On Saturday, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Nashville Predators have claimed forward Liam Foudy off of waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 23-year-old was selected 18th overall by Columbus in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft from the OHL’s London Knights. Foudy finished his junior career with 97 goals and 191 points in 230 games for the Knights before joining the Blue Jackets.

Since 2020-21, he’s notched ten goals and 35 points in 41 AHL games, but Foudy has struggled to find a top-six role in the NHL, posting just seven goals and 19 points in 90 games.

At 6’2″, Foudy stood out in his junior career with an explosive skating ability and a north-south style game. While he’s demonstrated a good set of hands that match the pace of his feet, Foudy hasn’t been able to define more than a third-line checking opportunity for himself in Columbus, scoring more greasy goals than the many off-the-rush observers saw in the OHL.

With Nashville’s roster capped out at 23 players right now, Nashville could place Luke Schenn on injured reserve or reassign a forward like Michael McCarron to make room for Foudy. If Nashville were the only team to place a claim on him, they could send him to the Milwaukee Admirals right away.

Foudy has one year remaining on his contract with a $762,500 cap hit; he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer.