Home Articles About

Predlines

Explore a featured selection of my work with Predlines

Predlines •

Predators recent hiring is a story known all too well for Predators fans

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland announced Friday that Rob Blake was hired as the team's Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.Blake's hiring is MacFarland's first move made as a part of Predators management. He will join MacFarland in managing the team's coaching staff, roster situation, scouting and drafting.He served as the Los Angeles Kings VP of Hockey Ops. and General Manager from the 2017-18 to 2024-25 seasons. Blake won a Sta...
Predlines •

Chris MacFarland just told Predators fans what they've been waiting to hear

Chris MacFarland made his first appearance to the Nashville media Wednesday, June 4, and his responses sparked hope among many Nashville Predators fans.The newly hired President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Predators piqued the interest of reporters in a media conference alongside Predators Chairman and Majority Owner Bill Haslam, and CEO Sean Henry to discuss the vision for the team going forward.After missing the playoffs for the second-straight season, the Predators organiz...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators prospect Cameron Reid captains Kitchener Rangers to Memorial Cup win

Nashville Predators prospect Cameron Reid is a Memorial Cup champion.The 19-year-old defenseman guided the Kitchener Rangers to their third Memorial Cup victory in franchise history Sunday, May 31. Reid tallied two secondary assists in the title-clinching game against the Everett Silvertips. He finished the tournament with one goal and six points and a +9 rating.Reid spent the last three years with the Rangers, playing 173 regular season games and recording 133 points. He finished this season wi...
Predlines •

Annunen, Finland win gold in 2026 Men's World Championship, Josi named MVP

Nashville Predators goalie Justus Annunen and Finland beat Switzerland in the gold medal game at the Ice Hockey World Championship Sunday.Annunen stopped all 22 shots in the 1-0 overtime win, helping Finland secure its fifth gold title in its tournament history. He averaged a .934-save percentage with 1.47 goals against average in eight games. It's his second gold finish in at the international level with his first from the 2017-18 U18 World Juniors.Roman Josi, the captain for Switzerland, was n...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators prospect Surin's 2 goals wins him second KHL championship

Yegor Surin is a two-time KHL champion with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.The 19-year-old scored two goals in game six of the KHL playoffs, helping Yaroslavl win its second-straight Gagarin Cup. He ended the postseason with a career-high eight points (3g, 5a) in 22 games. Surin was drafted by the Nashville Predators 22nd overall in 2024.After staying off the scoresheet in the series' first five contests, Surin scored twice in game six to give Yaroslavl a commanding 2-0 lead. Lokomotiv made it 3-0 in the t...
Predlines •

Ryan O'Reilly's two-point performance versus Italy proves why he's Canada's X-Factor

Ryan O'Reilly and Canada shut down Italy 6-0 Saturday, May 16 following a 5-3 win against Sweden the day prior.O'Reilly, who tallied a goal against Sweden, topped off the win with a goal and an assist. The two points tie him for second in tournament points with three, only behind Jesse Puljujarvi with five. O'Reilly scored the final goal for Canada with 1:21 left in the middle frame. The assist came off the opening goal, scored by Dylan Holloway 9:21 into the contest.Here is Factor's goal in cas...
Predlines •

Ryan O'Reilly reminded fans why he's called Factor with beautiful goal versus Team Sweden

Day one of the Ice Hockey World Championship is in the books and we've already seen a handful of beautiful plays, including one from Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly.O'Reilly is representing Canada in this year's tournament, and he's already made himself known. Factor scored Canada's second goal of the night versus Sweden in beautiful fashion, going backhand on a rebound. Here's the goal in case you missed it:Sweden was on a delayed penalty prior to the goal, giving Canada full control o...
Predlines •

Current and former Nashville Predators among those named in IIHF's Team USA preliminary roster

USA Hockey announced its preliminary roster for the IIHF Men's World Championship taking place in Switzerland later this month, and a handful of players will represent the mustard yellow.The Nashville Predators will send two of their players to compete: forward Ryker Lee and defenseman Ryan Ufko. Additionally, there will be a three former Preds members in the lineup: goalie Devin Cooley, forward Mathieu Olivier and forward Tommy Novak.They'll help Team USA in its attempt to win gold for the thir...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators rookie defenseman quietly mirrored Ryan Ellis in 2026

No one could've imagined the progression we saw at the end of this season from this youngster.When rookie defenseman Ryan Ufko entered the Nashville Predators lineup in early March, many assumed it was to shake up the at-the-time slumping blueline. Ufko quickly proved that he wasn't just a call-up, but that he was a roster lock.In his first game of the season, the second of his career, the former 4th-round pick tallied his first career point, a secondary assist on Filip Forsberg's power play goa...
Predlines •

Comment from Steven Stamkos hints that Nashville Predators will pass up on a rebuild once again

For the second-straight season, the Nashville Predators face the intimidating decision of whether or not to commit to a rebuild, and a recent comment from one of their top scorers confirms that it might not happen.Uncertainty will fill the air for the next few months in Nashville as its front office sits vacant. With General Manager Barry Trotz leaving the organization, and a search for a new one in the works, priorities on the offseason moves will be redirected. Despite this, the same message s...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators recently signed KHL star is destined to join team opening night

The Nashville Predators signed KHL star Vitali Pinchuk to a one-year entry-level contract for the 2026-27 season.Pinchuk, 24, might just be what the Predators needed all along: a young goal scorer. His 31 goals were the third most in the KHL and his 66 points were tied for sixth most. The Belarus native spent his entire KHL career with Dinamo Minsk and has posted 145 points in 252 career games. A three-time KHL All-Star, Pinchuk is looking like the next big thing out of Belarus.He will be the th...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators eliminated from playoff contention in second-straight year with loss to San Jose Sharks

The party is over in the Music City as the Nashville Predators lost 3-2 to the San Jose Sharks, in turn eliminating them from contention in the 2026 NHL Playoffs. It is the second-straight year the team missed the postseason, this year only by a slim margin.The Predators never saw that miracle. The second condition to keep their playoff dreams alive was in the Pacific Division, where the Los Angeles Kings took on the Seattle Kraken. If the Kings lost, the Predators would remain in the conversati...
Predlines •

Annunen collects Nashville Predators first shutout of season, topples Anaheim 5-0

A 43-save performance from Justus Annunen helped pave the way for the Nashville Predators as they shutout the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center Tuesday, April 7.After a disappointing loss against the LA Kings in a shootout Monday, the Predators [37-31-10] rebounded on all cylinders, scoring five unanswered to hand the Ducks [41-32-5] their fourth-straight loss. Joakim Kemell tallied his first two career assists; and Ryan O'Reilly and Erik Haula recorded two points.Annunen, the game's first star,...
Predlines •

Evangelista and Nashville Predators tie up wild card race with 8-round shootout thriller

It took eight rounds for somebody to find the net in the shootout, and the Nashville Predators got it done, winning 5-4. Luke Evangelista scored the shootout winner on the backhand, kickstarting the long road trip with a crucial win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Predators snapped a three-game losing streak after falling victim to a Kings late game comeback but rounding it off in the end.Jonathan Marchessault topped the night with two points and Juuse Saros stopped 29 of 33 shots.Zachary L'Heur...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators explode for five goals in first to take down Sharks

The Nashville Predators went shark hunting Tuesday, March 25, taking down San Jose in a 6-3 final at Bridgestone Arena.The Predators extended their win streak to five games, their longest since January 2025. It's also their second six-goal performance in March and fourth this season.Forsberg tallied one goal and two assists, extending his point streak to five games. It's his third game in the streak where he's posted three points. In total, Forsberg has racked up five goals and seven assists for...
Predlines •

Insider links two NHL alumni as potential replacements for Nashville Predators GM Trotz

Tires are spinning in the Nashville Predators General Manager search.After Barry Trotz announced that he was retiring as the GM of the Preds back in February, the organization announced that it was going to conduct a thorough search for his successor. Besides the news on the NHLPA shutting down CAA attempts, not much else has been said about it.Recently, insider Nick Kypreos reported on the Real Kyper & Bourne podcast that gears are turning and the team has their eyes set on former NHL players B...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators finding success in their newest addition on the blueline

"You say goodbye, and I say hello!" - The BeatlesThe Nashville Predators filled a hole in defense after moving Nick Blankenburg to the Colorado Avalanche, sticking rookie righty Ryan Ufko into the mix. Ufko, 22, played a single game in the NHL at the end of last season. Even with little NHL experience going into the call-up, the kid looks like a natural.Sure, it's a small sample size, but Ufko has showed everything there is to be known about his style and we need it. Four games in the big league...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators open March with loss against Red Wings, Evangelista on pace for 50 apples

An early game for the Nashville Predators and an early loss in the month.The Predators fell victim to the Detroit Red Wings in the second half of the game, losing 4-2. This keeps them out of a wildcard spot, pressuring the team heading into the Trade Deadline this Friday.Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault scored for Nashville [27-24-8], Evangelista racked up another assist, and Juuse Saros stopped 27 shots.Detroit [35-20-6] put up a strong performance against the Predators, taking advantag...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators should prioritize smaller trades at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

We're expecting a chaotic trade deadline this season. There's already been big moves made and more are on the way.For the Nashville Predators, I'd hope that they drown out the noise. The team is in funny spot; they're in the midst of a division full of the league's Stanley Cup contenders and its bottom feeders. The last thing they need is to hop on the 'buy now' or 'sell hard' train. Yes, I believe this team should still sell, but I do hope that it is a steady start and not ripping up the franch...
Predlines •

Why winning bronze will be crucial for Nashville Predators playoff hopes

With today's loss against Canada, Finland's dreams of winning back-to-back gold medals faded away; it'll still have a chance at bringing home hardware in the bronze medal game against Slovakia tomorrow.The Nashville Predators have two players heading in the final four: Juuse Saros and Erik Haula. Both players have had a successful run with their nation, showing up in crucial moments. Outside of the Olympics, the two helped Nashville go on a heater earlier this year. A good performance in Italy w...
Predlines •

Team Sweden Benching Filip Forsberg Sends Message Nashville Predators Fans Cannot Ignore

Nashville Predators and Sweden fans are starting to question what the future holds for Filip Forsberg on the Olympic stage. Forsberg, 31, only had one shift before he was benched for the rest of the game. The team was able to win 5-2 against Italy without him Wednesday, but the message was still delivered.There's two ways to look at this. The first way is that Forsberg's a reliable guy and that Sweden just wants to give the younger guys a chance in the preliminaries before being pushed off in co...
Predlines •

"Do It for Roman" Nashville Predators Score Five Unanswered to Defeat Ottawa Senators

The Nashville Predators scored five straight goals to topple the Ottawa Senators after trailing 3-0 this Thursday at Bridgestone Arena. It was Predators captain Roman Josi's 1000th game in the NHL and in the organization.Steven Stamkos scored a hat trick, Ryan O'Reilly reached the 50-point plateau, and Juuse Saros stopped 23 of 26 shots.Nashville [24-22-4] trailed in the opening period for the second straight game after rookie Stephen Halliday found the back of the net at 13:57 for his first goa...
Predlines •

Nashville Predators Earn Gutsy Win Against Washington Capitals to Close Out Weekend Homestand

The Nashville Predators [21-20-4] concluded their back-to-back homestand with a 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals [23-17-6] on Sunday. They are now within two points of the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference.Roman Josi recorded three points, Steven Stamkos notched a powerplay marker, and Justus Annunen saved 28/30 shots faced.With his 601st goal last night, Stamkos is now 10th all-time in powerplay goals with 233 and tied for 21st all-time in goals scored according to NHL PR.Mi...
Predlines •

Stamkos Reaches 1200 Points, Schaefer and Wiesblatt Score First NHL Goals as Nashville Predators Defeat the Flames

Steven Stamkos reached the 1200-point plateau this Tuesday in a 5-1 win against the Calgary Flames after scoring the team's second of the night. He is now the sixth active player to reach the milestone alongside the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Patrick Kane. The 35-year-old has three goals and two assists in his last five games.Reid Schaefer and Ozzy Wiesblatt both found the back of the net for the first times in their young NHL career; Juuse Saros saved 27 of 28 shots faced; Micha...