On Sunday, June 1, the Nashville Predators forfeited exclusive negotiating rights to four prospects, making them NHL free agents. Simon Knak (2021), Anton Olsson (2021), Dylan MacKinnon (2023), and Juha Jatkola (2023) have all been on Nashville’s reserve list since being drafted, but the club never signed them to an entry-level contract.

Knak was a sixth-round pick in 2021, who had showed promise in a brief stint with the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL. The Swiss forward then returned to his home country and has played the last several seasons with HC Davos, peaking in 2022-23 with eight goals and 23 points in 50 games.

Olsson was a third-round pick in 2021 from Sweden, where he played in the Malmö system. Olsson, not known for his offensive prowess, then moved to Skellefteå before switching to the Finnish league in the 2023-24 season. He recently signed a one-year extension with Lukko in the Liiga.

MacKinnon was a third-round pick in 2023 taken for his bruising physicality and defensive responsibility. The blueliner has spent much of his junior career with the Halifax Mooseheads but was traded to the Moncton Wildcats last year. In route to a Memorial Cup appearance this season, MacKinnon posted five points in 19 playoff games for the Wildcats.

Juha Jatkola was a fourth-round pick in 2023 as Nashville hoped to add depth to its goalie pipeline. The netminder has struggled in the Finnish Liiga but recently won a league championship as the backup goalie for KalPa. He has signed a one-year deal for the Liiga’s KooKoo for next season.

Nashville will also lose the exclusive negotiating rights to forward Isak Walther in August if they don’t sign him. Walther was a sixth-round pick in 2019 and has posted 56 points in 128 games at the University of Vermont.