Blackwell, Grimaldi Among Preds Still Competing for Roster Spots

And then there were 28.
With four of their six preseason games completed, the Predators elected to make their largest transaction of training camp on Sunday, reducing their roster by 20 players. Four more cleared waivers on Monday and were assigned to Milwaukee of the AHL, leaving Nashville just five participants above the 23-man group they must be down to prior to Opening Night next week.
Almost all of the 28 remaining were mainstays with the big club last season, except for a select few who have shown the coaching staff enough promise to keep them around for at least a few more days.

Two of those who have made a notable impact are Rocco Grimaldi and Colin Blackwell - a pair of undersized forwards who have still managed to play at the sport's top levels - and do so convincingly.
"They've had a really good camp," Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of Grimaldi and Blackwell. "They play a fast game; a really competitive game and they've got some experience under their belt. We look for guys that come in and make a good impression, and to this point in camp, they've done that."
When it comes to that experience, Grimaldi has the advantage. The stays haven't been overly lengthy, but the 5-foot-6 forward has skated in NHL games during each of the last four seasons, including six outings with Colorado in 2017-18.

Grimaldi has also been a productive player in the AHL, posting at least 31 points in each of his past four seasons in the league, including a career-high 55 points with San Antonio in 2016-17.
Grimaldi knows he can put the puck in the net, but admitted he's been frustrated with some squandered chances in this preseason. Combine that with learning a new system and it hasn't been the easiest go of things thus far - but even so, he's feeling more comfortable by the day.
"[The coaches] have been really great in helping me out with [systems]," Grimaldi said. "I don't have to think as much, I can kind of just go [to a spot on the ice] and I know I'm supposed to be there, I know I've got a guy backing me up. But everyone's been great, and the players have been great, too, helping me out with little things. If I have a question, they're always there to answer it and they've been really helpful the whole time."
Unlike Grimaldi, Blackwell is yet to play in a regular-season NHL contest. He's had plenty of chances over the past week, however, as he's appeared in each of Nashville's last three preseason games. The Harvard graduate has shown his versatility as well, slotting at center twice and playing wing last Saturday night in Tampa Bay, a game that allowed his family to see him don an NHL sweater in person for the first time.
After spending the first two seasons of his professional career in the AHL, including a 45-point campaign with Rochester in 2017-18, Blackwell signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Preds on July 3. The 5-foot-9 forward impressed during the team's trip to the NHL Prospects Showcase earlier in the month and hasn't let up, showing enough to consistently receive opportunities.

"The great thing is no matter what happens, whether you make a mistake or not, they've been putting me in some really good situations," Blackwell said. "I'm just trying to keep giving this team energy in the first preseason games, whether I can get a faceoff, get a hit, kind of just be a little rat out there… Hopefully I can bring that and that'll take me one step closer."
It remains to be seen if one - or both - of them will get another chance in game action this preseason, but if Grimaldi or Blackwell hear their numbers called, they each know how they want to respond.
"I'm just taking it a day at a time," Grimaldi said. "Yesterday, I told myself to just have a good practice, don't worry about if you're in the lineup or not… If I see that I'm in the lineup, just focus on having a good game, don't think about it the next day or the next day after that, just focus on myself and nobody else - just how I can help the team win."
"It's not only working hard but showing that I have some skill and I can not only bring that energy but bring an offside upside, too," Blackwell said. "I can play in any kind of situation, so it's kind of one of those things where any opportunity that presents itself, I'm going to be ready."