When the youth movement finally came to Nashville last season, it was led by some unexpected players like Tanner Jeannot and Mathieu Olivier. And despite the Predators litany of injuries, Philip Tomasino—the organization’s most exciting prospect—didn’t see the ice for an NHL game.
There’s long been an odd perception around the league about rushing prospects into NHL service, but it’s a debate that comes without a finite rule of thumb and one that can be heavily skewed by confirmation bias. Nashville has a reputation of being overly cautious with prospects, yet public comment would indicate that it’s past time Tomasino be an NHL regular.