5 Nashville Predators Who Could Be on the Roster Bubble

With the NHL preseason knocking on the door, the Nashville Predators are nearly on the verge of setting their roster. General manager Chris MacFarland made a ton of new additions, and it’ll be interesting to see how they gel.

Nashville added a ton of forwards, acquiring Mavrik Bourque from the Dallas Stars, Ross Colton and Jack Drury from the Colorado Avalanche, Nils Hoglander from the Vancouver Canucks, and Adam Edstrom from the New York Rangers. They also signed Alex Kerfoot from the Utah Mammoth to a two-year, $3.5 million-per-year deal. Bourque should be a top-six forward, while the rest will be fighting for spots on the bottom six. New KHL acquisition Vitali Pinchuk will also try to etch out a role in the bottom six.

Defense-wise, they acquired Ilya Lyubushkin from the Stars in the Bourque trade. That was the only defenseman they acquired, and the Predators didn’t change their goalie tandem either. Most of the big positional battles will be in the forward group, but the defense might have some interesting roster battles as well. The preseason will decide all of that, but here are three players that could be on the roster bubble.

Reid Schaefer

Schaefer had a nice season on the Predators’ fourth line last season, with six goals and two assists through 47 games. However, he was mostly in the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals anyway, with 28 points in 33 AHL games.

Schaefer is a massive skater, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 218 pounds, and he showed his physicality off a lot, with 108 hits in the NHL. However, he is expected to be sent down anyway with the additions the Predators have made at forward.

Schaefer is on the entry-level contract that he signed with the Edmonton Oilers, so he can still be sent down if need be. However, he’s 22 years old, and he proved to be a solid fourth-liner last season. Perhaps a team calls for Schaefer, who was acquired in the Mattias Ekholm deal in 2023.

Ozzy Wiesblatt

Wiesblatt, similar to Schaefer, is a physical young forward who was a fringe NHLer. He has become a fan favorite too, with the Predators fandom embracing him following the loss of his brother, Orca. He had 100 hits in 40 games for Nashville last season.

However, Wiesblatt wasn’t as effective as Schaefer, with just five points in 40 games. He has just one more year in which the Predators can send him down to the AHL without placing him on waivers, and he’s also a Group-6 UFA next offseason.

With the competition at center, it’ll be hard for Wiesblatt to get minutes. Vitali Pinchuk looks to take the fourth-line spot from him, and both Alex Kerfoot and Adam Edstrom have center experience. That leaves Wiesblatt on the outside looking in.

Joakim Kemell

Kemell has not had a lot of time in the NHL the Predators drafted him 17th overall in the 2022 NHL draft. He has just 18 NHL games under his belt, and he had a goal and two assists in 16 games last season.

His AHL production has decreased over the years as well. In 2023-24, he had 41 points in 67 games, but those totals went down to 40 points in 65 games in 2024-25 and 29 points in 48 games last season.

He might have to wait a little longer before becoming a full-time NHLer. The Predators already have a lot of depth on the wings. MacFarland’s moves in the offseason suggest that he might try to give Kemell a little more time to develop in the AHL instead of becoming an NHL bottom-sixer.

However, he’ll need to show some development in the AHL, development that he hasn’t shown a ton of so far. Since he relies on his great shot, his development is boom-or-bust, and the pressure is on to show it in the minors this season.

Ryan Ufko

Ufko was a pleasant surprise last season for a defensive core that needed an offensive jolt. The 2021 fourth-round pick had 11 points in 18 games, showing that he could’ve been a late bloomer.

However, his roster spot might be expendable due to the acquisition of Ilya Lyubushkin. The former Dallas Stars defenseman plays on the right side and is more physical than Ufko, potentially leaving their pairings locked entering the season.

I do hope Ufko gets an extended stay in the NHL at some point, not just because of the 18-game sample he had. Ufko was second among Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) defensemen in points, with 44 in 52. He has shown legitimate development, but similarly to Kemell, MacFarland might be trying to keep him from playing on the bottom pairing again by putting him in the AHL.

Justin Barron

Barron was signed to a one-year contract this past offseason. The 24-year-old defenseman was acquired in a one-for-one deal for Alexandre Carrier, a regrettable trade for the Predators, with Carrier blossoming in Montreal.

It’s somewhat unfair to compare Carrier to Barron, who MacFarland has spoken optimistically about. “Justin Barron is a 24-year-old, right-handed defenseman who we feel still has growth in his game,” MacFarland said in a press release. “He can skate and has a lot of physical tools. We’re looking forward to seeing him at our training camp in September.”

Barron had nine points in 52 games last season, after earning 12 in 45 games after the trade. His play on his own end hasn’t leveled out either, and he was known more as an offensive defenseman when the Colorado Avalanche drafted him anyway.

However, Barron could be more of a trade piece. When MacFarland was the Avalanche’s general manager, he traded Barron in the Artturi Lehkonen deal in 2022. With Barron’s uncertain contract future and his uncertain role, the Predators could use him as trade bait.

Prioritizing Development over Ice Time

I’ve harped on this point a few times, but with the moves MacFarland made, it seems like he’s prioritizing player development in the AHL for younger forwards and defensemen. That is why each of the players I’ve listed are younger forwards instead of NHL veterans.

There are a few of these skaters who can be sent down, like Schaefer and Wiesblatt, but some will have to clear waivers to be sent down, like Barron. Those skaters can be used as depth if someone on the roster were to go down as well.

There are a few other honorable mentions who will compete for NHL roster spots, like Brady Martin, Tanner Molendyk, and Aidan Fink. Martin is a solid defensive center who profiles as more of a middle-six or bottom-six center. Molendyk probably needs another season of development in the AHL, but the Predators could use more depth on their left-hand side too. Fink got called up to the AHL last season after three seasons at Penn State, but he could fight for a roster spot too.