The Nashville Predators are 2-0 in the NHL Prospect Tournament down in Tampa, but have been without one of their top players.
Defenseman Tanner Molendyk has not played in either of the Predators’ games against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday or the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
He was reportedly injured during Predators pre-tournament practice on Thursday, leaving the ice and not returning.
After a dominant season in the Western Hockey League, making it all the way to the Memorial Cup championship game, Molendyk has the potential to make the Predators roster at the upcoming training camp.
He played with the Saskatoon Blades for 21 games, scoring 21 points. Midway through the season, he was traded to the Medicine Hat Tigers and scored 26 points in 28 regular-season games with the Tigers.
Medicine Hat went on a run in the playoffs, winning the Western Hockey League championship and making it all the way to the Memorial Cup title game. Molendyk had 20 points in 18 playoff games and was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team.
While it’s reported that Molendyk is “day-to-day,” it is more likely he will sit out the prospects tournament in order to be fully healthy for the start of training camp on Sept. 18.
The Predators’ prospects have shone bright in Tampa this weekend, remaining perfect through their first two games.
On Friday, it dispatched the host Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1. Joakim Kemell (2022, 17th overall) scored off a long-range snapshot to tie the game at 1-1 in the second period. In the third period, Brady Martin (2025, 5th overall) scored the game-winning goal on a penalty shot.
The Predators returned to the ice on Saturday to face the Carolina Hurricanes. After going down 1-0 early, Cole O’Hara (2022, 114th overall) redirected a shot from the point into the net to tie the game late in the second period.
Carolina took the lead back in the third period, but a nice move by Kalan Lind from the forehand to the backhand tied the game up. In the final minute, Reid Schaefer tapped in a pass from Ryan Ufko (2021, 115th overall) to give the Predators a green light to a 3-2 win.
Nashville will play its final game of the NHL Prospect Tournament on Monday against the Florida Panthers at 11 a.m. CST. The game can be watched on the Nashville Predators website.
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