The Nashville Predators have made two waiver wire pickups early on in the 2023-24 NHL Season. They picked up Samuel Fagemo before the regular season kicked off, while they snagged Liam Foudy just over two weeks into the season. The Predators’ bottom-six is prime real estate for players to impress and earn ice time.
Their latest adds, Fagemo and Foudy, add offensive talent to the organization’s bottom six, and both have an opportunity to work their way up the lineup as head coach Andrew Brunette continues to implement his offensive style. Let’s take a way too-early look at their first few games with the Predators.
Samuel Fagemo
The Predators claimed Samuel Fagemo before the start of the 2023-24 NHL Season after the Los Angeles Kings placed him on waivers. The former 50th-overall pick from the 2019 NHL Draft is a gifted offensive forward with a strong shot and likes to flash his creativity occasionally. He appeared in only 13 NHL games across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons with the Kings before the Predators claimed his talents.
The Swedish forward made his Predators debut on Oct. 21 against the winless San Jose Sharks. He notched his first goal of the season in his debut, flashing his shot accuracy with a snipe from above the right hashmark on the power play. He played a season-high of 12:32 against the Sharks, but Fagemo has played under 10 minutes in his last three games, recording just three total shots.
Fagemo recorded the lowest time on ice of any player at five-on-five in the Predators’ recent game against the Seattle Kraken. Despite a strong outing, where he posted one shot on goal, threw one hit, and had a Corsi For of 50% and an expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) of 70.01, he rode the bench most of the night. Outside of his Predators debut, Fagemo’s ice time has been limited. Despite showing offensive flashes, he must impress Brunette in his limited role to earn consistent ice time.
Liam Foudy
The Predators scooped up Liam Foudy, the 18th-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, off of waivers on Oct. 21 from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Unlike Fagemo, Foudy’s acquisition was while the regular season was underway. He appeared in one game for the Blue Jackets this season, recording zero points or shots, and got just 7:56 of ice time.
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Foudy’s speed and size is his strongest asset. The 6-foot-2 center is quick, likes to shoot, and brings energy to a team’s bottom six. He made his Predators debut on Oct. 28 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He posted zero points or shots and finished the game with a minus-1 rating in a limited 5:25 of time on ice. Although, he has played in the Predators two games since his subpar debut. He picked up his first point of the season in his next contest, tallying an assist against the Vancouver Canucks and recording a season-high in shots (two) and ice time (12:55).
Foudy has shared a line with Colton Sissons and Yakov Trenin during his last two matches, yielding differing results. The trio posted an xGF% of 90.11 and 38.19 in back-to-back games, while their Corsi For sat at 86.67% and 33.33%, respectively. The difference in their performance is jarring. While Foudy’s line dominated versus the Canucks, they struggled mightily against the Kraken—showing their chemistry is still a work in progress.
Foudy is intriguing. His skill is evident, and he can look like an energetic bottom-six scoring forward in spurts. However, his lack of ice time and often mediocre advanced analytics paint a different picture when he is having an off night. While three games is a tiny sample size to draw conclusions from, Foudy has shown flashes worth earning an extended look in the bottom six despite some so-so results.
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As the Predators continue to tinker with their roster, more waiver wire adds could come as general manager Barry Trotz continues to get a feel for his team. Foudy and Fagemo are great examples of cheap, young, low-risk options with enough offensive talent to warrant an extended look by Trotz, Brunette, and the entire Predators organization.
Advanced stats taken from NaturalStatTrick