The Milwaukee to Nashville flight path was a busy one last week.
As the Predators made four separate deals leading up to last Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline, each of those transactions included sending a roster player to another club in exchange for a draft pick.
Preparing for the future and acquiring those assets is an inevitable part of the process, but relinquishing four everyday NHLers left some holes across the Preds roster.
Enter the AHL’s Admirals - and a number of Nashville’s top prospects who will now more than likely finish their respective seasons at the NHL level.
Over the course of the day last Thursday, the Preds recalled forwards Fedor Svechkov, Reid Schaefer and Joakim Kemell, as well as defenseman Ryan Ufko, from their AHL affiliate. All three forwards had seen time previously with the Predators earlier this season, and Ufko made his NHL debut last April in Nashville, so the familiarity exists in each situation.
Those four - as well as fellow youngsters Zach L’Heureux, Matthew Wood and Ozzy Wiesblatt - will not only be looking to continually solidify their spots in the top League in the world, but they’re also going to be relied upon to help keep their club in the midst of a playoff race that is still very much alive.
The Predators took off for Seattle on Monday morning with only 19 games to go in the regular season and still just three points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
But get this - a staggering 13 of those 19 games come against teams all currently within 11 points of one another in the West.
Yes, they remain on the outside looking in, and they’ll need to win more than their fair share of outings over the next six weeks to give themselves a chance, but postseason hockey is certainly not out of the question in Tennessee.
And the youth will need to do their part.
“This is the opportunity for young players,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said Thursday morning. “Organizationally, they're going to get a pretty good chance going forward, and they’ve got to put their best foot forward. You look at a Reid Schaefer, Zach L’Heureux, Ozzy Wiesblatt, Ryan Ufko coming in tonight, [Fedor Svechkov] is back; they’re the ones that have to grab part of that, and they’ve put a lot of work in. They've earned their opportunity up here. They played very well in the American [Hockey] League… They’re the ones that are going to have to put the paddles in…and they're going to have to paddle hard, just like the guys that we lost.”
All four of those recalled Thursday - Schaefer, Svechkov, Kemell and Ufko - played against the Bruins that night and helped their club to a convincing win. Two nights later in Buffalo, Svechkov, Kemell and Ufko were all back in again as the Preds nearly came back to beat the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres.
Wood scored twice in that win over the Bruins and he tallied again in Buffalo, as did L’Heureux - contributions that will be much needed down the stretch.
“[Wood and L’Heureux] were really good, and I thought [Kemell] was really good, too,” Brunette said following Saturday’s game. “They brought some good energy, and they got rewarded for some goals. It's fun to see them kind of grow here a little bit, and hopefully they continue to develop.”
“They've been great,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said Saturday of the youth infusion. “They bring so much energy, and I think you see the way they play, the way they forecheck and they play physical. They just bring a lot of energy, and obviously two big goals by those guys. It’s been fun watching them come in and make an impact right away.”
In the case of Ufko - the rookie defenseman who recorded his first career point with a power-play assist in Thursday’s win - the nerves have lessened compared to his single NHL game last April. The 22-year-old blueliner led the Admirals with 44 points (11g-33a) through just 50 games this season, and he’s been widely regarded as their top participant over the past few months.
“He’s been their best player down there,” Brunette said of Ufko. “Very creative offensively on the offensive blue line, and competes in the D zone, and the way he makes plays and sees the ice is pretty high end. So, we're looking forward to seeing him at our level here. He's earned that opportunity… Just reiterate with him, if he moves his feet; I think last year came up, it's a little overwhelming. I thought he tried to do things standing still, and we need him to move. And if he does move, then he’ll create space into making plays. So, excited to see him see what we can do.”
“I think the season's gone really well for me so far,” Ufko said Thursday. “Just playing with a lot of confidence. Last year was my rookie year, so it was all new to me. I feel like this year I came in a lot more comfortable, knew the environment and just really wanted to push myself to get better every day. I kind of wanted to have that bigger role down there, and I feel like that's worked for me. And like I said, just trying to build off of it.”
Kemell, who was recalled hours ahead of Thursday’s game and arrived just in time for the opening puck drop, made Nashville’s Opening Night roster, but he only appeared in two games before being sent down. Since then, he’s posted 10 goals and 29 points with Milwaukee, and the winger nearly scored just minutes into Thursday’s contest.
“Obviously there’s been lots of trades, and it gives us young players a good opportunity to get a spot on the roster and for the future,” Kemell said. “So, I'm just putting my work in, and every time I'm on the ice, I'm going to do my best.”
There’s Schaefer, who made his NHL debut in November and spent 27 games with the Preds with four goals and six points to his name. As has been the case time and time again with other peers, the 22-year-old winger is now looking to parlay that first taste of life in the NHL into further success.
“I think for me, going back down to Milwaukee was a positive,” Schaefer said. “Grow my game and build some confidence down there. I think since the AHL All-Star break, I’ve been really trending in the right direction, playing really confident, playing to my identity. I'm having some success down there, so I just want to continue it up here and keep building that confidence.”
And for Svechkov, who spent the first 49 games of the season with the Preds but only recorded nine points, a chance to reset his game in Milwaukee over the NHL’s Olympic break came at a perfect time. The 22-year-old center recorded five goals and eight points in just 10 contests with the Ads, and when asked for his mindset upon returning to Nashville, his answer was simple.
“I’m here to get my spot, and I’m going to take it,” Svechkov said.
That attitude is exactly what the Preds are looking for from all of their rookies and sophomore skaters who will now be relied upon on a nightly basis.
And after the Predators saw a similar sell off at the 2023 Trade Deadline before stringing together a 13-9-2 record in March and April that almost bought them a playoff spot, there’s hope something similar will play out once more.
This trip out west through Seattle, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg will be the first piece to the puzzle that’s not overly complicated - win, and there’s a much greater chance to get in.
So far, the kids are all right - and they’re going to have to be if the Preds want to keep playing further into the springtime.
“Make a push for the playoffs,” Josi said of the group’s mindset with 19 games to go. “We talked about it. This is the team going forward. I think we were kind of in this position three years ago where you sold a couple pieces and we kind of made a push for the playoff spot. And this year, [it's] no different. We want to make a push. We're right there. We’ve got some big games coming up, and it hasn't changed [since the trade deadline]. Our goal is still to make the playoffs.”
