 points in a season.

During the 2024-25 campaign, he had 12 points in 68 games and had a plus/minus of -2, which was the lowest among the Golden Knights' defensemen. 

While the Predators aim to become bigger and younger, they need to improve their scoring in all areas of the ice. Even Trotz said that wingers and defensemen will need to step up in order to fill the lack of depth at center. 

Despite playing in a very offensively active defense system last season, Hague really wasn't scoring. 

On the other hand, his projected defensive partner has been that offensive push from the blue line throughout his entire career. Roman Josi has averaged around 52 points over 14 seasons and a plus/minus of four. 

Even last season, which was one of the worst in franchise history and saw Josi miss the latter end of the year due to a POTS diagnosis, he still scored 38 points in 53 games. Josi is expected to return in time for training camp and be a leading force in upping the offense from the defenseman.

So, how is Hague, a player who has not proven to be an offensive threat from the blue line, going to complement Josi, the Predators' biggest scoring threat from the top of the circles? 

Josi started the season playing with Brady Skeji, but moved around with partners throughout the season, not really settling in one place. A significant part of that was due to injuries, which prevented any defensive pairings from really solidifying. 

Part of this could be spreading out the scoring in the lineup, putting Josi and Skeji on different lines to activate the scoring depth instead of relying too heavily on the first pairing. 

Having Hague paired with Josi could open up the ice more for Josi. With Hague being a bigger body and a more traditional defenseman, having a more physical player paired with him could allow Josi to eclipse 60 points for the first time since the 2023-24 season. 

On the flip side, this could also crash and burn quickly. 

It may be a "two to tango" situation where Josi needs that similar push from the other side of the ice and Hague can't meet it. This is the first time in his career that Hague has been tasked with a top-four role.

He does have experience playing for good teams and winning the Stanley Cup in 2023, but if Hague is called upon to score, it may not be there immediately. 

Predator fans need to be aware of what they're getting with Hague. Trotz likes these big and physical players, but most of the time they don't meet the team's need to score. Hague hasn't been an offensive threat since playing in juniors almost a decade ago. 

If Nashville expects Hague to meet Josi's pace come Oct. 9, statically, it'll likely not be there. 

 

Former Seattle Kraken and Coachella Valley Firebirds defenseman Maxime Lajoie has signed with KHL team Avangard Omsk. 

The 27-year-old spent just one season with the Kraken organization, skating in 70 games with the Firebirds, scoring four goals and 38 points. Prior to joining the Kraken, Lajoie was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the fifth round (133rd overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft. 

Lajoie went on to play 62 NHL games with the Senators before spending the next three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. He then signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Kraken. 

He played 77 career NHL games, notching seven goals and 16 points. In his eight seasons, he played 378 AHL games, scoring 34 goals and 194 points.

Lajoie will be joining an Omsk team that features several NHL prospects, including Colorado Avalanche's Mikhail Gulyayev, Nashville Predators' Semyon Chistyakov, Pittsburgh Penguins' Vasili Ponomaryov and Winnipeg Jets' Dmitri Rashevsky. The team also features former NHLers Nail Yakupov, Vyacheslav Voynov, Alexander Volkov, and Nikolai Prokhorin. Lajoie will also play under coach Guy Boucher, whom he previously played for in Ottawa and Toronto.

“Many teams have wanted to sign Maxim for several seasons, and we’re glad that he’s chosen Avangard,” said Omsk GM Alexei Sopin. “He is a versatile defenseman with excellent skating and a great shot, he’s mobile, and works equally well defensively and offensively. He also successfully connects partners and makes reliable decisions. We believe that Maxim will help achieve the serious goals set for Avangard.”

Former Sen, Cane, Leaf Signs In KHLCanadian defenseman Maxime Lajoie, 27, has signed a one-year contract with Avangard Omsk, the KHL club announced on Tuesday. Two-Time Former Kraken Forward Signs With KHL TeamFormer Seattle Kraken forward Daniel Sprong has signed a contract with KHL club CSKA Moscow.

The Buffalo Sabres signing defenseman Bowen Byram to a two-year, $12.5 million extension earlier this month was thought to have all but eliminated the chances of his being moved until at least the beginning of next season, but according to the Fourth Period, the 24-year-old blueliner continues to be the most sought-after commodity on the summer trade market, with as many as 10 teams reportedly linked to the Stanley Cup winner.  

Sabres GM Kevyn Adams was reportedly was not happy with the offers being made for Byram leading into and following the NHL Draft, which were likely more future prospect-and-draft pick based, similar to what Montreal sent to the NY Islanders for Noah Dobson (a pair of 2025 first-rounders and forward Emil Heineman). The club choose salary arbitration to block the possibility of an offer sheet. 

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The Sabres are reportedly looking to make a hockey deal for Byram, preferably that includes a top-six forward. An interested club may prefer to trade for a player under contract with cost certainty, but the blueliner being represented by agent Darren Ferris – someone who normally advocates for a player to head to free agency – could lower the possibility of Adams getting what he is looking for in a trade. 

Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson reportedly is another player who is rumored to be available. The 25-year-old has five years remaining on a seven-year deal with a $4.285 million AAV, but with the re-signing of Byram – who will likely partner with Rasmus Dahlin if he is not dealt – and newly acquired Michael Kesselring potentially playing alongside Owen Power, the Sabres may be willing to deal him for the right price. 

 

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The Buffalo Sabres will have many important games to play next season, but their most important games could prove to be against their rivals in the Atlantic Division.

Thus, we've been steadily putting together a team-by-team series on each of Buffalo's seven Atlantic rivals this season. And in this file, we're wrapping up the series by focusing on the team that won the Atlantic's regular-season title -- the Toronto Maple Leafs:

BUFFALO SABRES VS. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

NEW MAPLE LEAFS PLAYERS: Matias Maccelli, LW; Dakota Joshua, LW; Nicolas Roy, C; Michael Pezzetta, LW; Henry Thrun, D

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 0-3-0, Maple Leafs 3-0-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  October 24 at Buffalo; October 25 at Toronto; January 27 at Toronto; March 14 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Maple Leafs dominated the Sabres last year, winning all three games against Buffalo by a combined score of 15-6. Whether the games were played in December or in Buffalo's second-last regular-season game last year, Toronto shook the Sabres like a schoolyard bully, and even without departed superstar right winger and new Vegas Golden Knight Mitch Marner, the Leafs have a better balance of skill and determination than the still-evolving Sabres do this time around.

To be sure, adding gritty forwards in former Golden Knight Roy and former Vancouver Canuck Joshua will make Toronto's bottom-six group of forwards one of the better groups in the league. And taking a shot on former Utah Mammoth winger Maccelli could pay off in a big way, if Maccelli once again gets back to the 40-assist, 55-point range he got to in 2023-24.

Losing Marner obviously hurts the Maple Leafs' offense, but with superstars Auston Matthews and William Nylander joined by terrific financial bargain center John Tavares and up-and-coming power forward Matthew Knies, the Buds have a collection of talent many teams would kill for. They're going to be a different team without Marner -- a team that produces fewer goals-for, but one that is going to make opponents pay a physical toll many of them won't want to pay.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Can Buffalo Jump Past Tampa Bay Into Third Place In Atlantic Division?The Buffalo Sabres are facing massive pressure to at least qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 years. But there's intense competition for each and every standings point teams can generate,  and the Sabres' don't benefit by playing in the Atlantic Division -- the most competitive division, in our estimation, in the league. And Buffalo is going to have to get a leg up on more than a few Atlantic rival teams, Tampa Bay included if they really intend to claim a Cup anytime soon.

There are some intriguing elements of the schedule that will make the Buffalo/Toronto games worth circling on your calendar: firstly, the October 24-25 games are the only games the Sabres will play against the same opponent on back-to-back nights this season. Winning the first game should be a priority,  as there won't be much pressure to win Game 2 (and Games 3 and 4, for that matter).

In addition, the teams' final game against each other will take place a month before the end of the regular-season, and shortly after the NHL's trade deadline. If the Maple Leafs can power through the schedule and more or less lock up a playoff spot by that March 14 game between the Sabres and Leafs, all the pressure will be on Buffalo to salvage the series as they try to secure a wild card berth.

In theory, the Sabres should be on the rise this coming year. They're going to be desperate to shake off their 14-year playoff drought, and upsetting Toronto in the four-game series will go a long way toward sending a message that this Buffalo team can run-and-gun with any opponent in the league. But the Maple Leafs aren't going to lie down and play dead against the Sabres. It will take a stellar defensive effort to shut down Toronto's high-octane offense, and stellar defensive efforts are not what this Buffalo team is known for.

Know. Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Ottawa Senators Could Be Standing In Way Between Buffalo, PlayoffsThe Buffalo Sabres happen to play in the NHL's most competitive division, the Atlantic Division, Every one of the Atlantic's eight teams have designs on being a playoff team next season -- and as part of this continuing THN.com series, we're analyzing each of the Sabres' seven divisional rivals to see what chance Buffalo has against each of them.

The Leafs fully intend on being the best regular-season team in the Atlantic for the second straight season, even without Marner.  So when the Sabres go head-to-head against Toronto, there's little room for error for Buffalo.

The Sabres have got potentially eight standings points up for grabs against the Buds, and squandering opportunities like upsetting the Leafs could be stark reminders of why Buffalo has once again failed to be a post-season team. They need to take the Maple Leafs by the throat and make them understand this is a new era of Sabres hockey.

Because if they don't, the Sabres will face an uphill battle just to stay in their games against the Leafs, let alone win them. Toronto can still run up the score on opponents, which is why nothing less than a focused defensive attack will prevent Buffalo from being in the wrong part of the win/loss columns and pour more water on this disappointing-of-late rivalry.

For some expansion NHL franchises, success comes quickly. The Vegas Golden Knights, for instance, got to the Stanley Cup final in their first year of operation. And they got to the NHL’s semifinal another two years before winning their first championship in 2022-23.

However, for other expansion teams, the road to respectability can be a long one. The Nashville Predators came out of the gate as typical expansion losers, and it took them 11 years to ever win a playoff series. Yet one expansion team in particular stands out as having an especially tough go of it – the Columbus Blue Jackets, who’ve been fighting their way into being true Cup contenders.

The Jackets are in a slump that includes their inability to make the playoffs in any of the previous five seasons. And beyond that, they’ve made it out of the first round of the post-season just once in their 24 seasons of operation – and they still have yet to get to the third round of the playoffs. Thus, it’s understandable why some Columbus fans have become jaded over the plight of this team.

But here’s a hunch on this writer’s behalf: we’re picking the Blue Jackets to sneak into the playoffs in the Metropolitan Division next season. We’re certainly not suggesting being a playoff team in 2025-26 will be easy for the Jackets, but let’s take a look at the state of their roster and see why we believe there’s reason to see Columbus as a team that can end their playoff drought and announce itself as a long-term Cup contender for the foreseeable future.

First, a quick look at the Blue Jackets’ year last season. The Jackets had the eighth-best offense in the league at an average of 3.26 goals-for per game last year. All teams above them in that department, and one team below them in that department, were all playoff teams. However, Columbus’ defense was the eighth-worst in the league at a goals-against average of 3.26, and that’s been the challenge for GM Don Waddell to try to address this summer.

But now, let’s look at the state of their roster: Waddell didn’t make many changes this off-season, adding only veteran Bruins center Charlie Coyle and former New Jersey and Colorado winger Miles Wood. But those are two veterans who can help fortify Columbus’ attack. 

At forward, Waddell has assembled an on-the-rise core collection of young players, including center Adam Fantilli, and wingers Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. And soon enough, Waddell will add another asset when he trades disgruntled winger Yegor Chinakhov. Columbus’ core forwards are solid ones, and if they can stay as offensively potent as they were last year, Waddell is going to be pleased. 

Meanwhile, Columbus’ defense corps are also likely to be improved next season. Waddell re-signed veteran blueliner Ivan Provorov to a seven-year deal averaging $8.5 million per season. And Waddell additionally brought back D-man Dante Fabbro, who set new (if modest) career highs despite playing only 62 games as a Jacket last year. It doesn’t sound familiar to say, but the Blue Jackets’ defensemen may be their best element next season.

The only real point of contention in terms of Columbus being a playoff team next year is that the Jackets’ goaltending situation is far from ideal. We're not completely sold on starter Elvis Merzlikins once again getting the lion’s share of the action. And backup Jet Greaves could force his way into the conversation as the Jackets’ starter. Greaves had excellent numbers – including a .938 save percentage and 1.91 goals-against average in 11 NHL appearances last year – and if he does unseat Merzlikins as the No.1 option between the pipes, Greaves will be well worth the $812,500 they’ll be paying him next season.

All things considered, the Blue Jackets aren’t in the upper tier of legitimate Cup contenders just yet. Until their young players prove they can thrive in the post-season, you have to be careful with your expectations of this relatively young team. But it’s not good to ignore that Columbus finished just two standings points, two overtime or shootout losses, out of getting into the playoffs last year. That’s absolutely something you want to build off as a unit, and there should be no step backward for this Columbus team.

All this, and we haven’t yet mentioned two things: No. 1 is superstar Zach Werenski, who absolutely deserved all the votes he got last season as the NHL’s top defenseman. He didn’t win the Norris Trophy, but he deserved to be in the conversation.

And No. 2: Waddell still has approximately $16.3 million in cap space. He’s going to have all kinds of flexibility to go out and make a big move during the season. Columbus can add a proven veteran when the moment calls for it, and whether that’s at forward or in goal is up to Waddell.

We’re getting ahead of ourselves. Right now, all Columbus fans should know is that Waddell has put together a roster that can compete with the powerhouse teams in the Metropolitan Division. And while the days where the Blue Jackets are absolutely dominant may not have arrived just yet, those days aren’t all that far off, either.

So yes, we know it’s only late July, but we’re calling it right now – the Jackets get back into the playoffs next year and end their playoff drought. There will be bumps in the road for Columbus, but the Blue Jackets have the talent and guidance to evolve into a playoff team this coming year. And if they don’t do so, there will be bigger questions on the horizon next summer.

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THN.com’s Summer Splash series continues – and in this file, we’re focusing the spotlight on Team No. 23 in our rankings of teams’ off-seasons – the Nashville Predators.

In this team-by-team series, we’ve been analyzing every NHL team’s off-season, moving in reverse order from the teams that got the worst to the best, and the ones that finished in between those two poles. To create the rankings, we’re breaking down every organization’s notable additions and departures, including trades, free-agent acquisitions, departures, and hirings and firings if applicable.

We’re now moving into the stretch of teams that have more or less stayed the same this summer. At the end of this article, you’ll see the teams that finished beneath the Predators. But for the moment, the focus is entirely on the Preds.

Additions

Erik Haula (LW), Nicolas Hague (D), Nick Perbix (D) 

The Breakdown: The Predators were a massive letdown last season, finishing seventh in the Central Division – their worst finish since they finished sixth in the division in 2013-14. As a result, some observers were expecting Preds GM Barry Trotz to make extensive changes to their roster this summer, but that hasn’t happened.

Instead, Trotz went out and acquired Haula in a trade with New Jersey. After that, he traded for former Vegas Golden Knights D-man Hague, and finally, he signed former Tampa Bay Lightning blueliner Perbix to a two-year deal carrying an average annual salary cap hit of $2.75 million. Haula will contribute to Nashville’s bottom-six group of forwards, while Hague and Perbix will firm up the Predators’ defense corps. 

Other than that, this is largely the same Predators team that underachieved greatly last year. Trotz did hang onto $10.1 million in salary cap space, so more moves may eventually be coming for Nashville. But Trotz is banking on a revamped group of defensemen to improve what was the NHL’s sixth-worst defense last season, averaging 3.34 goals-against per game.

Departures

Colton Sissons (C), Jakub Vrana (LW), Kieffer Bellows (LW), Jeremy Lauzon (D), Marc Del Gaizo (D)

The Breakdown: There are few departures from the Predators – at least, when it comes to players who were notable performers in Nashville last season. Sissons was the most-utilized player who is now a former Predator, but even then, Sissons was a fourth-liner who posted just seven goals and 21 points in 72 games. Preds management hasn’t lost all that much this off-season, but you won’t find an NHL team that hasn’t lost a handful of players one way or another.

Three of the four departing Preds players were forwards, while the other two were fringe defensemen. And the additions of Hague and Perbix will cover off any drop-off in play resulting from those changes at forward.

Trotz has shown in his time running the Predators that he’s not afraid to swing for the fences, mostly when it comes to free-agent acquisitions like star forward Steven Stamkos, winger Jonathan Marchessault, center Ryan O’Reilly and defenseman Brady Skjei, but those moves last season did not lead to playoff success. So Trotz is moving in the other direction and doubling down on his 2024-25 roster.

The Bottom Line

The Predators play in arguably the NHL’s toughest division in the Central Division, so getting back into the playoff picture will be a serious challenge. But if star defenseman Roman Josi can return to action after dealing with a nervous system disorder last year, and if Trotz’s changes to his group of blueliners improve Nashville’s back end, the Preds should be more competitive in 2025-26.

Still, for the purposes of this Summer Splash ranking, we have to note that the Predators essentially have stayed the same. The losses they’ve dealt with up front have been traded off by the improvements they’ve made in their own zone. And Nashville now has to hope for a better result in the win/loss columns next season.

If the Preds hadn’t made those two additions on defense, they’d have finished at or near the bottom of these rankings. But even with Hague and Perbix in tow, Nashville feels very much like a team that’s running it back with the same lineup and hoping for better results. Father Time will render his own judgment on that approach, but for the moment, Trotz will be counting on the benefit of the doubt in the hope he can turn things around after one terrible year.

Summer Splash Rankings

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

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Veteran winger Max Pacioretty, who spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Montreal Canadiens, flipped the script for the 2024-25 NHL season, signing a one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His regular season was rather uneventful as he missed all but 37 games, mostly due to injury. However, when the playoffs rolled around, the 36-year-old was arguably one of the Leafs' top performers, putting up three goals and eight points in 11 games.

While it initially appeared that Pacioretty might choose to retire from the NHL after the playoffs wrapped up, that may not be the case, as it was reported back in June that the Leafs and Pacioretty have mutual interest in teaming up for another season.

But what do you think? Will Pacioretty return to Toronto, head to another team or will he ultimately choose to retire?