Several teams have added players on professional tryout (PTO) agreements in recent days and many more will do so before training camps open up. It appears the Predators have joined the list as Daily Faceoff’s Anthony DiMarco reports (Twitter link) that forward Dylan Gambrell has inked a PTO agreement with Nashville.
The 29-year-old isn’t too far removed from playing a regular role in the NHL. Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, Gambrell played in at least 49 games per season while splitting time between San Jose and Ottawa. 2020-21 saw him log more than 16 minutes a night of playing time but beyond that, he largely played on the fourth line. In 233 NHL games between the two teams, he has 17 goals and 23 assists along with a 46.1% faceoff rate.
However, Gambrell has been limited to just AHL action over the past two seasons. In 2023-24, he picked up 14 goals and 22 assists 66 games with Toronto’s farm team while playing on a one-way contract. He wasn’t able to secure that last summer, instead inking a two-way deal with Columbus. With the AHL’s Monsters, he picked up 13 goals and 12 assists in 54 appearances.
Gambrell has enough professional experience to qualify for veteran status at the AHL level; teams can only dress five skaters with 320 games of experience which has made it a challenge for some capable veterans to find a home at that level for the upcoming season. At this point, it’s unlikely that Gambrell would be able to command a one-way deal from the Predators but a solid showing in training camp could be enough to earn him another two-way agreement and a spot with AHL Milwaukee for the upcoming season.