The Nashville Predators opened their preseason schedule last night with split-squad matchups against the Florida Panthers. The Predators would lose both, in one game they lost 3-2 that game saw Matt Murray and Ethan Haider share the net with Murray stopping 13 of 15 shots in 30 plus minutes, Haider stopping seven of the eight shots he faced in 27 plus minutes. Joakim Kemell and Cole Smith had the goals in that game for Nashville. In the other game, the Predators lost 6-2, Scott Wedgewood allowed all six goals as he stopped 17 shots in just under 53 minutes, Jakub Milota got the rest of the game and stopped the lone shot he faced; the two Predators goals came from Jake Lucchini and Steven Stamkos. Today they announced they sent the following players back to juniors, left-wing Kalan Lind is heading back to the WHL for the Red Deer, goalie Jakub Milota is heading to the QMJHL to play with Cape Breton, right-wing Miguel Marques is heading to the WHL with Lethbridge, center Joey Willis is heading to the OHL to play with Saginaw, and defenseman Dylan MacKinnon is heading to the QMJHL to play with Moncton. The Predators roster is now down to 58.
LW – Kalan Lind
Lind was drafted with the 46th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Last season he played in 46 games with the Red Deer recording 45 points on 16 goals and 29 assists. In the playoffs, he played in nine games recording eight points on four goals and four assists. He played last night in the 6-2 loss.
G – Jakub Milota
Milota was drafted with the 99th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Last season he played with Cape Breton going 18-11-1 in 33 games with 2.82 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. He also played with Czechia in the World Juniors Championship, in five games he went 2-3-0 with a 3.05 goals against average and a .882 save percentage. Last night in just under seven minutes he faced just one shot.
RW – Miguel Marques
Marques was drafted 87th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. Last season at Lethbridge he played in 67 games recording 74 points on 28 goals and 46 assists. In two playoff games, he had one point on an assist. He didn’t play in last night’s game.
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C – Joey Willis
Willis was drafted 111th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Last season in 66 games he had 50 points on 14 goals and 36 assists, in the playoffs in 17 games he had 11 points on four goals and seven assists. He played in the 3-2 game last night.
D – Dylan MacKinnon
MacKinnon was drafted 83rd overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Last season, he played in 64 games with Halifax recording 16 points on three goals and 13 assists, in the playoffs in four games he had two points on assists. He didn’t play in either game yesterday.
