Preds Mailbag: Cody Glass’ Future, Where Will Tanner Molendyk Play?

With it being the dead of the NHL offseason, what better way to keep readers engaged than by answering some fan questions?

Here’s the first installment of Lower Broad Hockey’s monthly Preds mailbag.

Question (Gray Richards, LBH subscriber): Are there any players that spent the majority of last season in Milwaukee that you expect to make an impact at the NHL level this year? Can you explain what Tanner Molendyk’s situation is like this year since he has played 4 WHL seasons but is not yet 20? I believe that makes him AHL eligible, but just want some clarification on that.

MG: There’s only two players who spent most or all of last season in the AHL that I could see getting some (decent) NHL playing time this season: Zachary L’Heureux and Marc Del Gaizo. L’Heureux had a strong year and he was even better in the playoffs. GM Barry Trotz is a big fan of his, and with a strong showing at training camp, Trotz could decide L’Herueux is ready for the next step. I’d put it at 70/30 he starts the year in Milwaukee though.

Del Gaizo gave a good account of himself in the few games he played in Nashville last year, and he should be the first defenseman call up should there be an injury or anything else that shakes up the blue line.

As far as Molendyk goes, the NHL-CHL agreement states that CHL-drafted prospects can’t be assigned to the AHL unless they’ve played four seasons in juniors OR they turn 20 years old by Dec. 31 of their current season. Because Molendyk meets the four-season requirement, he’s eligible to start the year in Milwaukee. However, he told us at development camp that he’ll likely start the year back in Saskatoon unless the Preds have other plans for him.

Question (Kyle Lenz, LBH subscriber): Is there any insight on Felix Nilsson? It feels like it's very quiet around him considering he was a 2nd round pick. Haven't heard much and I'm curious of his progression.

MG: Nilsson is currently competing at the IIHF World Junior Summer Showcase, and he’s having a solid showing so far, notching one point in two games. In terms of his 2023 season, Nilsson split his time between Rogle BK J20 of the J20 Nationell (Swedish junior league), where he logged eight goals and 23 points in 22 games, and Rogle BK in the Swedish Hockey League (the top hockey league in Sweded), where he tallied one goal and three points in 41 games. Nilsson will play the 2024 season with IK Oskarshamn in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest league in Sweden behind the SHL, which will give him a step up in competition from juniors but not have him play out of his element like he was in the SHL.

Question (Jahstew, LBH subscriber): What kind of trade rumors have been floating around for Tomasino and Fabbro? When can we expect the Cody Glass experiment to come to an end? Is he one of the most impressive busts of the past decade?

MG: As of today, I haven’t heard anything on Tomasino in terms of teams inquiring about trading for him or the Preds looking to move him. I expect Nashville to hold onto him and for him to sign his qualifying offer once the team has the cap space available. Things are quiet on the Fabbro front as well. I know last year Vancouver expressed mild interest in acquiring him, and a few other teams kicked the tires around the trade deadline, but I don’t have specifics as to which ones. Trotz did mention needing to make another move or two to free up some cap space, and Fabbro would seem like a logical player to move given his $2.5 million salary. Of anyone on the Preds roster, I’d expect Glass to be dealt first. He seems like the odd man out in the forward group and his $2.5 million salary would make room to re-sign Tomasino and Juuso Parssinen. I wouldn’t call him a bust though. I mean, he did flash potential two seasons ago when he scored 14 goals and 35 points when given more top-six opportunities. The problem with Glass is he needs to play for a team where there’s little pressure to be a driver of offense. Unfortunately, that’s not the Predators, who now have Stanley Cup aspirations after signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.

Question (Elliott Scokin, LBH subscriber): If you can’t move Glass why wouldn’t you just send him to Milwaukee and bury the cap hit? Worst case is he’s claimed and you don’t give up a pick like y’all mentioned on the podcast?

MG: Sending Glass back to Milwaukee is an option. If he’s placed on waivers and another team claims him, that solves part of Nashville’s cap issue. But why let a player go for nothing if there’s a possibility he can bring back an asset, especially after the Eeli Tolvanen debacle? I also believe the coaching staff sees Glass’ potential and they just don’t want to give up on a player like that so soon. What we mentioned on “The Gold Standard” podcast this week was actually offering one of the Preds’ multiple second- or third-round picks to entice a team to take Luke Schenn, who has nearly zero trade value and a $2.75 million salary that would be beneficial in getting rid of.

Question (Jeff, LBH subscriber): I haven’t heard a lot of talk about it, but what do you guys think about the addition of Kieffer Bellows?

MG: I think it’s a solid move for the Admirals. Bellows was a top-20 pick in 2016 when he was coming off a 50-goal, 81-point season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He’s still just 26, so there’s a chance he can be a big contributor in Milwaukee. Bellow scored 27 goals and 49 points in 52 games for the Toronto Marlies last year, so he’s a proven scorer in the AHL. If you’re asking about him potentially factoring into the Preds’ future plans, the ship has probably sailed on him being an impact NHLer.

Question (Pete, LBH subscriber): Simple one — who goes to get them under the cap.  (OK, it’s really “short” not “simple”)

MG: The three logical choices here are Schenn ($2.75M cap hit), Glass ($2.5M cap hit) and Fabbro ($2.5M cap hit). I don’t think Nashville wants to get rid of Fabbro unless they get an offer too good to turn down, so he likely stays — for now. Schenn really should be the one to be moved considering he offers the least of all Nashville’s defensemen, but with his cap hit, the Preds are going to have to throw in a sweetener for another team to take him. Glass makes the most sense to go considering the logjam at forward. I just don’t see him beating out Parssinen or Tomasino for an NHL roster spot.

Question (Kevin Troope, LBH subscriber): Do you know what arena upgrades that will be done this offseason? If it's been mentioned somewhere by the org I missed it.

MG: The most recent arena upgrade is “The Studio,” which is a premium club space that’s set to open during the 2024 season. I don’t know if the team has officially announced any other renovations or upgrades recently. Last season, they added the Music City Taps Bar located in Section 119, Big Machine Vodka Electric Lounge at Section 120, Twice Daily’s with Amazon Just Walk Out technology at Section 323 and Section 113, a new Lexus Lounge LED screen, pedestal ticket scanners to decrease time in line for fans and cotton Candy robots, plus they added new spotlights and a DJ platform.

Question (Ryan Vircik): Should Cody Glass get a shot at the second line center position over Novak? Also which young player do you think will fill that open spot left by Sherwood? What do you think about the alternate red jerseys and which player do you think will breakout?

MG: No. I like Glass, and I really hope he figures it out and becomes a full-time NHLer, but I can’t in good conscience make an argument for him to center the second line over someone like Novak, who’s been a solid points producer in back-to-back seasons. Additionally, I truly believe Glass’ best bet to stick in the NHL is as a winger and not a center. He plays better when he’s not counted on to be the driver of his line’s offense, and he looked much better last season once Andrew Brunette moved him to the wing.

As for filling Sherwood’s spot, my money is on Parssinen. His time in Milwaukee I think served him well in terms of refining his game, and he just fits that gritty, bruising bottom-six role perfectly. A case could also be made for Tomasino. The red Admirals jerseys are OK, but not my cup of tea. Red is such a violent color and I much prefer the navy and light blue tones. Are we talking which Admirals players breakout? I’d have to say Kemell and Svechkov. If we’re talking Predators players, I’d go with Luke Evangelista.

Question (Ed Hilinski): What’s left for Preds management to do for this current roster? What needs should be addressed?

MG: The main thing left is to clear cap space to re-sign the team’s RFAs. That likely involves trading one or more of Glass, Fabbro and Schenn (as mentioned above). Once that’s taken care of, the next logical step is to start assessing which roster spots are up for grabs and identifying which players in Milwaukee, if any, could be ready to compete for those spots.

Follow Michael Gallagher on X/Twitter @MGsports_