Could a trade be imminent?
Probably not but it’s a question worth asking after the Nashville Predators reassigned Kyle Wilson to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, today.
With Wilson headed to Milwaukee, the Preds now have only 12 forwards on their current NHL roster: Martin Erat, Mike Fisher, Matt Halischuk, Patric Hornqvist, Sergei Kostitsyn, David Legwand, Brian McGrattan, Craig Smith, Jerred Smithson, Nick Spaling, Jordin Tootoo and Colin Wilson. That gives the Preds exactly four lines worth of players up front and zero extras standing by, either as healthy scratches or as players on injured reserve.
Keep in mind that this is a club who has always carried a couple extra players just in case something goes awry. Hence why we pose the trade question.
The NHL’s holiday roster freeze begins on Monday, December 19 and doesn’t release until midnight (okay, 12:01am) Eastern on Wednesday, December 28. This means that, if General Manager David Poile wanted to pull the trigger on a deal, he would need all of his ducks in a row by Monday morning or have to wait a week and half.
A week and a half in which Nashville has four games. Five if you assume the player(s) coming into town wouldn’t be here in time for Wednesday night’s tilt against the league’s best Minnesota Wild. In five games, there are 10 points on the line. In the Western Conference especially, that can be the difference between getting into the playoffs and being a lottery pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
In short, don’t be surprised if news breaks that the Predators have made a trade before Monday’s roster freeze. But, at the same time, don’t be surprised if nothing happens at all. Poile is always at his best when everyone least expects it. And, right now, we’re half expecting it.
The official press release is below.
***
Nashville, Tenn. (December 16, 2011) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has reassigned forward Kyle Wilson to Milwaukee (AHL).
Wilson, 26 (12/15/84), suited up for five games during his first stint with the Predators, going pointless and averaging 8:08 of ice time.
Coming off an exciting 4-3 come-from-behind victory last night over the Central Division rival Detroit Red Wings, the Predators return to action tomorrow (7 p.m., FSTN, 102.5 The Game, McDonald’s Family 4 Pack Night) to take on the St. Louis Blues, looking to finish up their current home stand with a 4-0-0 sweep. To purchase tickets, visit nashvillepredators.com,ticketmaster.com or call 615-770-PUCK (7825).