Head coach Andrew Brunette informed media that Tommy Novak and Dante Fabbro were taking maintenance days when they didn’t train with the rest of their Nashville Predators colleagues on Monday.
After Novak was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday due to an upper-body ailment that will keep him out of action for four to six weeks, we now know there is more to the story.
Additionally, the organization signaled that Ryan McDonagh, who has missed the last four games due to a lower-body injury, is not yet ready to return by recalling defenseman Spencer Stastney from the Milwaukee Admirals.
McDonagh is tied for the team lead in blocked shots with 25, having scored only two points in ten games this season. As the club’ best penalty taker, he averages a team-high 3:22 of PK time per game and contributes the third-most minutes (20) to the team’s total of plays.
In a 7-5 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, Novak, who is tied for second on the club in goals (6) and points (12), recorded two assists and played 17:27.
His departure leaves a void in Nashville’s second line, which Cody Glass will probably fill. It also severely undermines one of the few offensive strategies the Predators were actually using.
Kiefer Sherwood, Luke Evangelista, and Novak were centered by the Predators, who had an on-ice save percentage of 95.3 when they were all together. Together, the three players had 81 shot attempts, 42 scoring opportunities, 17 high-danger chances, six goals, and three high-danger goals.
During his ten appearances with the Admirals, Stastney managed four points on eight shots and one goal. After finishing the previous season with an average of 17:07 of ice time per game, two points, nine blocked shots, two hits, and two takeaways in eight games, he will be joining the Predators for a second term.
As of right present, the Predators have three right-handed defensemen (Dante Fabbro, Alex Carrier, and Tyson Barrie) and four left-handed defensemen (Stastney, Roman Josi, Jeremy Lauzon, and Marc Del Gaizo).