Grimaldi, Brickley, Tinordi Providing Preds Depth, Challenging for Spots

Rocco Grimaldi was waiting anxiously alongside his electronic devices to see when the announcement would be made official.
He had signed on the dotted line to join the Predators organization on July 1, and it was only a matter of time before the deal would start traversing across the World Wide Web, which would then signify the appropriate time to spread the word to friends and family.
But just as Grimaldi's one-year contract came across the wire, he noticed another deal. For a friend. In Nashville.

Connor Brickley was one of the first to receive a text message from Grimaldi after the two joined the organization at the opening of the free agency period this summer, both sought out by the Preds with the same intention.
"We brought in [players like this] to fight for a position on our team, do the best that they can in training camp to [earn a spot] and provide depth to our organization," Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. "Wherever that depth lies, whether it's here or Milwaukee, these guys are fighting for jobs as well, but certainly I do think that we addressed the issue and that need within the organization. I think [General Manager] David Poile and his staff did an excellent job of identifying the right people that we needed to make sure that we had the depth to play for a long time [into the spring]."
It's a situation Grimaldi and Brickley are accustomed to being in, and they've found ways to thrive under those conditions during their careers.

The two were teammates with the Florida Panthers, as well as spending time together in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage and Portland Pirates from 2014-16. Grimaldi has seen NHL action in each of his four professional seasons - most recently posting three points in six games with Colorado last season - while Brickley spent 44 games with the Panthers in 2017-18, posting 12 points in the process.
"I can say by now I'm pretty used to it, just coming into training camp every year and fighting for a spot," Brickley said. "But, it makes you better as a player, makes the team better and it just makes the camp better overall. It helps everyone get into that game mode as soon as possible and get battle tested."
"I've played with different organizations that have had depth, and when you go down to the minors, it's always a battle to try and come back up and I think that's what teams need," Grimaldi said. "That's what makes guys better, and that's what makes teams better when you have the internal competition."
While the two of them try to work their way into the forward group on a regular basis, Jarred Tinordi faces the same challenge on the backend.

Also the recipient of a one-year deal from the Preds on July 1, Tinordi has skated in 53 NHL games in his career, spending time in Montreal and Arizona, as well as with AHL clubs the past two seasons. With a hulking 6-foot-6 frame, Tinordi prides himself on being a bigger defenseman who still has the footspeed to compete at a high level.
"Seeing the way the Predators have performed over the years, we all know how important depth is if you want to have a long playoff run," Tinordi said. "This team has been successful for a while now, and I wanted to be a part of that, just with the depth and the great pool of players in this room."
In fact, Tinordi, Grimaldi and Brickley have all skated together as members of USA Hockey with the U.S. National Development Team Program when they were teenagers. Almost a decade later, they find themselves back together again, still playing the game they love while challenging each other to be better.
"You never know how much time you've got in this room, and I want to be here as long as I can," Tinordi said. "Every practice, you have to perform, every game, you have to perform, and I'm just trying to do the right things day in and day out."

Whether those performances will lead to Opening Night roster spots for any of the three remains to be seen, but even if their numbers aren't called from the start, these three professionals know it may be only a matter of time before the phone rings again.
And make no mistake - when it was Nashville on the other end of the line this summer, it didn't take any of them long to say yes.
"It's nice to hear that [they wanted players like us]," Grimaldi said. "We're just trying to do the best we can, show what we've got and work for a spot, either now, or in the near future."