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Brady Martin (No. 44)
Brady Martin (No. 44)
Brady Martin’s trial run with the Predators has come to an end.
The team on Wednesday assigned the 18-year-old rookie to his Canadian Hockey League junior team, the Soo Greyhounds, after he had played three games on the NHL level with Nashville.
Because Martin played fewer than 10 games in the NHL, he didn’t burn a year of his entry level deal, meaning he remains under contract for three seasons.
The fifth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Martin had surprised many by earning a spot on Nashville’s opening-night roster.
Only two players in franchise history — Scott Hartnell (2000) and Seth Jones (2013) — had debuted with the Predators the same years they were drafted.
Martin played in each of the Preds’ first two games, both of which were at home, giving coach Andrew Brunette more flexibility in creating favorable line matches for Martin. The Ontario, Canada, native even earned an assist in the second contest, a 3-2 overtime loss to Utah.
But Martin was a healthy scratch for the team’s next four contests, all on the road, when it was harder for Brunette to create line matches he wanted. Home teams are allowed the last personnel change during face-offs, giving home coaches a better opportunity to strategize.
“I think you want to make sure for [Martin’s] development, you’re always worried, you want to put him in the best situation you can,” Brunette said Tuesday morning.
“You want to try to build him up, make him feel confident. So you’re always wary on the road, sometimes you lose your matchups … I want him to feel comfortable, especially early on here.”
Martin was back on the ice for the Preds’ 5-2 loss to Anaheim at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, getting 10:51 ice time and recording his first two shots on goal of the season.
He averaged just 11:25 ice time in three contests, lowest among Predators who played at least three games this year.
His return to the junior level — because of his age, he can’t be assigned to Milwaukee of the American Hockey League — will allow Martin to get plenty of ice time, in all types of roles and against players more his age.
The 6-0, 185-pound Martin will also be playing against players more his size, as opposed to battling against grown men in the NHL.
“I think the path we’re looking for with Brady here is just taking steps, and he’s taken a step from the rookie camp to the training camp to the exhibition games to the NHL,” Brunette said. “We don’t want to rush … I think we want him to go through the process of each step.”
Martin’s departure leaves the Preds with just 12 forwards, meaning the team could choose to call up a player like Zach L’Heureux, Joakim Kemell or Reid Schaefer from Milwaukee.
L’Heureux played 62 games for the Preds last year, totaling five goals and 10 assists.
His training camp was cut short due to injury this season, resulting in his getting assigned to Milwaukee. But he’s off to a good start for the Admirals, with a goal and an assist in Milwaukee’s first two games.
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