Nashville Predators Opening Night Roster Set
The Nashville Predators have settled on their roster for opening night’s matchup against the rival Chicago Blackhawks.
The Nashville Predators have made their final roster decisions before opening night. The NHL mandated that all teams must be down to 23 players by Tuesday, and the Preds kept 22 on board.
Fringe players who made the jump include Kevin Fiala and Cody Bass. Complete opposites stylistically, with Bass earning his keep as a fourth line grinder and Fiala serving as the thirteenth forward, waiting to see what nights he may be inked into a top-six role.
On defense Anthony Bitetto is listed along with offseason free agent signings Matt Carle and Yannick Weber. All three will likely split time filling in as the third defensive pair until a best match is found.
The rest of the roster is filled by the usual suspects:
Here’s your Opening Night roster for the #Preds. Kevin Fiala makes the team; Anthony Bitetto/Matt Carle 7th D.
>> https://t.co/pJDgfyBISt pic.twitter.com/GRAMEO6FLQ
— Thomas Willis (@TomAWillis) October 9, 2016
Noticeable cuts include Austin Watson, who was luckily able to clear waivers and be reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals. Watson found success at the pro level for stints on the fourth line last season, but the powers at be seem to feel Bass has showed more promise leading up to the opener.
Goaltender Juuse Saros and winger Pontus Aberg will both begin their seasons in the AHL. Aberg saw some action during the NHL Playoffs last year with the Preds as the replacement piece for Mike Ribeiro‘s two game healthy scratch, but was still widely considered an outside shot to make the team opening night.
Saros is also expected to make another full campaign with the Admirals, though is being looked to as the goalie of the future for the Nashville Predators. He earned 29 wins in 38 games at the AHL level last season, with a .920 save percentage and 2.24 goals against average.
Another year with the Ads should prove profitable for Saros. If he does find himself in a Nashville Predators jersey in the coming year, it means bad things are happening in Smashville. Pekka Rinne and Marek Mazanec will hopefully stay healthy and play well enough to hold their starting and backup positions solidly.
No word yet on which twelve forwards and six defensemen are expected to be inked into opening nights starting lineup against the Chicago Blackhawks, but we’re only four days away from finding out!
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