Predators Assign Slumping Forward Juuso Parssinen To The AHL

Nashville Predators forward Juuso Parssinen appears to have hit a sophomore slump.

In response, general manager Barry Trotz announced Tuesday afternoon that the former seventh-round draft pick has been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals, the team’s AHL affiliate. Nashville’s roster currently stands at 22 players.

Parssinen is still waiver exempt as a second-year player on an entry-level contract, meaning he can head straight to Milwaukee without first going through NHL waivers and the Predators don’t have to worry about another team claiming him.

That might be the best way for the promising 22-year-old to regain his confidence.

With a roster spot suddenly open, which Admirals player would you like to see get a shot with the #Preds? pic.twitter.com/Hvk9JLv6W0

— Nashville Hockey Now (@NSHhockeynow) January 23, 2024

Parssinen has 12 points (8 goals, 4 assists) in 44 NHL games this season. He tallied almost twice as many points (25) in 45 games as a rookie in 2022-23, including three game-winning goals.

The Finland native has been up and down in the lineup – primarily in the Predators’ bottom six – as he’s struggled to find consistency in recent weeks. Parssinen was a healthy scratch for Monday’s 4-1 home loss to Florida.

Per Money Puck, Parssinen has played on 14 different line combinations this year.

Aside from notching empty-net goals in back-to-back games earlier this month, Parssinen has not scored since a 6-5 overtime win against Carolina on Dec. 15 – his only multi-point game of the season.

Admirals forwards Egor Afanasyev and Joakim Kemell, Nashville Hockey Now‘s No. 1-ranked prospect in the Predators organization, are among the likeliest candidates to replace Parssinen in Nashville’s lineup.

Afanasyev leads the Admirals with 17 goals. He earned a brief look with the Predators last season and scored just once in 17 games. Kemell, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has 22 points (9 goals, 13 assists) in his first 32 AHL games.

Follow Russell Vannozzi on X/Twitter @RussellV_MSP.

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