The Nashville Predators made a strategic adjustment to their lineup yesterday, as announced by General Manager Barry Trotz. Defensemen Marc Del Gaizo and Kevin Gravel were reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), following competing in last night's game. Gravel, the Admirals Captain and a veteran of 12 seasons, contributed an assist in the team's recent victory over Dallas and has played in every one of Milwaukee's games this season, accumulating a goal and several assists, FOX6Now reported.
The move allows Nashville to potentially soon to witness their blue-line at a renewed strength, especially with the return of star defenseman Roman Josi and the fresh recruitment of Justin Barron from a trade. While the Predators' defense struggled with only a couple of players marking multiple points since December, Josi's return is anticipated to rejuvenate production levels, bringing back his tally of 23 points in 29 games, as detailed by Pro Hockey Rumors.
Del Gaizo, who has seen action in 21 games with the Predators this season, including the recent overtime loss to Pittsburgh, has also earned three point offerings with 17 penalty minutes. Earlier in the campaign, he played in the Admirals' first two games, impressively recording a +1 rating and launching five shots on goal. He made his NHL debut last season and quickly showcased promise by joining an elite group of Predators players who have kicked off their NHL journey with a consecutive three-game point streak, as mentioned by the official Predators news release.
Gravel is positioned to continue his influential role in the AHL, serving as captain for the Admirals. With his reassignment, Milwaukee's defense can likely expect to be boosted by his experience and leadership. Both Gravel and Del Gaizo are set to bring their proven skills back to the AHL, where they have previously amassed commendable stats, amid the back-and-forth of this hockey juggling act. Meanwhile, fans attending today's game against Los Angeles can grab a piece of Smashville's celebration of its Music City heritage with a Tim McGraw bobblehead giveaway for the first 10,000 attendees, as described by the Nashville Predators' official website.
