Predators forward Michael McCarron will enter the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
McCarron can resume playing with Nashville “when cleared for on-ice competition by the program administrators,” per a release posted by the NHL.
The 27-year-old has appeared in 15 games this season, recording one goal and one assist.
McCarron will continue to be paid while he receives treatment through the joint program.
Backstory
The NHL and NHLPA started the player assistance program in 1996. The jointly funded program assists players and their families with mental health, substance abuse and other matters.
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McCarron was drafted by Montreal in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft. Over three seasons with the Canadiens, he played 69 total games and notched eight points (two goals, six assists). McCarron was traded to Nashville in January 2020.
How McCarron’s absence impacts Nashville
McCarron has been in and out of the Preds’ lineup the past two seasons, primarily as a fourth-line center, lending physicality and an occasional offensive boost. His indefinite absence along with Sunday’s placing of former Preds first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen on waivers takes a chunk out of the team’s forward depth (though it’s possible Tolvanen could go unclaimed and return to the club’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee).
It stands to reason that Philip Tomasino, who has been in Milwaukee all season and recently returned from injury, will make his Preds debut soon. Nashville badly needs more offensive punch. — Rexrode
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(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)