Brendan Leipsic has agreed to terms with the Nashville Predators.
Leipsic was taken by Nashville with the 89th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He had 120 points and 103 penalty minutes in 68 WHL games with the Portland Winterhawks this season.

The Nashville Predators tabbed Phil Housley to replace fired associate coach Peter Horachek.
Housley, who coached the U.S. in the 2013 world juniors, will be an assistant on Barry Trotz's staff. It'll be interesting to see how Housley affects Nashville's long-dormant offense, particularly on the power play. Trotz very much prefers a defensive, two-way game, which seems to contradict Housley's playing style. Then again, Horachek was fired Monday after the Predators finished with the second-worst record in the Western Conference, which also included one the lowest goals-score totals in the league.

Pekka Rinne said he expects to be much better next season after undergoing hip surgery.
Rinne wouldn't blame his sub-par year on the injury, but he was pretty clear about how much he expects it to help matters. "I'm positive it will be better," Rinne said Monday. "Right now I'm just happy it's taken care of and hopefully I can return stronger. I'm sure once I get back on the ice, I'll notice the biggest differences." Rinne is expected to remain on crutches for six more weeks and hopes to ready to play by the time training camp opens in September.

The Nashville Predators fired associate coach Peter Horachek, sources close to the team told The Tennessean on Monday.
Horachek has been with the Predators organization since the 2002-03 season when he was hired to coach Nashville's AHL affiliate. In 2003, he joined the staff of the NHL club and was promoted to associate coach prior to the 2011-12 campaign.

The Nashville Predators will make the signing of Roman Josi a priority in the off-season.
Josi will become a restricted free agent in the off-season and the Predators want him to add muscle in the off-season as they think he lacks "man strength" according to coach Barry Trotz. Josi is second on the Predators depth chart on the blueline, behind Shea Weber and is expected to be an integral part of the Nashville defense for many years to come. He had five goals and 18 points in 48 games this season and should hit the 35-40 point mark next season if he remains healthy.

The Nashville Predators don't have the best history with goaltenders.
Before Pekka Rinne, the Predators' previous four starting goaltenders - Mike Dunham, Tomas Vokoun, Chris Mason, and Dan Ellis - all either lost their job to injuries and/or an unexpected decline in play. Nashville obviously bet on that trend ending when they inked Rinne to a seven-year, $49-million contract. Unfortunately, Rinne battled through an injury this season and recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left hip recently. He's projected to need four months to recover, so he should be fine by the start of 2013-14 campaign. However, given the Predators history, there is some concern that this won't be the end of Rinne's problems.

The Nashville Predators want Roman Josi to get bigger in the off-season.
Josi worked on his nutrition last season and dropped from 12.5 percent body fat to 8.5 percent and will work on bulking up this off-season. "His conditioning was better," GM David Poile said. "We talked about his nutrition, his strength. When you're going to be playing big minutes like he did this year, you're going to need that." Josi increased his playing time over five minutes per game this season and should get a bigger share of ice time again next season, if he can handle it.

The Nashville Predators are unsure as to whether or not they will re-sign RFA to be Bobby Butler.
Butler is currently with Team USA at the World Championships. His inconsistent play caused the Devils to place him on waivers where the Predators grabbed him in March. "He hasn't been consistent. If we can get his 'A' game all the time, we have a spot for him. But his inconsistency is what has held him back," GM David Poile said. "We have to get a handle on whether he's 'A' game Bobby or something less than that,"

Colin Wilson underwent stabilization surgery on his left shoulder on Monday.
If you're experiencing deja vu, it's because Wilson had the same procedure on his right shoulder a few weeks back. Wilson's right shoulder was injured in March, but he's had chronic problems with the left one. He's expected to need four-to-six months to recover.

Nashville GM David Poile said Thursday that number one netminder Pekka Rinne underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left hip recently.
His recovery is set at four months and he's expected to be at 100 percent in time for training camp. Rinne had an off year in 2013, which says a lot about how good he's been since he posted a respectable 2.43 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 43 games. The Finnish keeper was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in his two previous seasons and the procedure should help him get back on track.

The Nashville Predators haven't made much progress recently in their contract negotiations with Roman Josi.
Josi is eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer. The Predators have already locked up Patric Hornqvist to a five-year deal before he could become an RFA. "We're talking to Roman just as we were with Patric and his representatives, and we're trying," Predators GM David Poile said. "You never know in a negotiation, but the intent on both sides is to get something done."

Patric Hornqvist is upbeat about the Predators' future after signing a five-year, $21.25 million contract.
Hornqvist would have been a restricted free agent this summer. "I think we have something really good here going," Hornqvist said. "I want to stay here. I like it here. Great place to live and a great place to play. The fans are great; it was a quick deal." Hornqvist, who was limited to 24 games this season, is one of the few offensive weapons the Predators have so locking him up was vital.

Nashville Predators sign Patric Hornqvist to five-year, $21.25 million contract.
Hornqvist had a disappointing, injury-filled 2013 campaign and registered just four goals and 14 points in 24 games. He was scheduled for restricted free agency this summer and it's possible the Shea Weber experience last summer scared Nashville into locking Hornqvist up for the long term before an offer sheet even became an option.

Shea Weber wants to remain with the Nashville Predators and is committed to their rebuilding process.
"For sure, definitely," Weber said Sunday. "I'm committed to everything here -- committed to the team and coaching staff and my teammates, and committed to being better for them and getting back to the postseason." Weber's been locked in to the process since Nashville matched a 14-year, $110 million offer sheet Weber signed with the Flyers last summer. There have been rumblings that Weber might want out after flirting with leaving already and while these words seem to dispute that notion, what one says in public can be entirely different to what is said in private. Time will tell if Weber is true to his words and if the Preds can afford to pay the defenseman the full freight on that massive deal.

The Nashville Predators will pick fourth in the upcoming NHL entry draft on June 30 after losing the draft lottery Monday night.
The lottery is a strange place for Nashville to be, especially as high as No. 4, but GM Dave Poile should be able to land an impact player with the selection. While defenseman Seth Jones is all but assured to go No. 1 to Colorado, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin and Aleksander Barkov are considered elite-level prospects and should go two through four, in some order.

Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz called out Craig Smith and Sergei Kostitsyn for their lack of production this season.
"We expected production from Sergei and Craig Smith and we got none," Trotz said. "Both those guys, we were looking at them to be top-six, top-seven forwards and we got no production." Ouch. Smith finished with four goals and 12 points while Kostitsyn scored three goals and 15 points. Both were pretty big disappointments for a Predators team that finished tied for last in the NHL in scoring with 2.27 goals per game.

Nashville has a 10.7 percent chance to win NHL Draft Lottery Monday night and claim the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft.
If Florida, Colorado or Tampa Bay win they Nashville will make their selection at No. 4 since those are the only teams that finished with worse records than the Predators.

Filip Forsberg will return to Sweden and finish high school.
Forsberg was recalled for the last game of the season and ended up playing five games this year for the Predators after being traded from Washington at the deadline. He has a very bright NHL future as he is an all-round player. Not a bad gig to play in the NHL and then have to return home to finish high school. He is worth picking up in all keeper pools next season.

The Nashville Predators have sent Joonas Rask and five others to the minors to participate in the AHL playoffs.
Daniel Bang, Taylor Beck, Kevin Henderson, Chris Mueller and Victor Bartley will see some playoff action as the Milwaukee Admirals are tied at one apiece with the Texas Stars.

Colin Wilson feels great after undergoing shoulder stabilization surgery two weeks ago.
"It feels amazing," Wilson said. "I already know I'm ahead of schedule, and it's doing very well," he said. "I was told (surgery) was going to be the most painful experience of my life, waking up from that, but I didn't even have any pain." Wilson was expected to be out four-six months but his recovery is going a lot better than thought and he could be ready for the start of training camp.

Sergei Kostitsyn suffered an MCL injury Saturday and will need two-four weeks to recover.
It was the last game of the regular season and with the Predators on the outside looking in at the playoffs, it will only interfere with his off-season. Just an FYI as he had only three goals and 15 points in 46 games this season and should not have been in your lineup.

Pekka Rinne will undergo an MRI on Monday for an undisclosed injury.
Rinne struggled in 2013 after back-to-back seasons as a Vezina Trophy finalist as he was 15-16-8 with a 2.43 GAA and a .910 save percentage, although he did lead the NHL with five shutouts. "It's something that has been there, and something I need to take care of now in the offseason," Rinne said in regards to his injury. "But I wouldn't say anything too serious." Rinne will see doctors on Tuesday who will make that determination. Do not forget about him in 2013-14, as he will likely return to form.

Patric Hornqvist will become a restricted free agent in July if he does not re-sign in the interim with Nashville.
Hornqvist had a disappointing injury-filled season in 2013 as he had only four goals and 14 points in 24 games after scoring 27, 21 and 30 goals in his previous three seasons. Look for Hornqvist to re-sign with the Predators as the 26-year-old will likely be able to score 20-plus goals in 2013-14.

Matt Halischuk expects to undergo shoulder surgery on Monday.
The good news is that the young winger expects to be good to go for training camp. Halischuk had 11 points in 2013, including four points in his final three contests.

In light of his injury issues, Pekka Rinne will opt out of the 2013 IIHF World Championships tournament, which is right around the corner.
While fantasy owners likely appreciated the fact that he gutted out this very tough season, you wonder why the Nashville Predators continued to trot out a hurting Rinne when the 2013 campaign was clearly lost. The team's made some puzzling decisions lately, though.

Predators GM David Poile said Saturday he doesn't intend to make any coaching or staffing changes in the offseason despite the team's struggles this year.
"Nothing has felt right, virtually the whole year," Poile said. "It's hard to put your finger on it exactly because it's not just one thing. It's everything that you can think of." That said, Poile definitely has faith in the ability of coach Barry Trotz and his staff to determine what went wrong and get things turned around next year.

Kevin Henderson was called up from the minors on Saturday April 27.

Pekka Rinne was apparently playing hurt this season.
"He's had a bit of a nagging thing all year. It just needs to settle down a little bit, and a little bit of reset too. There's no sense to risk anything," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "We're going to have some exit meetings. Pekka has to get away and heal a little bit and then we'll start that process. You need a little time away for a second here. He needs to get healthy and then we'll start that process." That might explain Rinne's drop-off this season. He had a 2.43 GAA and .910 save percentage in 43 games this season.

Chris Mason will play between the pipes on Saturday.
Nashville has nothing left to play for, so Mason will get back-to-back starts. He has a 3.97 GAA and .852 save percentage in 10 games this season.

The Nashville Predators have sent Daniel Bang to the minors.
Bang will presumably play for the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 1 of the first round on Friday. He has two assists in seven games with Nashville this season.

Kevin Henderson has been sent to the minors.
Henderson has a goal in three games with Nashville this season. He also has 17 goals and 29 points in 67 AHL contests.

The Nashville Predators have called up Filip Forsberg.
Forsberg has an assist in four NHL games. They probably wouldn't have called him up unless they intend to use him on Saturday.

Matt Halischuk suffered a shoulder injury on Thursday.
Halischuk was hurt in the second period and that ended his night. "It could be a little longer than a week or two," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "I'm not a doctor, it's not just a bump or a bruise." In other words, Halischuk will miss the season finale on Saturday.

Joonas Rask made his NHL debut on Thursday.
Rask was limited to just 6:36 minutes and finished with a minus-two rating. "It was a hard game, because the first two periods I had few shifts," Rask said. "Hard to get in the game. I was trying to enjoy the game and have fun." He had five goals and 10 points in 52 SM-liiga games this season.

Chris Mason admitted that he was rusty on Thursday.
Mason allowed five goals on 38 shots in what was just his fifth start of the season. "It's tough. Not really getting frustrated, but you have to be realistic about it. Obviously I would like to be great every game, but when you get in there and you're in situations you haven't been in a long time, it's tough to be at your best," Mason said. "For me personally from the last game to how I felt this game was a lot better. We didn't win, but I look at it as a step in the right direction." He has a 3.97 GAA and .852 save percentage this season.

Mike Fisher scored a goal and recorded an assist in his return from a hand injury on Thursday.
Fisher missed seven games as a result of the injury. He also had five hits and logged 18:53 minutes in Nashville's 5-2 loss to Detroit.

Shea Weber is on a three-game point streak.
From a fantasy perspective, Weber got off to a rough start this season but still has six goals and 27 points in 47 games. Those numbers are impressive when you factor in just how anemic the Predators' were offensively this season. They currently rank 29th in the league with an average of 2.30 goals per game.

Mike Fisher returned to action on Thursday April 25.

Nashville's Craig Smith registered a goal and an assist in a 5-2 loss to Detroit Thursday.
Smith has generally been disappointing this year after a promising rookie campaign in 2011-12, but a strong finish could generate some momentum heading to next year. Mike Fisher also picked up a goal and an assist in the losing effort.

Chris Mason ceded five goals to the Red Wings on 38 shots Thursday as the Predators were defeated by a score of 5-2.
Mason is no longer even one of the league's better backups so it shouldn't be surprising that he struggled against the Red Wings in a game they needed to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race.

Chris Mason will tend to Nashville's goal on Thursday night versus Detroit.
His last appearance came on April 12 in a 5-2 loss to Dallas when he made only 13 saves. Mason has a 1-5-1 record this year to go with an .848 save percentage and a 3.79 GAA.

The Predators are encouraged by the progress of Roman Josi this season and they have high hopes for him in the future.
"He's going to continue to get stronger and get that man-strength," coach Barry Trotz said. "I think he's still at that boy-strength. That man-strength, where you run into a guy and go, 'Wow, OK, I'm not sure I can handle this guy,' ... that's where I think his next step is in terms of the physical stuff." He has 18 points in 46 games this year after he posted 16 in 52 contests last season. Josi has received more ice time this campaign and he's performed well with his increased role.

Nashville has summoned Joonas Rask from AHL Milwaukee.
He will probably make his NHL debut Thursday night against Detroit. Rask had a goal and an assist in his first AHL game last Friday after he came to North America from the SM-liiga in Finland.

Filip Forsberg has been assigned to the minors by Nashville.
In four NHL appearances with the Predators, Forsberg has one assist and 10 shots. If he suited up in more than five games then it would've used up a year on his entry-level deal. He still could re-join the big club for Saturday's regular-season finale, but it's unclear if that will happen.

Austin Watson has been sent down to the minors.
Watson has a goal in six games with Nashville this season. He also has 37 points in 72 AHL contests.

Mike Fisher (hand) will likely rejoin the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
"I'll skate tomorrow, but the plan is to play tomorrow and Saturday," Fisher said on Wednesday. "I've been feeling pretty good, but am excited to get back at it." Fisher hasn't played since April 6. He has 19 points and 27 penalty minutes in 36 games this season.

Patric Hornqvist (upper body) won't play in Nashville's last two games.
Hornqvist will finish the season with four goals and 14 points in 24 contests. If he manages to stay healthy, he should go back to recording 40-50 points in 2013-14.

Miikka Salomaki signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Predators on Wednesday.
Salomaki was the team's 2011 second-round pick. he has spent the last three seasons in the Finnish Elite League, tallying 50 points and 153 penalty minutes in 122 games.

Shea Weber contributed two assists in Nashville's 4-3 Tuesday win versus Calgary.
He set up an even-strength marker by David Legwand and a power-play goal by Nick Spaling. Austin Watson recorded his first NHL goal in the match and Matt Halischuk produced the game winner.

Pekka Rinne faced only 18 shots in Nashville's 4-3 win over Calgary Tuesday.
His peripheral statistics won't benefit from his showing but he did raise his record to 15-16-8 on the year with the victory, which was his first since April 2. Rinne hasn't been himself this campaign, but he expect him to return to form next season.

Pekka Rinne is expected to start in net Tuesday night.
Rinne is the only man getting anywhere near Nashville's net the rest of this season. Although Rinne hasn't won since April 2, he's had some good efforts and is often let down by a sub-par team in front of him.

Nashville Predators recall Austin Watson from AHL Milwaukee.
Watson was recalled along with Daniel Bang and Kevin Henderson on Tuesday. With Nashville out of the playoff chase, the Predators are using their final few games to evaluate some of their young talent. The trio will play tonight and Thursday before heading back to Milwaukee for the Admirals' first playoff game Friday night.

Filip Forsberg is expected to play in the Predators' next two games, but his status for the season finale is very much in doubt.
If Forsberg plays in all of the Predators' remaining three games, Nashville will activate the first year of his entry-level contract. That makes it extremely unlikely Forsberg will play Saturday against the Red Wings and will likely head to Nashville's AHL affiliate for their playoff run.

Patric Hornqvist (upper body) and Brandon Yip (lower body) won't play Tuesday night.
Hornqvist has been skating in practice and could return in one of the Predators' two remaining games Thursday or Saturday. Yip's return is a tad uncertain although he could play before the end of the regular season. Neither player has much impact on fantasy circles so their absence at this point shouldn't affect your lineup.

Mike Fisher (hand) will not make his return Tuesday night after all.
Fisher has been sidelined since April 6 and is running out of time if he wants to return this season. The Predators won't make the postseason and have just two games left after Tuesday night. Fisher's next target will be Thursday against the Red Wings.

Hal Gill will play in his 1,100th career game Tuesday.
Gill will be the 16th active player to hit the milestone. Congratulations to Gill on the achievement.

Despite missing the playoffs, the Nashville Predators are continuing to draw well.
The Predators have sold out 20 of their 23 home games thus far this season as the fans are supporting the team. "Theyƒ?Tre going to support us right through the end," captain Shea Weber said, "and we're very grateful for that."

Mike Fisher (hand) might return on Tuesday.
Fisher hasn't played since April 6. "I just needed time to heal up, and sprains can take a long time. Just have to be kind of patient," Fisher said. Nashville can't make the playoffs, so their season will end on Saturday.

Taylor Beck will miss Tuesday's contest with an upper body injury.
Beck has three goals and seven points in 16 games this season. Consider him day-to-day, although obviously this is the final week of Nashville's campaign.

Pekka Rinne is Nashville's nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Rinne has certainly persevered. He was selected by the Nashville Predators as an eighth round pick, but has become one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. This season he's played in 42 of Nashville's 45 games and has done his best despite a lack of offensive support from his teammates. He hasn't won a game since April 2, but has had some good starts since then.

Barry Trotz wants the Nashville Predators to rediscover its team identity according to The Nashville Tennessean.
The Predators seem to be lacking in offensive scoring and that has hindered the team the last few years although they always managed to make the playoffs before this season. "I think you have to have a balance of all types of players, be it hard players, be it skill players, be it role players, we had too many of the same," Trotz said of the 2013 season. "We're going to try to retool that a little bit, and then we have to get back to a little bit of our identity."

A recent stint in the AHL turned out to be productive for Predators forward Matt Halischuk.
Halischuk spent two games with the Milwaukee Admirals in March and recorded three points in the process before rejoining the Preds, where he has notched nine points in 18 games. Coach Barry Trotz believes the short period of time he spent in the minors allowed him to refocus, saying "I think it was a little bit of a mental thing. I think it was a little bit of an urgency thing. Sometimes you're playing hard and working hard, but that edge, that 2 percent that you need to have a little edge, a little more bit in your game, a little more determination in your game, a little more execution, urgency - whatever word you want to associate it with - I think sometimes when a player goes down, they realize, `OK, I have to get my game in order.' " Halischuk is worth a look in very deep leagues for the final few games of the season.

Kevin Klein returned to action on Friday April 19.

Matt Halischauk was one bright spot in the Predators' 5-4 overtime loss to Chicago Friday night.
He scored two goals and registered an assist in the contest. To give you an idea how out of character this week was for Halischuk, his three points represents 30% of his season scoring total. Bobby Butler and Kevin Henderson scored the Preds' other goals. For Henderson, it was his first NHL goal.

Pekka Rinne continues to bear the brunt of his team's lackluster defense.
In Friday's night's 5-4 overtime loss to Chicago, Rinne tunred aside 25 of 30 shots and saw his record fall to a disappointing 14-17-7. Rinne certainly misses Ryan Suter, who signed a multi-year cotact with the Wild over the summer.

The Nashville Predators have recalled Daniel Bang.
Bang participated in Nashville's last four contests, but was briefly returned to the minors. He's back with the Predators on an emergency basis.

Kevin Henderson has been summoned by the Nashville Predators.
Henderson has 16 goals and 27 points in 65 AHL games this season. The 26-year-old is projected make his NHL debut on Friday.

Predators coach Barry Trotz predicted that the franchise is in for a "very busy" summer.
Nashville will miss the playoffs this season and they'll obviously want to bolster their roster, ideally by adding skilled forwards that can revive their anemic offense. However, that doesn't mean the Predators team will look fundamentally different in 2013-14. "It doesn't call for, in my view, a wholesale change and we're going to clean house and start over. We're not doing that," Predators chairman Tom Cigarran said. "We have to get our players, who are really good players, healthy and playing again. We need to get some of our young kids to continue to develop." Predators CEO Jeff Cogen added that this season is a "pothole," but that doesn't mean that they're on the wrong path.

Filip Forsberg has impressed Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz so far.
"My first impressions are that I love him," Trotz said. "I've been around a lot of young guys and the ones that turn out to be really good players - top players - have a certain swagger to them. They carry themselves a certain way and I see that in him." Trotz also praised Forsberg's heavy shot and his eagerness to use it. Forsberg is searching for his first NHL point after playing in two games.

What's left of the Nashville Predators season has essentially turned into a prequel for next season's training camp.
"This really gives us a jumpstart to next year, seeing what we have and where we need to go," said Trotz. "We still want to win. We're athletes, and anytime you lose, you don't feel good. But it's more of a teaching and pride environment than it is critical." This is giving them a chance to evaluate prospects like Filip Forsberg. Nashville fell flat this season, but they have plenty of young and talented players, so you can't count them out in 2013-14.

Nashville Predators reassign Mattias Ekholm to AHL Milwaukee.
Ekholm played just one game after being recalled. He was demoted along with Austin Watson and Daniel Bang on Tuesday.

Nashville Predators reassign Austin Watson to AHL Milwaukee.
Watson made his NHL debut April 7 but had yet to register a point in five games with the Predators. He'll be much better suited for the AHL at this point of his career where he can continue to develop confidence and grow. Watson, the Predators' No.1 pick in 2010, had 20 goals and 36 points in 68 AHL games season.

Nashville Predators reassign Daniel Bang to AHL Milwaukee.
Bang was recalled on April 9. He had two assists in four NHL games and has no fantasy value.

Patric Hornqvist has been sidelined again by an upper-body injury.
Hornqvist is expected to skate on his own on Wednesday and coach Barry Trotz said he expects Hornqvist to return before the end of the regular season. Hornqvist has four goals and 14 points in 24 games this season.

Mike Fisher (hand) is expected to skate on his own on Wednesday.
Fisher has been in and out of the lineup lately due to the hand injury, mostly recently missing the last five games. The Predators are off until Friday, but it's premature at this point to speculate when he'll return to the lineup.

Brandon Yip (lower body) is expected to return to practice Wednesday.
Yip has been sidelined since suffering the injury April 7. He has just three goals and seven points in 35 games this season and shouldn't be in your lineup.

Paul Gaustad had successful shoulder stabilization surgery Monday.
He will need four months of rehab which will take him into August, well ahead of the start of training camp.

Colin Wilson underwent successful shoulder stabilization surgery and will need about four months to recover.
Barring any setbacks, Wilson should be fine to go for training camp. He had 19 points in 25 games this season. Look for him to be a 55-60 point player next season.

Gabriel Bourque's surgery to repair a torn meniscus went well and he will be out for two-four weeks.
Unfortunately, the Predators were eliminated from playoff contention on Monday evening so Bourque's season is over. He had 11 goals in 34 games this season.

Pekka Rinne allowed five goals on 24 shots in the Predators' 5-2 loss to the Canucks Monday night.
The Nashville Predators offense has been absolutely anemic in this 48-game shortened season and it has hurt Rinne's fantasy value. Things simply haven't gone as planned in Nashville this season and Rinne hasn't been quite himself. However, continue to start him and hope that his teammates can give him some better support.

Bobby Butler potted a goal in Nashville's 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks Monday night.
Butler has never found the consistency to offer any real value on a fantasy team. His best offensive campaign came in 2010-11 with Ottawa when he had 10 goals and 21 points in 35 contests. He has only three goals this season.

Mattias Ekholm is projected to make his season debut on Monday.
When Ekholm last played for the Predators in 2011, coach Barry Trotz said Ekholm was "horrible." However, Trotz thinks he'll be much better this time around.

Kevin Klein is dealing with an upper body injury.
Klein's injury is being classified as below the neck, so read into that as you will. He has three goals and 12 points in 43 games this season.

Pekka Rinne will play between the pipes on Monday.
Rinne has a 2.00 GAA and .939 save percentage in his last seven starts...and a 1-5-1 record. The Nashville Predators offense has been absolutely anemic and that's stunted Rinne's fantasy value all season.

Gabriel Bourque will have surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus.
Bourque should be fine for the start of the 2013-14 season. He had 11 goals in 34 games this season and was tied for the Predators lead with David Legwand when he was injured.

Colin Wilson will have a procedure on his injured shoulder Monday.
The minor surgery will keep him out for the rest of the season. Wilson was having his best season to date when hurt as he had 19 points in 25 games. He is worth looking at in deeper pools next season.

Paul Gaustad will have his season ending shoulder surgery Monday.
Gaustad will need four-to-six months of recovery time and he hopes to be ready for the start of the 2013-14 season. Gaustad had only five points in 23 games but did have 40 hits.

Filip Forsberg's NHL debut didn't exactly go as planned Sunday, as the Predators were beaten by Detroit by a score of 3-0.
Forsberg was the key acquisition for the Predators in the deal that saw Martin Erat join the Capitals and the club felt it would be a good idea to get him a taste of the NHL right away. The rookie fired two shots on goal and registered a minus-2 rating in 18:37 of action in his first NHL game.

Pekka Rinne allowed two goals on 31 shots Sunday, but was saddled with a loss in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Red Wings.
The loss is the fifth straight for Rinne, but at this juncture every loss simply reduces his sticker price next season. He's already looking like one of the league's better bounce-back candidates for 2013-14.

Filip Forsberg is expected to play in his first NHL game as the Nashville Predators face the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
Predators fans are eager to see what the biggest piece of the Martin Erat trade is capable of. The Washington Capitals drafted him 11th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, so expectations are high.

Filip Forsberg is expected to participate in Nashville's morning skate Sunday and he may play Sunday night against Detroit.
"If everything is all good then I will put him in the lineup tomorrow," Trotz said Saturday. "David (Poile) has talked to him, and he's on his way. He has been skating. If he feels comfortable, and we'll have a morning skate, I'll put him in the lineup tomorrow."

Chris Mason kicked out just 13 of 18 shots in a 5-2 loss Friday night against the Dallas Stars.
Pekka Rinne is not injured, he just got the night off Friday. Mason has actually been pretty good when he's gotten a chance to play this season, but he's not going to get many starts with Rinne around.

Bobby Butler potted a goal in Nashville's 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars Friday night.
He's a long way from being fantasy-relevant, but it's a step in the right direction for Butler. His best offensive campaign came in 2010-11 with Ottawa when he had 10 goals and 21 points in 35 contests. However, he's never found the consistency to offer any real value on a fantasy team.

David Legwand has racked up 16 points in his last 18 games.
In his past eight outings, he has four goals and eight points. "David is competing really hard. He knows that he has to carry a lot of the load and is showing his ability," coach Barry Trotz said. "He's using his ability on a consistent basis shift-in and shift-out, and you talk about being a real good pro and producing and trying to make a difference. He has been trying to make a difference." He has also done a good job of taking advantage of shoot-first linemates Taylor Beck and Patric Hornqvist.

Gabriel Bourque will have a procedure on his meniscus that will end his season.
He has been out of action since April 7 with an unrelated upper body injury. Bourque is currently tied with David Legwand for the team goal-scoring lead with 11 markers in 34 games this season.

Colin Wilson will undergo a procedure on his shoulder that will sideline him for the rest of the season.
The Predators' offense has really missed Wilson, who was the team's leading scorer at the time of his injury with 19 points in 25 games, and no they'll have to wait until next year to get him back in the lineup. Don't forget about him in 2013-14.

Nashville GM David Poile announced Thursday that Paul Gaustad will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
He will require four-to-six months of recovery time and hopes to ready for the start of the 2013-14 campaign. The big center has recorded five points and 40 hits in 23 games.

The Nashville Predators are working on getting Filip Forsberg to join their team and he could be on hand as early as this weekend.
It's not clear how much game action he will see with the Predators, but he's not expected to head down to the minors. "I would think he would come here because that would give us an extra body," coach Barry Trotz said. "He wouldn't have to go to Milwaukee and then get called up or anything like that because we have two emergency recalls (Austin Watson and Daniel Bang) at forward right now. So we wouldn't have to send anyone down." Forsberg was acquired from Washington at the traded deadline in exchange for Martin Erat and prospect Michael Latta.

Mike Fisher (hand) won't play on Friday.
It will be Fisher's third straight game on the sidelines. Consider him day-to-day beyond that.

There's no timetable for when Paul Gaustad (upper body) might be able to return to the Predators' lineup.
With the Predators out of the playoff race, Gaustad might simply miss the rest of the season. He two goals and five points in 23 games in 2013.