Predators’ front office scrambles to address roster holes: Free agency frenzy begins!

Predators’ front office scrambles to address roster holes: Free agency frenzy begins!

we are wrapping up our 2025 draft summary today and then hold our beer It’s time to talk free agency You’re Locked on Predators your daily podcast on the Nashville Predators part of the Locked On podcast network Your team every day Happy Free Agency Tuesday to all who celebrate Welcome to the Locked On Predators podcast Thanks for making us your first listen of this day We are of course a part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day Want to shout out on this free agency Tuesday our Locked on Predators insiders and our everydayers who hang out with us and talk Nashville Predators hockey I’m Ann Kimmel I am a writer and co-host with Penalty Box Radio And friends I have a partner in crime you do I am Emma Lingan and I’m an NHL reporter and host with the Hockey News On yesterday’s show Emma and I talked about the first round picks for the Nashville Predators in the 2025 draft Today we want to talk about the remaining picks real quickly let you know who Nashville chose what we think of those picks There also may be a little bit of a steal in this draft for Nashville and then friends that’s right hold our beers hold our tums free agency kicks off today We’re going to talk about what could happen and just how we’re all going to survive th this day in general Emma uh it was such a different day last year wasn’t it july 1 I it felt different Felt a lot different Full of hope and just youth and all all of the things that we no longer have but Different day different year you know It’s It’s still an exciting day
It It’s a day It’s a day friends We’re gonna We’re going to prep you for whatever maybe fall the Nashville Predators today and in the days to come with free agency Before we turn to free agency of course this is just such a crazy time of year We just finished with the draft We’ve got development camp happening We’ve got free agency happening But we don’t want to skip over the remainder of the draft On Monday’s show of course we talked about our three first rounders Um but Emma some good picks some interesting picks for the Nashville Predators They had nine total picks going in Um came away with seven actual players in the pipeline Um we got into the second round PRs had the 35th overall pick which is very close to being a first round pick This was a surprise pick for me The Predator selected left shot defenseman Jacob Rambach Here is what I can say Jacob absolutely nailed the inches over six feet stat for the Nashville Predators at six He’s listed at 66 Some say 67 Uh 200 and some pounds Um this is a very defensive defenseman I will tell you this this is actually not the player I anticipated that they would pick 35th overall Yeah I was I was you know
who did you think
i was thinking Fiddler
I mean I I had set the table We had set the table We had the stories written
Um and and uh Fiddler Yeah he was still there and the Predators went with Jacob Brock This is This wasn’t interesting to me I was like “Delete delete delete delete delete delete again.” Yeah No I I agree with that I thought Fiddler you know if he was still on the board in the second round I figured they would take him But yeah but here we are Yeah Ronach known as a defensive defenseman Um plays in the USL He played last year for the Lincoln Stars He is headed to the University of Minnesota He’s a Minnesota boy You know the Nashville Predators they got a couple Minnesota boys I always get them mixed up though It’s Cole Smith is Minnesota right okay
Okay I for some reason I always get him mixed up where he’s from and Minnesota boys
Well there’s Minnesota and Michigan Is that done that before yeah Michael McCarron is Michigan Cole Smith Minnesota
And they sit next to each other So it just in my mind
Yeah it’s not helpful
Yeah
we’ll tackle that on another day Um look you kind of watch some of the highlights of him This is a player who’s going to take a shot or two from the blue line now and again but really he is known for just being a solid defenseman Um again I really suspected hey we’re finally going to get Blake Fidler I thought maybe they would take um a forward like Malcolm Spence but they took Jacob Rumbok So um and then in the second round here is one Emma the story just writes itself We knew the Nashville Predators were going to take a goalender They were very clear here We’re going to take a goalender We had talked about Joshua Ravensburg and he had already been off the board Several goalenders off the board at this point The Predators selected Jack Ivankovic if I said that right Ivankovic um goalender Um I got to tell you I love this pick And I love this pick because this pick grew up loving Pekka Renee and uh watches a lot of U Jussi Sorrowos If Pekka Renee and Jussi Sorrowos had a goalending baby it would have some of the characteristics of Jack Ivankovic This is somebody who loves to play the puck That’s very um Pekka Renee Um he likes to kick off play Very good edge work good puck handling Also total gear head We learned loves gear So it’s going to be interesting to uh chat with him about helmets Um the other thing I loved uh and we got a chance to talk to him this is a player who hates to lose And friends I know they’re all going to say that but it’s really nice when when they say the quiet part out loud Emma looking at this goalending pick kind of what is your initial impression about the selection by the PRS i Well first I’m you know they we knew they were going to get a goalender I think this is a very good goalender I think that they didn’t It’s a good thing they didn’t try to get a goalender in the first round Um I love that like there was that picture going around of him like in the in the Pekka jersey when he was a kid Um Pekka texted him afterwards and like welcomed him to the team I mean like come on That’s amazing We love it Um no I think that he is a this is a good pick for an organization that is really good at developing and producing goalenders Um I think that he like from what I know about him you know he is spoken of very highly um around the hockey world I think that this was kind of universally seen as as a really solid pick for them
Yeah Here is a fun little story that Jack shared when we got a chance to chat with him uh just shortly after being selected talking about you know playing goalender His father was a goalender in the OHL and so of course you wanted to you know wanted to know hey did your dad kind of push you into playing goalender Jack said that his dad did not want him in net Did not want him to play goalender But one time his dad went out of town for a business trip His coach looked at him and said “Hey you want to play goalender?” And he said once he played that position he was that was it He was in He has that just in talking to him and talking about goalending he just has that goalie thing that thing that I am fascinated by but absolutely cannot relate to This kid wants to be the guy in net He wants to be the last guy standing to help his team win and and kudos to you because that is not who I am But I agree with you I think Nashville has a lot to offer him when you look at you know you’ve got Pekka is going to be helping to develop him and you’ve got Ben Vanderlock Mitch Korn Um he’s got Jussi Sorrowos who you know Jack is like six feet tall so he’s not considered you know 65 Ravensburg but this is somebody who I think Nashville is very comfortable taking a player like this and and really getting the best out of him So I’m excited about this pick Um again and I think this was a theme for me through the draft Not the pick I expected That’s not the goalender I expected or anticipated maybe they would take but you know Barry Trot’s just throwing the curveballs Friday and Saturday
Again you know I don’t think Pekka Renee and the seventh round or you know Jussi Soros were necessarily the goalenders that were expected to be picked but here we are So I I do think that this is good Like again I’m if I’m a Predators fan I’m not overly concerned about this selection and their goalie situation in general I think that they’ve really gotten that solidified here for the foreseeable future So like I think you have now bought yourself a little bit of time to be patient with this pick and you know develop him and you you’re not in a position where you you feel rushed uh with this pick So I think it’s solid
Yeah I agree with you I feel I feel great about this pick and you and I had talked previously The timing feels good
The timing feels good in that So I think that that’s definitely something Predators fans can take off of their list of things to worry about Uh coming up we’re going to tell you about the remaining players the Nashville Predators added to the pipeline And then we’re going to talk about the thing that you might as well worry about Yeah we’re going to talk about free agency Today’s episode is brought to you by our great friends at FanDuel Summer sports are in full swing And whether you are all about baseball under the lights golf on the green or high stakes soccer action FanDuel is the best way to make every game even more exciting You’re already following the action Why not make it a little more thrilling with FanDuel you can get in on the game while your friends are just outside getting sunburned at the beach If you are new to FanDuel it’s a great time to check it out New customers right now can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins Open the FanDuel app today or visit fanduel.com to get started All right Emma wanted to talk through the remaining picks for the Nashville Predators Defense defense defense Uh here we have in let’s see what round are we looking at went 122nd overall This was an interesting scenario here Alex Hang he is 17 years old So this is a younger player selected in the draft 6 feet tall 170 lbs Finally Nashville got that right shot defenseman Everybody was so stressed about that Remember these are for the future Uh he is a Quebec native interesting that he was available for the Predators at this point because this is a player who really was anticipated to go anywhere from like mid60s to maybe low mid 90s I think one place had him at 102 Very agile defenseman great puck handling good at getting through traffic finding shot seams from the point good playmaking Also interesting connection He has played before in international competition with Brady Martin Uh he plays in the queue Last season he had 64 in 64 games he had seven goals 40 points Uh and in the fall apparently he’s headed to Harvard That’s what I think I read Like you go you go Alex Um yeah I think this is a good I think this is a good pick I think this is uh I think probably it was a little surprising that he was available for the Predators right now So I think they probably feel pretty good about this pick and again a defenseman Yeah I mean I think again it’s important to remember picks for the future Barry Trotz is still looking at this team and honestly I know a lot of people will disagree with this but I think that you have to look at this team in win now mode with the roster that you have You have to try to win right now So these draft picks especially in the fourth round are not being made to help this team win right now This is about building in the future So I mean like it’s good This is good that they’re building up their defensive pipeline again Um again you have that right shot defenseman but like don’t don’t think don’t fall into the trap that you’re like “Oh well this is the answer to our lack of rightot defenseman a 17-year-old.” Like no
This is not an answer to a right now question It’s for the future
Yeah And I think you know he is going to be kind of a fun project Again we’ve talked about this Nashville is known for developing their goalenders and defenseman and I think this is maybe a good opportunity for both parties to get the best out of this young player Uh Pred’s wrapped up the draft with another defenseman a Finn You know you got to have a Finn every now and again Daniel Nemanin I practiced saying it so many times you all and then we get here to record and I start to panic Um this is an overage player We just talked about a younger player Um he is 19 years old again Finnish player He played in the Finnish elite league So while his stats may not jump off the page this is also a 19-year-old that is playing in a league with fully grown men Also uh 6 feet tall 187 lbs Really the thing to know about him is his skating is probably what caught the eye of the Nashville Predators and and some of the scouts you know this is somebody who can be in the mix and then turn around skate back and and make a defensive play as needed So I think you know when you’re looking at what stands out about this player that’s probably the thing that I think attracted the Predators to a player like this So you know something to keep in mind He was selected 163rd overall Emma when you look at the draft in its entirety what is the biggest surprise to you overall um like for the Predators or like
Yeah for the draft
Um I don’t know I mean like I again like it’s hard now after the fact because now it’s like I’ve kind of I’ve slept on a lot of these things and I’m like “Okay that makes sense.” So like I will say like yes of course the initial shock value of you know not picking Hagens or Martone when they were available at number five like that was surprising Um I do think it’s a little interesting like surprising but the more I think about it like this is a a pleasant surprise a good surprise um that they punted two picks to next year I think that that’s actually smart you know in in trades and they didn’t see you know enough that this isn’t an incredibly deep draft class We’ve talked about that for a while So they’ve now punted to next year um with making some of these trades If there’s no one that you think is a slam dunk at number whatever and you have an opportunity to trade for a pick in next year’s draft go ahead and do it So I mean that was like I would say not like jaw-dropping shocking but I mean it was a little surprising but but I’m okay with it
Yeah I think Nashville did a good job for the not yet Now will I say that Nashville knocked my socks off and they stole the draft and all of the other 31 teams can eat our dust no friends Um but I do think that they they made some interesting moves for the not yet portion You know we talked about Brady Martin on the show yesterday You had mentioned this in passing and I wanted to circle back to it He reminds me of a Ryan O’Reilly and when you talked about building a core I think you’re looking at a player who has leadership potential Um so I like that I think that they put a lot of thought into it I think these draft picks tell you where Barry Trotz thinks the NHL is headed Kind of the direction the style of play that the NHL is kind of leaning towards And I think he’s trying to build a little bit towards that Again drafting is wizardry We don’t know We will have to wait and see Do you think there’s anything Nashville could have done that would have made this draft like a wow Nashville draft if they had somehow figured out a way to trade up higher than five like maybe but that’s also not realistic in the slightest So
yeah Yeah Yeah I don’t know Barry mentioned that they were trying to trade up to get into the like 1213 range and were were very close to having it done and then the player they were looking for was taken off the board by another team And this is where I think it could have been a wow I think it would have been great is I wonder and this is pure speculation to quote Elliot Freriedman I am spitballing here you all I have no information whatsoever I wonder though if maybe they were going after Roger McQueen
It’s been pretty much uh like established that that is the player that they were going after and then he got taken by Anaheim
I think that would have been an okay kind of move but again you you can’t you can’t dance alone And you know once he was off the board then things kind of went back to just you know regular our regular draft programming Um we’re going to wait and see what happens with these prospects Again development camp happening this week So you know an opportunity to check them out on the ice and kind of see what Nashville selected in this draft coming up Friends it’s that day It’s the day It’s free agency Emma and I are going to tell you what we think Nashville might do starting today and uh talk through what this could look like for the Predators Sweet baby Jesus Emma Just a year ago technically really literally just a year ago it was one of the biggest days I think in in franchise history as far as making moves when they added Stamco Marcho Brady Sheay We don’t have to revisit what happened since then It’s July 1st again and we are back on the carousel Um how are we feeling Emma and like what do you think Barry Trots is going to do here well here’s what I will say Again we’re not rehashing everything that happened since last July 1 but
rewatch the episodes and watch us age in real time Yeah No we we watched it Um but given that I think our expectations are now so low that it’s almost a good thing you know it’s like keep keep the bar low and you’re set up for you know you you can’t be disappointed right and so I think that
when it comes to the other thing that’s important to point out this year’s free agency class not even remotely close to last year’s Um very there were very few like really like top tier names on the board to begin with and even the like several of the ones who were have already ressigned like Sam Bennett for example Um and now you know like it’s really just kind of Mitch Marner and everyone else and and that’s just kind of how this year was going to go So um on one hand I I think that it’s smart I I think it’s a good thing if Barry Trots kind of just and you know people are going to be upset because they want to win now and blah blah blah blah but I’m like I think it’s good if he just kind of holds hold on on this year Uh you know don’t go out and throw a ton of money at free agents um because it’s this is not the year to do that Um so I think that’s a good thing in that regard because I I understand if Predators fans are a little gunshy after after last year and what happened like ah Barry don’t do it again Honestly he’s probably not going to just because of the sheer fact that there really aren’t any highlevel free agent names out there for him to go get Now the one free agent that I would be okay with him throwing quote a lot of money and by a lot of money I mean like $8 million Aaron Ecklad I would be okay with that
Yeah Anyone else eh Yeah And I think that’s the move And I’m not saying specifically Aaron Ecklad Now again I think I would sleep okay at night with that but I think that is the position that if you’re wondering what’s Barry Trot’s going to do is he going to go out and try to make a move for Mitch Marner friends he is not going to go out and try to make a move for Mitch Mner
Um nor should he
Nor should he
quite frankly Thank you But I do think he’s got to find a defenseman That is the number one priority for the Predators And that’s another thing I will say talking about the draft and we were talking about the now and the not yet Like people are upset the first defenseman he gets is a left shot defenseman What are we doing Barry we need right shot defenseman Okay Well the defenseman that you’re picking up in the draft is not going to help you right now Right
And you’re you’re not asking him to So that is where I think that you know Barry recognizes it He said it this is you know this is going to be a a priority this off season as it should be The draft is not where that was going to happen And so I think it’s got to be free agency or it’s got to be trades Um and so that’s where I would just kind of keep an eye on Um I think that he’s well aware that he needs to address that So whether it’s Ecklad or whether it’s someone else um I I just yeah I think that that is probably whatever the big move will be and big is relative you know but I think like the big move for the Predators this year relatively speaking is going to be related to the defense
and I agree with you I think the smart move for the Predators uh in free agency is to do not a ton more than that You know I really think you you’ve got to address the defense You’ve and again you look out on the the the you know UFA landscape and you see a couple players and some tumble weed So this is not maybe I mean just logistically it’s not a year where you’re going to make a big splash I think where the predators are it’s not the year to go out and sign you know some sort of wicked long-term deal The other thing is and I know this is just a small thing and it probably isn’t a big factor but like let’s face it right now Nashville probably does not have the best marketing campaign for come to Nashville as a free agent come to Nashville as a free agent and have the worst season of your career Like if you’re a free agent you’re going to be like I’m gonna know I’m gonna need to know what was broken and how you’re going to fix it before I sign here You know it’s like the Hotel California You’re going to check in and you can check out but you can never leave kind of thing
Yes Yes That’s it’s that’s where you’re gonna have to be like “Hey no taxes Hey the weather’s
using Yeah Like that’s you’re going to have to lean into that a little bit.”
Yeah
Um which Yeah Again if you’re trying to attract a player who’s been playing in Florida the no tax thing is going to probably be helpful So
yeah just throwing it out there Of course Emma and I were gonna you know we’re going to be following all of the action We’re going to keep you updated as Nashville when if Nashville makes some moves in free agency and keeping an eye of course on anything else that could happen here with the Nashville Predators So buckle up friends It’s the day that we loved a year ago and it’s just the day today that we don’t have any
Sure is a day
It’s a day It’s a day Um and of course on tomorrow’s show we will update you with whatever happens with the Nashville Predators We’re going to keep an eye on like uh Emma mentioned like Mitch Marner what’s going to go down with that and some of these other moves and how they’re going to affect the league in the Central Division as well So make sure you hop back here and of course we will have updates from development camp um on how some of the young prospects are fairing as well Emma before we wrap up this episode and buckle up for free agency to kick off will you let everyone know where to find you and your work yes you can find me on social media at Emma Lingan and you can find my work at the hockey news You can find me on social media at ank_mama on ice You can find my work with penalty box radio as well Friends that is going to do it for this Tuesday episode of the Locked On Predators podcast Thanks for making us your first listen of the day Buckle up take some Tums Let’s see what happens We will be back here tomorrow with an all new episode See you then

Nashville Predators shake up their roster with surprising 2025 NHL Draft picks. Is a goaltending prodigy on the horizon?

Ann Kimmel and Emma Lingan break down the Preds’ draft strategy, focusing on defenseman Jacob Rombach and goalie Jack Ivankovic. The duo analyzes Nashville’s later-round selections and potential trades, while exploring the team’s approach to the upcoming NHL free agency.

Key topics include Barry Trotz’s draft-day maneuvering, Aaron Ekblad as a possible defensive target, and the challenges of attracting top talent to Music City.

Tune in for expert insights on how the Predators’ draft choices and free agency moves could reshape their future on the ice.

***PROGRAMMING NOTE: Due to schedule constraints, this episode was recorded before the Nicolas Hague trade and Aaron Ekblad re-signing in Florida. We will address those on tomorrow’s episode!***

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