Cody Hodgson’s time in Nashville could soon be up.
The former first-round pick, acquired on the cheap by Preds GM David Poile this summer, has been placed on waivers, per The Tennessean:
Hodgson, signed to a one-year, $1.05 million contract on the opening day of free agency, was expected to enhance the Predators’ scoring depth, but failed to deliver in that regard.
In 39 games, Hodgson scored three goals and eight points, recently enduring a three-game stretch as a healthy scratch.
Now 25, Hodgson’s stock has plummeted a long way from 2008, when Vancouver made him the 10th overall pick at the draft.
His trade to Buffalo and subsequent time there was a disaster, ending with the Sabres buying out his six-year, $25.5 million extension last June.
There was hope Hodgson could rediscover his game with the Preds, and provide a quality scoring option in the club’s bottom-six forward group. That plan never came to fruition, however -- in addition to the meager production, Hodgson only averaged 10:44 TOI per game, the lowest full-season total of his NHL career.
Should Hodgson clear waivers, his next stop would (presumably) be Nashville’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. It’s the same place another one of Poile’s offseason gambles -- KHL scoring sensation Steve Moses -- ended up, before ultimately terminating his deal with the Preds, and returning to Russia.